As quickly as we were disoriented and even a bit intimidated by the fast-paced Paris, we felt at ease in Lyon. It’s my favorite city that we visited in all of France. Despite being the country’s third largest city, Lyon has a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. You’ll see locals picnicking in the many parks and squares or taking an afternoon stroll along the river, some will even give a friendly nod as you pass by them. It has the unhurried feel of a place where people take the time to appreciate the small moments.
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While I’m not sure I can claim we felt right at home, we did settle in quickly and even made some progress on our shoddy French. By the end of our stay we could identify at least half a dozen menu items and when we said “Bonjour”, people responded to us in French instead of English. How’s that for progress? Our French speaking abilities may still be incredibly rudimentary, but that didn’t stop us from doing, seeing, and eating many of Lyon’s spectacular offerings. Here are some of our favorite things to do in Lyon that already make us long for a return visit.
1. Bouchons
If you know of Lyon, you undoubtedly also know of its reputation for food. In fact, food is the reason we chose Lyon as one of our destinations. Doesn’t everyone make travel decisions based solely on food?
Bouchons are restaurants that serve traditional Lyonnaise cuisine—typically rich, often fatty, and usually meat centric. Needless to say, Tom got his sausage fix. I discovered a new food obsession as well—quenelles—fish dumplings floating in a sea of creamy crayfish sauce. Are you drooling yet? Because I am. We often opted for the three-course fixed price menu…and our pants were definitely getting a bit snug by the time we left town.
2. Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
…or as we call it “the big church on the hill.” We were told that the ascent includes 400 stairs. Pretty sure we were lied to. After all those bouchons, it seemed more like 1,000,000! Joking aside, the trek is really quite pleasant since much of it is shaded, winding through parks and gardens overlooking the city. There’s also public transportation that drops you at the basilica entrance if 400+ stairs aren’t your thing. This church has a vibrant stone and gold gilded interior that feels mercifully refreshing after the sticky climb, as does that nice cool water they have in the basin for you to wash off with😉 Just kidding, we at least know better than to bath in the holy water.
3. Ancient Theatre of Fourvière
Just a short walk from the Notre-Dame de Fourvière are the ruins of two ancient Roman theatres. The first one is massive, holding 10,000 people. It was built back in 15 BCE and is still used for events today. The second theatre is smaller—holding just 3,000 people and was used for music and poetry shows.
4. Le Vieux Lyon
Throughout the Renaissance period, Lyon was known for manufacturing the highest-quality silk. The historic district of Vieux (or Old) Lyon is where much of the silk trade action happened. It’s filled with Renaissance era buildings and even listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. While walking through the shaded cobblestone streets it’s easy to imagine them lined with vendor stalls and the bustling action of a thriving economy. We didn’t find any, but there are secret passageways called traboules connecting buildings and streets throughout Old Lyon. These were used by silk merchants to move goods quickly and avoid exposing them to the elements during transit.
Textiles are still part of Lyon’s economy today. We got to witness some of the biz first-hand at our hotel. Thankfully it had an elevator, but one just large enough to fit two people wearing backpacks or one small framed man and three human sized bolts of fabric. After a few moments of watching the poor guy wrestle the giant fabric monstrosities out of the elevator Tom took pity on him and helped maneuver them the down the hall.
5. Parc de la Tete d’Or
This is a huge park with a lake, free zoo, botanical garden, and miniature train. It’s seriously enormous—we walked around for hours and never found the botanical garden. We did find a whole lotta dog poo though. So if you visit, tread carefully and maybe double check the grass before you spread out your picnic blanket.
6. Daytrip toPérouges
This isn’t just one of our favorite things to do in Lyon. It was one of our favorite things in all of France. Pérouges is a medieval village located on a hill in the French countryside. This place is the stuff that fairytales (or at least Disney movies) are made of. We took a train from Lyon through vibrant yellow fields to Meximieux, where the journey to Pérouges begins. From there it was a 20-30 minute stroll through the town, then onto a walking trail that led us over rolling grassy hills, around a lake, and across a stone foot bridge. I may or may, not have sung “Bonjour!” to Tom about every 5 seconds along the way. He of course, had no idea what I was singing about. How it’s possible to have never seen Beauty and Beast, I just can’t understand.
Pérouges is made almost entirely out of stone. It’s still a functioning village, inhabited by about 100 people, with restaurants, galleries, workshops, and bakeries. We spent a few hours walking every street twice because there are so many details to take in. While it’s a tourist attraction, Pérouges has a quiet, tranquil atmosphere that encourages you to wander around each new bend in the cobblestone street to see what you’ll find.
7. Confluence of theSaône andRhône Rivers
Part of Lyon’s beauty comes from the sparkling rivers dotted with stately bridges and lined by colorful buildings. Both theSaône andRhône Rivers flow through the city and converge in one of the architecturally modern districts.
We spent a morning visiting the confluence and making friends with the swans that hang out there. Okay, so maybe we didn’t make friends with them, but it was fun to be so close to these pristine creatures and we made it back without getting pecked so I call that a win.
8. Magical Night Lights
At night Lyon transforms into a whole different kind of magic. The churches, monuments, and bridges are artfully illuminated. Their brilliance reflects in the inky river waters. Restaurants and bars are busy with the chatter of slightly intoxicated visitors and locals alike. Walking along the river banks at night you’ll find lovers sneaking kisses in the shadows and friends gathered at the water’s edge sharing bottles of wine and beer. I’d say that the folks of Lyon have figured out a few things about enjoying life.
Whether or not you’re a foodie or history enthusiast, Lyon’s a lovely place to soak up some French culture in a relaxed environment. What do you think of Lyon? Is it a place you’d like to visit? Or have you been there?
Also, will anyone else be singing Beauty and the Beast songs in your head for the next few days?
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