Lyon
Temperature
2°
Time
6:40 AM
Lyon
Lyon is commonly referred to as the gastronomy capital. In the past, this label was associated with sauces and a petit-bourgeois small-town complex. However, with the arrival of the TGV high-speed train connecting Lyon to Paris and Marseille, as well as the winning streak of Olympique Lyonnais in various League Championships, Lyon underwent a transformation. The city now boasts daring architecture, bustling cafés, and avant-garde exhibitions, ushering in a new era.Find your trip
This fantastic museum is situated on the border of the Park de la Tête d’Or, adjacent to the newly built Congress Center by Renzo Piano. It regularly beats Paris by gaining sole rights to any Andy Warhol exhibition. Next to the Museum, Renzo Piano’s 3,000 seat amphitheater is worth a visit by itself. One of the most audacious architectural juxtapositions: business, arts and leisure activities, all succeed in mingling together in the same living area.
French fashion was born and flourished from Lyon’s textile industry. The Musée des Tissus provides a unique collection presenting more than 2,000 years of the history of textile around the world, and more specifically, in the Lyon area, highlighting the influence it had on French fashion.
The Institut Lumière is located in Monplasir, the historic district of Lyon. This is where the Lumière brothers invented the Cinématographe and also where they made history by making the first film in 1895. The four-level Lumière Museum allows you to discover the extraordinary inventions of the Lumière brothers, and within the Hangar Prime-Film there are daily movie screenings.
The Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière was built between 1872 and 1884 and has a great position on a hilltop with great views over the city. Today it is a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. The church is decorated with many beautiful details in mosaics, murals and stained glass.
The Musée des Beaux Arts is one of France’s most elegant art museums with everything from ancient statues to contemporary art. It has acquired a painting by Poussin, "The Flee to Egypt", increasing the collection of 17th- and 18th-century paintings to be one of the most prestigious in France.
Lyon housed the core of the Resistance movement, which fought against the occupying German troops during WWII. Many French Jews were deported from here. Everything is explained at the Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportationand, and there are also pictures from the trial of the Butcher of Lyon, Klaus Barbie.
There are over 5 km of walkways along the Rhône for leisure and enjoyment. Here you will find lawns, outdoor cafés, deckchairs, pools, barges, concerts and restaurants. For the more athletically inclined, a cycling track, a roller park and a fitness circuit is provided.
Explore Lyon from the river Rhône and admire its heritage while the guide tells you the secrets of the city. In the evening you can have a very romantic dinner cruise. From April to October you can take a boat trip on the Rhône. Different companies operate in the evenings.
This fantastic museum is situated on the border of the Park de la Tête d’Or, adjacent to the newly built Congress Center by Renzo Piano. It regularly beats Paris by gaining sole rights to any Andy Warhol exhibition. Next to the Museum, Renzo Piano’s 3,000 seat amphitheater is worth a visit by itself. One of the most audacious architectural juxtapositions: business, arts and leisure activities, all succeed in mingling together in the same living area.
French fashion was born and flourished from Lyon’s textile industry. The Musée des Tissus provides a unique collection presenting more than 2,000 years of the history of textile around the world, and more specifically, in the Lyon area, highlighting the influence it had on French fashion.
This butcher is located in Lyon's food hall (in a concrete quarter erected in the 1970s). Colette and her daughter probably offer the best cured meats and provisions in France. She dispatches them to customers throughout the world. This means that she is used to vacuum packing sausages, quenelles and other delicacies.
If you are a chocolate lover then you have to visit this world-famous “maître chocolatier” – master chocolate maker. Everything on offer is made from scratch, from the delicate truffles and ornate bars to the savoury options that are also available, such as quiche.
Galeries Lafayette the premiere department store in France, with locations found all over the country. Here you can find just about anything you might be looking for, from clothes, shoes and accessories to home decor and design, as well as miscellaneous items of all sorts.
Book lovers will not want to pass up a visit to La Bourse, one of the city's best places to find new and old books, comic books from all over the world, magazines and other such items. They even have old video games, LPs and films. This is where you can buy or trade for that old Piaf vinyl record, Serge Gainsbourg CD or Enki Bilal comic album you have been looking for.
Blaise Vavro is one of Lyon’s most interesting wine retailers. It belongs to a younger generation that really tries to discover wines smaller and more unknown vineyards at reasonable prices. Wine lovers will doubtlessly make unique finds and discover flavours they've never tasted before.
In Cuisine is a quaint bookstore that specializes in all things related to food and dining, with books specialising in gastronomy and wine. They also host wine tastings and cooking courses, and offer lunch options for casual visitors who want to offer their palate something new and unique.
Every Sunday morning local artists, artisans and craftsmen set up their stalls among the pleasant trees and buildings of Quai Romain Rolland and showcase their works. Visitors can find paintings, sculptures, photographs and crafts of all sorts to take home as unique souvenirs.
Every weekend booksellers set up their stalls along the Saône River and display their huge collections of unique and hard-to-find books. Most are in French, but diligent searching can yield a truly once-in-a-lifetime find in any language. Truly a must for bibliophiles.
This butcher is located in Lyon's food hall (in a concrete quarter erected in the 1970s). Colette and her daughter probably offer the best cured meats and provisions in France. She dispatches them to customers throughout the world. This means that she is used to vacuum packing sausages, quenelles and other delicacies.
If you are a chocolate lover then you have to visit this world-famous “maître chocolatier” – master chocolate maker. Everything on offer is made from scratch, from the delicate truffles and ornate bars to the savoury options that are also available, such as quiche.
France can be visited visa-free for up to 90 days by citizens of other EU/Schengen countries, as well as citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel, UAE and most countries in America. If you are unsure whether or not you need to apply for a visa, we recommend contacting the embassy or consulate in your country.
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport is located 25 km from downtown. You can take the express tram, which is the fastest link between the centre of Lyon and the Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport. The journey takes less than 30 minutes. A taxi to and from the airport also takes approximately 30 minutes. Alternatively, bus line 47 takes you to and from the airport to the city centre. Taking the TGV from Perrache or Part-Dieu, you can travel to or from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in just two hours.
Spring and early summer are favourite times to visit Lyon. The months of April, May and June bring the most pleasant weather, as well as the blooming of the foliage in the city's parks and rose gardens. Moreover, a visit during these months means beating the summer crowds.
TCL has an extensive bus, tram and underground railway system in Lyon. Day passes or two-hour passes, which allow for travel on all vehicles, are frequently the most practical choice for visitors.
There are dozens of taxi companies in Lyon. Here are a few alternatives: Allo Taxi +33 4 78 28 23 23 www.allotaxi.fr Taxi-radio +33 4 72 10 86 86 www.taxilyon.com
La Poste is generally open from 8am to 7pm. You can find one office at the following address:
Pharmacie Blanchet
Country code: +33 Area code: 04
France can be visited visa-free for up to 90 days by citizens of other EU/Schengen countries, as well as citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Israel, UAE and most countries in America. If you are unsure whether or not you need to apply for a visa, we recommend contacting the embassy or consulate in your country.
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport is located 25 km from downtown. You can take the express tram, which is the fastest link between the centre of Lyon and the Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport. The journey takes less than 30 minutes. A taxi to and from the airport also takes approximately 30 minutes. Alternatively, bus line 47 takes you to and from the airport to the city centre. Taking the TGV from Perrache or Part-Dieu, you can travel to or from Paris-Charles de Gaulle in just two hours.
