France’s Historic Second City and Gourmet Capital
Lyon is the number two city of France and on a recent visit to France proved was a revelation.
It has many interesting sights to see, great food / gastronomy, magnificent buildings, massive rivers in a city that will not disappoint.
Lyon dates back to the Roman and early Christian period. Situated on two major rivers, the Rhone and the Saone, if you remember from your school geography lessons. Today it is a bustling thriving city of 1.5 million people, much the size of Dublin but with many lessons for here.
Lyon is an excellent stop over between Paris and the North, a half way point to the south and its sunnier climes of the Riviera.
We were heading south on a brief road trip in the past, but never made the city centre. Old Lyon or “Vieux Lyon” was a revelation.
A friend from Lyon but based in Waterford, Laurent, gave me some useful tips in advance. He said focus on the old parts but also check out the modern side and its great culinary heritage. We were there in 2024 and suggest it for 2026.
Getting There & Around
Lyon is well served with transport but the airport is far out of town. Some helpful locals at the airport explained the best way to the city via local bus to tram way and then onto the city centre via lines to the main station.
A local Moroccan working as a building engineer made sure we made the right connections and was most obliging as we made tracks for our city centre hotel near the main Perrache station.
Across the main river Saone, a tram link on the other side proved useful to visit the local market, Les Halles, where good fresh food awaited.
Old Lyon – Vieux Lyon
It was then onto “Vieux Lyon” on what was becoming a nice sunny day. A chat and snack saw some more options.
Bellecour is a fine place to start too with its wide open square and main focus for shopping, where the FNAC shop overlooks the square. There is a great impression of the city’s prestige and wealth here, tourism office close by and various downtown hotels. It is a 15-minute walk or short tram ride.
Paris looks splendid but Lyon gives it a strong impression too with facelifts and regeneration.
Old Lyon attracts many tourists but is not overbearing in June, early in the tourist season. See the Iris Galerie, art on eyes and health. A miniature is also an attraction, many interesting points near Place de la Basoche.
We sat on an open square under the Jean Baptiste sculpture and took it all in, as it faced the main cathedral of the same name. The fountain had flowing water and a local guy just dashed along to cool off from the water, provoking conversation with nearby locals as he made a bow for his genuine effort, offering a welcome smile and bow (Metro Vieux Lyon).
It was a nice introduction again to this impressive city.
Along the streets of Vieux Lyon, browsing interesting shops and restaurants, thus finding possibilities for the next day.
Guided Tours & Architecture
The local tourist office has city tours at 10am daily, given by Laurence. She had great knowledge of the Roman origins and can show you, walking through the city, the incredible Lyon architecture and restoration of older buildings to make them now a tourist attraction with expert guidance.
Various tax incentives and local supports encouraged this process. We need to send some Irish urban planners here and see good practice. The quality was superior to our standards but they had great heritage buildings to restore.
Local stonemasons and builders have great expertise in this work, restoring residences of four to five storeys high in multi-apartment dwellings over shops and inner courtyards. The thick walls are great in summer heat with shuttered
windows.
There are apps for such tours also and puzzles.
Rivers, Hills & Views
The river walks are splendid and give a sense of importance to these great rivers.
Other tips from locals are on the edge of the city’s hills or “Colline de Fourvière”. The Esplanade de Fourvière is very impressive.
We were recommended to see the river and try some of the boat tours, the food market Les Halles, and the bouchon restaurant area near Bellecour.
Bellecour is a fabulous square in the centre of the city, a great meeting place and also the location for the main tourist office.
Near access to the rivers of Saone and Rhone and the great bridges, we were recommended to visit an amazing hotel transformed from its previous existence as a hospital. Fabulous job and open to the public for drinks and outdoor dining in the courtyard. This is now known as the Grand Hôtel-Dieu. Locals love it as they remember it from the hospital era.
Silk, Fashion & Workers’ History
Lyon as a city has tremendous heritage and fashion is another one. It was known as the French city of silk, a prize won by the Sun King Louis XIV as they battled with the Venetians and Italians over trade openings.
Venice gave its silk secret to Lyon as part of a deal. Croix Rousse is the area for silk and an old silk artisan building is still operational for visitors to watch and buy silk. Some small artisans still use it but most production is now in Asia.
Lyon still has a sense of style but also a cosmopolitan flavour with many nationalities, some from former colonies in Africa and the Caribbean.
In the 1830s there were riots and deaths as workers rebelled over wage regulation reductions, with police opening fire on strikers. Over a hundred died. They were called the Canuts and the story is explained at Maison des Canuts at Croix Rousse Metro, about 300 metres from the station.
Music, Bars & Nightlife
Vieux Lyon is a good location for dining and also Bouchon-branded quality mark restaurants. Croix Rousse also has a great market in the mornings.
We found a pub near the park on the way back with live music, “Le Petit Vache”, where the music director played in a band and formerly lived in Dublin. He wanted to sing a Shane MacGowan song, “Dirty Old Town”, as a special tribute to the late Shane. We had to oblige and join him in the chorus.
Lots of music and good bars near Vieux Lyon and near Metro Brotteaux in eastern Lyon close to Part-Dieu train station.
Some Irish bars include James Joyce (Vieux Lyon) and Johnny Walsh’s on Rue St Georges, the latter good for live music, also Kelly’s.
Museums, Culture & Exhibitions
Another Waterford friend suggested seeing the Confluence exhibition centre near where the big Rhone and Saone rivers meet, reachable by tram.
They had a number of running exhibitions: one on Oceanic cultures, another on animals with many children attending, and a third for adults based on love.
The latter proved fascinating, examining old and new ways of love, online dating, Korean and Japanese virtual relationships, narcissism and selfies, self-love and social media, attachment and changing norms. Milan Royal was the film producer of it.
This would prove controversial if hosted in Ireland, featuring many alternatives. France is a country where culture is very important and Lyon city reflects this with many types of galleries, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
Food – The Gourmet Capital
The other great attraction is food. See Rue du Bœuf in Old Lyon. Watch out for the Bouchon sign for mark of quality. The city has dozens of Michelin restaurants.
Meat and cheeses are key, with many types of meat preparations for this city of gastronomy.
Try Bouillon Maurice, Rue de Tupin, and the very popular Rue Mercière for a great selection of restaurants where locals eat. €25 should see you have a nice meal inclusive of starters at €8, with wine extra.
This is a gastronomic capital with great wines, meats and cheeses. Like Waterford, Lyon has a meat trading and slaughterhouse tradition, where food like tripe and waste meats are put to good use.
Practical Information
See Discover Lyon on the tourism website.
Buy the Lyon City Card from €29 for 24–96 hours for transport, museums, exhibitions, tours and boat cruises.
The trams are very efficient and local buses are better understood with the Moovit app.
Airport is Saint-Exupéry, a little distance from the city. Two main rail stations and TGV trains mean it is easy to access from Paris and be a gateway to the south also.
We took trains south subsequently; Marseille is not far away, nor Montpellier, two great southern cities.
Lyon is worth a three-day break as part of a longer French holiday. Peak summer months are hot.
Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly to Lyon direct, and also KLM / Air France via Paris or Amsterdam.
If you fly to Paris, there are many fast trains from Gare de Lyon.
Mercure is a reliable hotel group across France, as are Ibis and the Accor Group. Hôtel du Parc was a good three-star hotel, also Mercure four-star near Metro Brotteaux and Gare Part-Dieu train station for trains to the south or Paris.
