Way back in the spring of 2012, Karen and I were leaving Munich for Lyon and looking forward to exploring this famous foodie city. However fate would intervene, and our connecting train in Mannheim was cancelled. With limited and rather unpleasant alternative train options to Lyon, we decided on a whim to go to Strasbourg instead. It worked out in the end as we absolutely loved Strasburg; however, we always regretted never getting to Lyon. Well, this fall (2022) we finally did make it Lyon; in fact, we spent a whole month there!

We stayed on the slopes of the hill La Croix Rousse, on the edge of the 1st & 4th arrondissement. The neighborhood is famous for being the home of 19th century silk workers while today it is a very popular place to live with all the amenities you could want without all the tourists. It was the perfect place to live a like a local.

We stayed in wonderful AirBnB apartment about half way up the hill which meant we always were going to get our exercise regardless of the direction we set out. Our hosts we truly exceptional from providing loads of amenities to even taking us out for a fantastic lunch at an excellent restaurant in town.

We found Lyon to be surprisingly reasonable from a cost standpoint (The strong US$ didn’t hurt!) and very lively due loads of young professionals and university students. Of course, the food was a key reason we visited Lyon, and we were not disappointed. Check out our post on Lyon Food.

We loved our month in Lyon and highly recommend you go if you get a chance. Here are some of the highlights:

• It’s beautiful and full of history like Paris but not nearly as stuffy. The people are friendly and helpful, even if you don’t know much French.
• It’s an excellent city for exploring by foot. Which is good, because you’ll eat more bread, pastries and cheese (in addition to other amazing food) than you do at home. But you’re going to Lyon for the food, right?
• We used 19 metro passes between the two of us, mostly to go and come from the train station. Yo can purchase them at any metro stop. Otherwise we walked everywhere.
• The Secret Food tour is worth the cost. You get history, tourist highlights, lots of authentic local food, even a little local red wine with your late breakfast (in addition to wine with lunch!)
• Having local produce, cheese and meat markets (think food stands/trucks set up on the sidewalks) nearby makes cooking at home a breeze. If you need a food item that’s difficult to find in your neighborhood, go to the biggest market in town, the Carrefour in Westfield mall (across from Part Dieu train station).
• Fall is a great time to visit. There aren’t many tourists, yet the weather’s still fairly warm. And there are festivals celebrating the end of the wine harvest at this time of year.
• Saturdays get super crowded in the more touristy parts of town. The other days, not so much.
• Here’s a Hidden Gem: Lyon is known for its Opera, but if that’s not your thing, check out Opera Underground. They host performances across a variety of musical genres in an intimate setting in a small auditorium in the Opera House. We saw a wonderful performance by Leyla McCalla, a Haitian-folk artist from New Orleans formerly of the string band Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Day Trips from Lyon
You don’t need a car to visit Lyon or even the region around it. The French rail system makes taking daytrips from Lyon easy. We used a 5-day Eurail Pass to keep costs in check for the longer trips. Here’s where we went.

Avignon – a walled city in the south of France, and home to the Papacy in the 1300’s.

Perouges – an incredibly well-preserved medieval walled city just a short train ride from Lyon.

Annecy – a picturesque canalled city on Lake Annecy in the foothills of the Alps. 

Beaune – a walled city in the heart of the Burgundy wine region. We had a fabulous time at the162nd edition of their wine festival.
Dijon – a beautiful city on the road from Lyon to Paris. Home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the 11th to 15th centuries. We recommend you stay overnight in Dijon due to its size and distance from Lyon.