5 Days in Lyon, France.

5 Days in Lyon. My experience.

Lyon, France makes several claims. It claims to be the second largest city in France (Marseille would undoubtedly dispute that) and it also claims to be the second most visited tourist city. And I may believe that. The confluence of the Soane and Rhone Rivers has, since ancient times, made Lyon a cultural and commercial hub. Today river cruises abound and it certainly has all the lovely characteristics of a tourist city. Lyon is principally divided (four tourism purposes) into three areas: Vieux Lyon (old town), the Presqu’ile (long, flat area stretching from the Confluence of the two rivers to the 1st Ard.), and “the rest”.

Some Quick info about Lyon:

Ancient Origins: Lyon, originally known as Lugdunum, was founded by the Romans in 43 BC. It quickly became the capital of the Gauls.
Strategic Location: The city is located at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, making it a key economic and transport hub throughout its history.
Silk Trade: In the Renaissance period, Lyon became a significant center for silk production and weaving, contributing to its wealth and development.
Gastronomy: Lyon is often considered the gastronomic capital of France, with a rich culinary history and a variety of famous local dishes.
UNESCO World Heritage Site: The historic site of Lyon, including its Roman ruins, Renaissance buildings, and silk-weaving heritage, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998.
Current Population around 518,000.

For me, I divided Lyon into four sections and toured it over 5 days (with plenty of time for rest). I think you can do Lyon in as little as 3 days and get the general gist and feel of the City. So 5 days is overkill unless you want a slow and leisurely visit. Below is what I saw and the schedule I did it on. I’ve tried to note the order/general area of where things are to maximize your efficiency but also let you know where you can kinda hurry through things if you want to spend 3 days and see the most interesting sites).

So each site gets a 1-5 Ty Score. 5 – You gotta See it to believe how awesome it is. 1 -You couldn’t drag me back.

While I am spending week here, after having visited, I put together the following 4 day itinerary

Coolest Things.

I really enjoyed Lyon for its size and feel. The food is amazing and I enjoyed the reasonably priced Bouchons. The Basilica is in my Top 5 old churches I’ve ever visited.

What’s not.

Place Bellecour was boring and overrated. I don’t see why anyone really cares. Largest Renassiance Square in Europe that now resembles a parking lot. Who cares.

Confluence museum is a cool building and a cool fusion of science and humanities. Worth 2 hours.

How I Spent My 5 Days...

Day 1: Fourvière Hill (Morning)

Day One was amazing. I began the morning with a run down the Saône with Odie and had breakfast at our Airbnb. Afterwards it was time for a visit to Fourviére Hill where you will find several of Lyon’s most prominent landmark. La Basilique – Notre-Dame de Fourviére and the more intact Roman ruins found in Lyon.

The Basilica de Norte-Dame (Score 5)

The Basilica is breath-taking and the attention to detail is amazing!!! I have been in a lot of old churches. Have half-jokingly told friends that I am done with old churches. But the Basilica here may be one of my favorites. It was the attention to detail that made this particular building stand out. Even the floor was mesmerizing. And I strongly encourage you to go.

Also, a note. I decided to follow signs from the River to the Basilica and take the steps rather than the Funicular. That decision resulted in me climbing 52 flights of stairs. Yes. 52. My garmin watch logged all of them. So, If you see a bunch of stairs, know that they keep going, and going, and going,…

After taking in the Basilica, enjoy the views. For me, what I noted most was how much bigger Lyon was than I believed initially. The tourist area is fairly compact. But the City extends a good distance out. Either way, the view is breathtaking and worth the hike.

Roman Ruins. (Ty Score: 5)

After the Basilica, you can walk approximately 300 meters and be at the entrance to Lyon’s best preserved Roman Ruins. The ruins both used to be theaters. The large theater could hold as many as 10500 people! So. Walk up steps that are nearly 2,000 years old. And today: they still host events. How cool is that.

Part of the charm of Fourviére is seeing the area as a whole. I recommend walking down from the Hill (especially if you took transportation up) and enjoying Rue Montèe du Gourguillon. It’s a super charming (albeit steep) street with great views. I have added pictures below.

I enjoyed spending 4-5 hours on the Hill. I don’t think this is necessary. If in a hurry, consolidate this with your visit to Old Town. You need about 3 hours to enjoy the Hill and 3-4 hours to enjoy Old Town if you rush. I prefer not to rush.

Roman Ruins Fourviere Hill Lyon France

Day 1 AfterNoon/Day 2: Old Town.

Old Town Itself (Ty Score: 5)

Old Town Lyon is adorable! The streets are cobblestone. The buildings are the older style. Shops/restuarants galore with plenty of opportunity to sample that famous Lyonnais style cooking. Old Town is worth an entire day, but can be done in a half day. Here are the highlights and my thoughts as well as an overview of what I did. Even if you don’t go to any of the sites below, at least visit Old Town and have a coffee or spend an hour walking around.

Theoretically, Old Town and Fourviére Hill can be done in one very full day – which is why I suggest possibly doing it as a day. However, it will be a very long day!! So, I actually suggest having nice leisurely morning each day, followed by some touring, a long lunch, and then more touring. Part of the charm of Europe is getting off the American schedule of “rush rush rush” and stopping to smell the roses. Or more aptly, to have an espresso at the cafe. Here were some of the things I did in Old Town:

1. Cathedral Saint-Jean-Baptiste (3)

Okay. The highlight would have been the astronomical clock. Unfortunately work was being done and it was fully covered and unavailable for viewing. Pity because it was one of the things I was most looking forward to. If it’s still covered when you get here, plan on 15 minutes tops for the Cathedral. Its just not that exciting, especially after the basilica.

2. Musée Cinema et Minature. (Ty Score: 3.5)

Okay. This was kinda fun. Lyon has a strong connection to cinema as the Lumière brothers invented the Cinematograph here. The museum is privately owned and funded by an individual and is cute. Is it worth 16 euro? It was to me but I love cinema and the collection of artifacts were things from my childhood: Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Edward Scissorhands, and more. I found it fun to see these items.

3. Lunch at a real Bouchon! (Ty Score: 5)

Lyon has a rich culinary tradition and is often cited as the gastronomic capital of France. Bouchons have a historical role in the City as they were established to feed working class a hearty meal. Today’s Bouchons continue to serve these same dishes at reasonable prices. Space is often limited and the restaurants are full. But you are almost guaranteed a hearty meal at a reasonable price.

I ate at Les Lyonnais Bouchon. The meal was hearty and delish! But be careful. There are a lot of imposters out there and anyone can use the term Bouchon. Check the actual list on visiterlyon.com to find a true list and make sure you navigate to the correct place as unscrupulous imposters have set up some restaurants with similar names close by.

There are many authentic Bouchons in Old Town. You can find a comprehensive list here: https://en.visiterlyon.com/taste-the-finest/restaurants-and-gastronomy/label-bouchons-lyonnais

4. Puppet Museum (Ty Score 2.5)

So just as Lyon has a rich history of cinema, so to does it have a long history of puppet shows. I unfortunately did not time the puppet shows correctly for my visit, but you can take in a puppet show and I hear it is really fun. I did however, go to the museum. And it’s cute. It’s basically in the back of a shop and the owner is a super nice guy. It only cost 5 Euro and you get to see some neat puppets. Would I say it’s something you can’t miss – no. But is it worth dropping in for 10 minutes. Yeah. It is. Just because it’s unique and whimsical.

5. Traboule search (Ty Score:5)

So for me, this was part of the charm of Lyon and some of the most fun. The search from Traboules. These “secret” passages connect buildings and sometimes streets. There are some 400+ Traboules in Lyon and 40 remain open to the public by consent of the owners. So please respect their request that you visit in silence.

These historical passageways have a rich history and can be rather beautiful. There is a small sign that often indicates that a traboule is behind a door. And they are easy to miss. During WII the Resistance utilized this network of hidden passageways to move more freely through the City. See my video for some of the more amazing ones I ran across!!!

Day 3: Hotel De Ville/ Terreux/Fine Arts Museum.

Hotel De Ville, Terreaux, and Musee Des Beaux-Arts are easily combinable into one day. Hotel de Ville and Terreaux are effectively one destination where you go to see the square and areas surrounding it. Walking around, the most exciting feature to me (besides the beautiful architecture) was the Fountaine Bartholdi (pictured here). it was designed by the same designer as the Statue of Liberty and is incredibly beautiful.

You won’t need to spend long walking around the square outside the Hotel De Ville to take in its beauty. Just make sure to walk all the way around the structure to see the Opera, the Hotel itself, and the other buildings and sculptures that make the area so pretty.

Day 4: River Cruise/Confluence.

Confluence is the point where Rhone and Soane rivers meet. It is massively large where the two rivers intersect and form a Peninsula. And while this is an historic and old area of Lyon (particularly during the rise and prominence of the silk trade), it now has a more modern architecture and feel with the highlight of the area being the Confluence Museum.

I took advantage of a special for a River ride and tour combined with a free ticket to the museum through Les Bateaux (https://www.lesbateauxlyonnais.com/) to make a day of it. And it is my recommendation that you do the same. Otherwise, I honestly would skip the museum in its entirety.

Since I was in the area (and I’m staying in the heart of old town so this was a long way away), I spent an hour walking around. I didn’t see much of interest. The park close to the museum is nice. However, the area as a whole felt very modern and businesslike. Not much of interest caught my attention,

The museum itself is interesting. It combines science and social science. It contemplates such questions as: where did we come from, what happens after we die, and the universal question of “What’s love got to do with it?” (temporary exhibit). And the fusion of the humanities with hard science was both interesting and entertaining. I did like the museum and do recommend going if you have time.

Time for the adventure: 45 minutes each way by boat. Allow for 2 hours at the museum to see everything of interest and maybe 30 minutes to enjoy the outside. Here are some pictures from the River Cruise and at the museum:

Day 5: Place BelleCour / La Croix-Rousse

Both of these areas ranked a bit lower on my list. Place Bellecour is the largest Renaissance Square in Euope. to me, it was completely remarkable and boring. Kinda like if they put a parking lot in the middle of a bunch of buildings….

La Croix-Rousse, also known as “the other hill” of Lyon is a quiet and quaint neigborhood worthy of a few hours of your time. Dine at Daniel et Denise Croix Rousse – an authentic Bouchon slightly outside the main tourist area to have an amazing email and not have the hassle of waiting so long for a table. Go to the area on a weekend and explore the amazing market. Walk up the hill to enjoy breathtaking views.

Tips To Enhance Your Visit To Lyon

Here are some tips to help make your visit to Lyon better:

Lyon can be done in as little as three days or as many as five. If you just have 3, combine Fourviére Hill and Old town one day. Hotel De Ville/Fine Arts Museum/Place Bellecour on the Second day. Consider a River Cruise and trip to Confluence for your third day.
However, I like to take my time. Realistically, if I had to, I could cut the Confluence Museum (it was ok) as well but would keep the River Cruise – making this an easy 3 day trip.
I would recommend 3 days for the quick tour and 4 days for the full tour unless you just want to take your times I did.

For an In-depth Review:

For a more in-depth review and tour, check out my Youtube video!!! And while you are there please hit the like and subscribe button so you can follow along on my journey and never miss an update on cool things to see or places to go!!!!!