Lyon, capital of both the Rhône department and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, east-central France, set on a hilly site at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. It is the third largest city in France, after Paris and Marseille. Lyon has earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The city boasts France’s oldest ancient runs, and fine Renaissance houses.
Our journey came through the 3rd largest city in France, Lyon, for 10 nights! It may sound like way too many days and nights here, however, it was about the right number of days for both of us, based on our lifestyle and also easy day trips to wine regions in Burgundy, and Beaujolais Rhone Valley. We love wine (surprise!!) and like to enjoy it and have fun in the city! I believe it’s a matter of the area you chose to stay in, honestly, we stayed in the right area. Of course, Presqu'ile District is where most things “happen” in the city, a district of glorious 19th-century architecture, wide plazas, shops, cultural institutions, restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs. Rue Mercière is basically one long line of superb restaurants. We love Rue Mercière!
Our spacious accommodation was in the center of the Presqu'île district and the room came with a view of the most beautiful plaza in Lyon: Place des Jacobins. I loved to open the french doors and stand on the balcony with a cup of coffee in the morning to listen the fountain of the Place des Jacobins. Location is the key. It was a short walking distance from our hotel to Rue Mercière where the street was filled with chic and cool restaurants, many Authentic Bouchon Lyonnaise to savor, and cute cafes are everywhere! I guarantee this is the right spot to be in Lyon as a visitor.
Attention s’il vous plait, Foodie! Lyon is, above all, famous for its gastronomy: it has been named “The Gastronomic Capital of the World” since 1935! The city has 20 Michelin star restaurants, including the Paul Bocuse restaurant, as well as many traditional eating houses called “Bouchons Lyonnais”. What is Bouchons Lyonnais? Bouchons Lyonnais are characteristic bistros with a welcoming ambience, which act as a showcase for the city’s specialities. From what I’ve learned, Lyon has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the country and for centuries has been lauded for the high-quality of its produce and the prestige of its cuisine. You can dig into traditional Lyonnaise cuisine at “bouchons”, typical restaurants, and the best of these (awarded the label, Authentique Bouchon Lyonnais) tend to be around Presqu’île. Today, the Bouchons Lyonnais Label is awarded to the best addresses in Lyon!
Explore the city! We visited so many top tourist attractions in Lyon. We visited Musée des Beaux Arts. The impressive cultural heritage of Lyon is evidenced in this Musée des Beaux-Arts, Housed in a former abbey from the 1600s, the Musée des Beaux-Arts is France’s largest fine art museum after the Louvre in Paris. This museum has one of Europe's largest collections of artwork, with an especially impressive assortment of paintings and sculptures from the 14th through the 20th centuries. We enjoyed our time a lot at the Quartier Saint-Jean and Quartier Saint-Georges (Old Town). Lyon's atmospheric Quartier Saint-Jean is the place to discover the old-world ambience of Vieux Lyon! This medieval quarter north of the cathedral is filled with narrow cobblestone lanes and quiet little courtyards. Begin exploring around Rue du Boeuf and the Place Neuve Saint-Jean, a picturesque square filled with traditional restaurants. Then wander around the pedestrian streets of Rue Saint-Jean and Rue des Trois Maries. There are many inviting shops and cafés along the way. If you’re here for the shopping, start at the pedestrianized Rue de la République where all the high-street brands await. The Place des Terreaux is worth visiting just to see the fountain by F.A. Bartholdi. This grandiose work of art depicts the triumphal chariot of the Garonne River. Notice the four marvelously sculpted horses that look very powerful and fierce. They represent the four different rivers that flow into the ocean. Lyon's Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) is found on the east side of the square. Originally built between 1646 and 1672, the Hôtel de Ville was rebuilt (after a fire) by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in his signature Baroque style.
Day trips from Lyon!
- Beaune is located between Lyon and Dijon. It's in the heart of (Bourgogne) Burgundy’s famous vineyards, Pommard, Corton-Charlemagne, Romanée-Conti, Meursault, Santenay and Savigny-les-Beaune bring a twinkle to the eyes of wine lovers; Beaune is famous for the Hospice de Beaune (Hôtel-Dieu). We traveled by train for an hour and Beaune is our most favorite day trip from Lyon! We booked excursions through https://www.beaune-tourism.com
Beaune, Burgundy
- Beaujolais Region is one of the most popular day tours from Lyon if you're a wine lover and wanted a day out among the wineries of Burgundy. The countryside is reminiscent of Tuscany. Exploring a wine region isn't really something the public transport is designed for, so renting a car or taking an organized wine tour is the best way to see the Beaujolais Region from Lyon.
- Provence region. We visited Aix-En-Provence (or just Aix for short) at this time instead of Avignon. Honestly, a day trip from Lyon to Aix-En-Provence is not ideal. Getting to the city centre from the train station was such a pain unless you rent a car and spend a couple nights to explore Provence. I made an error in this choice for just a day trip. It took us 40 minutes by taxi (or you can take a bus as a cheaper fare) from the train station to the city centre after 2.15 hours traveling by train from Lyon. Aix is well known for hundreds of fountains in town, quaint rues (streets), and an easy drive to the world famous lavender field. Perhaps it was the complication in getting there and too much time on the transportation so we were not fond of this part of Southern France. Long story short, just don't take a day trip to Aix from Lyon as our suggestion.
Aix-En-Provence
- Annecy, this town is adored for its picturesque combination of gorgeous canals and old town character. Trains travel from Lyon to Annecy, with the fastest connections taking 2 hours.
There's also many places to go for a day trip from Lyon within an hour or under two hours such as Vienne, Grenoble, Dijon, Perouges.
Where to Stay in Lyon for Sightseeing? Lyon's compact center is easy to navigate, with the Presqu'île quarter tidily enclosed between the converging Rhone and Saone rivers. At its center is the large Place Bellecour, with the Tourist Information Office. Behind Presqu'île, streets and stairways rise steeply to the hilltop Croix Rousse. On the right bank is the UNESCO listed Vieux Lyon. The highly rated hotels below are handy to the main tourist attractions in or near these areas:
Convenient to shopping and restaurants, the four-star Mercure Lyon Centre Beaux-Arts is in the center of the Presqu'île district, near Place Bellecour.
Intercontinental Lyon - Hotel Dieu is one of the city’s most emblematic historical landmark buildings, originally dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, with a contemporary take on design. Views from this five-star hotel are always stunning, be it on the river Rhône or on our listed historic courtyards.
The sumptuous guest rooms at the five-star Hotel Le Royal Lyon - MGallery Collection overlook a quiet courtyard or Place Bellecour.
Between the Saône River and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the four-star Grand Hotel des Terreaux offers stylishly decorated guest rooms in a 19th-century townhouse. The hotel also has an indoor pool and provides a gourmet breakfast.
Truth be told, my husband and I were happy on so many levels that we picked Lyon over Paris. We had so much fun with people we met and the nightlife was quite eclectic … Umm actually it was quite crazy during the nights of the soccer Euro championship! All in all, nothing to complain about during the time we were in Lyon! Thank you to the local people we became friends with and all the experiences that made our trip so memorable!
Au Revoir, Lyon!
-VB-
Next blog I’ll write about the “Venice of the Alps” … The best of our journey is yet to come at last! Stay tuned.