Feature Image: Vivid red praline, a speciality of Lyon
A Brief History of Lyon
Lyon was founded by the Romans in 43BC, and become the capital of Gaul and one of the most important cities of the Roman empire. Later it became famous as the capital of the French silk weaving industry, and there are hundreds of hidden passageways, called Traboules, that weave through Lyon’s old town area. These were used by the weavers to transport their products from one part of town to the other without having to brave the weather.
Today, Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France. Yes it has lots of Michelin starred restaurants, but it’s better known for the traditional bistrots that offer traditional dishes and local specialties at budget-friendly prices. They’re best known for their three-course set lunch specials.
What to See in Lyon
The central area of Lyon is between the river Rhône and the river Saône, and consists of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th arrondissements. We stayed in the 1st and it was teeming with life and places to eat. The rest of this promontory features lots of square plazas surrounded by majestic renaissance apartment buildings, there also a mix of broad pedestrian shopping streets and narrow lanes connecting these squares.
The Place Bellecour
The Place Bellecour, is the third biggest square in France, and is the central hub for this area’s pedestrianized shopping streets. We wandered up Rue de la République which leads towards the Hotel de Ville and Opera Nouvel towards the area we were staying in the 1st arrondissement.
From Place Bellecour head to the northwest corner and walk west across the Pond Bonaparte bridge to reach the other side of the river Saône. Continue straight on for about 100 meters and you’ll reach the Funicular railway. Take line F2 to Fourvière.
La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière
Notre Dame de Fourvière is the highest vantage point in this part of the city, and is home to the 19th century basilica which is a stark example of neo-Byzantine architecture. If you’ve been to Paris before, you’ll recognize the style as similar to the Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre.
It’s an impressive building, full of intricate mosaics and colorful stained-glass windows, but what grabbed our attention was the view of Lyon spread out before us.
It was exceptionally chilly up there because of the winds, but the walk up the 800 steps and slopes to reach here warmed us up. Needless to say, the walk back down was a lot more fun.
Vieux Lyon
Between the Basilica and the Saône is the old town quarter known as Vieux Lyon. This was the area I’d wanted to stay in, but was glad we only visited here. It was interesting to walk around, and there were plenty of businesses down the narrow cobbled stone streets and clustered around the tiny squares, but it was pretty devoid of life and energy in February.
I’m sure during the summer it is teeming with tourist, but it was off-season so it was like a ghost town during our exploration of the traboules. These passageways date back to the 4th century and weave through buildings, courtyards, and up and down steps and stairways. They were used by the silk workers to carry heavy loads of textiles from their workshops in the Croix-Rousse area, to the merchants located at the foot of the hill so that they didn’t get wet or dirty being carried through the streets.
Maybe this area livens up at night, but we didn’t stick around to see.
Fresque des Lyonnais
Located in the 1st arrondissement on the banks of the Saône near Pont de la Feuillée is an intricate Trompe L’Oeil. We’ve encountered a few of these during our trip around France, but this was by far the most impressive.
The longer we looked at it, the more details we spotted. Just imagine the labor of love this project must have been.
Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Chef Paul is one of the reasons that Lyon is dubbed France’s capital of gastronomy.
Being die-hard foodies we just had to pay a visit to this market. Reviews online harp on about how expensive it is, even for everyday items, but if you’re into food markets then pay a visit to this one—nobody is saying you have to buy anything.
After wandering around the well organized aisles of this covered market, looking and smelling the delicious cheeses and marveling at the freshness of the seafood, and the high prices of the busy restaurants, we were happy to find Toke, an understated little place for a snack lunch.
They had a great selection of vegetarian pasties, that looked like oversized empanadas, and are cooked to order.
We chose a trio of the coconut milk hummus, carrot, and caramelized onion, the Jerusalem artichoke, black mushroom, blue cheese, and garlic confit, and the spinach, ricotta cheese and fresh berry goat cheese. all of them were tasty, but the mushroom and blue cheese was such a mouth-watering combination, that we ordered two more.
Washed down with a refreshing glass of the award winning Belgium style wheat beer, Mandrin blonde. I’m more of a wine girl, but was a thirst-quenching beverage.
We were transfixed by the local Lyon speciality, praline (header image), but not inquisitive enough to try it.
Preferring instead a tangy goat cheese covered in edible flowers.
Bridges of Lyon
The city straddles two rivers, so there’s no shortage of bridges, and here’s a couple of my faves.
After spending all day exploring, we headed back to our neighbourhood for a relax and a rest in our little apartment before staying local for a night out.
Lyon is a fabulous walking city. It reminds me of Paris. The architecture, the river, the bridge, the French! all combining together to make a visit a memorable experience. We had three nights here, and we could have stayed longer. We only scratched the surface of Lyon, but we saw enough to know we’ll be back.
Lyon City Greeter
If you don’t want to go on a self-guided walking tour of the city, you should take a look at the Greeters France website. They offer volunteers to welcome you to Lyon for free, who’ll take you on a 2-3 hour walk of the city, and show you their favourite sights. Simply fill out a form on their website, and let them know what kind of things you’re interested in, and they’ll partner you up with a volunteer who’ll contact you via email to arrange the day and time for your tour.
We were going to use the Lyon Greeter service, but ended up exploring on our own. But if you’re short on time, it’s a great option to see some highlights and get an inside track on where to eat and drink.
Lyon is the gastronomy capital of France, and you're spoilt for choice with bistros, bars and cafes. It's a fabulous walking city. Find out about our independent walking tour to make the most of the city. Share on X
Read about our 2020 Workaway and Travel Adventures:
- French Train Strikes won’t stop us in our tracks
- Toodling around Toulouse
- Exploring the Castle at La Couvertoirade
- Meandering around Montpellier
- Our Workaway at an 18th Century Flour Mill
- Chilling in Clermont Ferrand
- Our Workaway at an 18th Century Chateau
- Lingering in Lyon’s 1st Arrondissement
- Our Self-Guided Walking Tour of Lyon
- Making the most of Montparnasse Paris
- Our Workaway at a La Rochelle BnB
- Our Workaway at Ile D’Aix
- Video: Our Workaway adventure through France
- Our Memorable Food and Wine Adventures in France
- …. the rest of our trip TBD because of the virus – but planning Bordeaux, Lille, Bruges, Antwerp, and Amsterdam
Haven’t been to Lyon but would have this summer. Food and Lyon’s hospitality is what I look forward to experiencing. I have added another attraction from your blog to my list – the mural of Paul Bocuse! I did not know of this mural until now. Thank you so much for this self-guided blog on Lyon which I am sure to use on my visit.
Lyon is defiantly a foodie heaven. We loved this market, and the diverse selection of restaurants from around the globe … oh and the cheese!
I have never visited Lyon but your description definitely makes me want to go! I love anywhere that the focus is on delicious food & reading this has left my mouth watering, especially seeing the photos of the delicious pasties…Yum!
I loved that they were baked to order, and that there was such a diverse selection of fillings available.
Ah, you had me at Lyon! This has been on my list for years, and think it will finally be my destination for 2021! As a foodie and lover of all things French, I think I’ll love it. The vegetarian pasties and edible flower goat cheese looks and sounds delicious. I love how you have described old town. I have pinned this for future planning.
I was surprised by the wide range of goat cheese flavors — ranging from pungent and strong with overtones of sour, to creamy and mild, and all stages in between.
I would love to spend a few days exploring the hidden passageways through Lyon’s old town area. I would find it hard to walk past an old book shop without spending a couple of hours looking around.
I’d much rather wander the back streets and alleyways of a city than stick to its main boulevards. I think you get a better sense for the heart and soul of a city that way.
I love reading about your French trips and this one looks a lot of fun. I would like to try it if only for the Praline buns or the goats cheese with flowers! It seems like a city that easy to navigate but with plenty to see and do. Thanks for sharing.
It was an amazingly easy city to navigate, the charm, architecture, and interest of Paris, but just more intimate.
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I really want to visit Lyon, we spend a lot of time in the Alsace and I just want to see more of France as soon as things are back to normal. Also, that goat cheese looks incredible Jay, how was it? Hopefully as good as it tastes! Stay safe 🙂
Hey Derek … I was surprised by how creamy and delicious it was. And the edible flowers added pizazz to what could otherwise be an unassuming white blob of cheese.
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I always love reading about your travels in France, it always makes me want to go on an adventure 🙂
And that goat cheese, oh my!
I fell in love with France .. utterly and completely.
Well, I can totally belive you, cuz I am kind off falling in love with your version of France that you are telling 🙂
We’ll definitely be back. There’s so much more to explore.
I love walking tours and therefore exploring Lyon while walking must be very interesting. And as Lyon is good for foodies, then I would love this place more. Mural of Paul Bocuse in Lyon near the market which is named after him is really beautiful and I would love to explore this gastronomy paradise. Even the bridges of Lyon are very photogenic.
Yes there’s Lyon has lots of charm, and you certainly won’t go hungry!
I’ve only been to Lyon once, and it was more like a stopover before heading down to Nice. I had no idea Lyon was the gastronomic capital of France. I’m a big foodie, so I’m putting Lyon on my list over places I have to go and eat haha.
Thanks for sharing!
There’s so many fab places to visit isn’t there? Nice was on our list, but we had to leave the country and cut our trip short. But we’ll make it there on the next trip .. and Marseilles.
This is a very interesting and thorough review of this gorgeous place! I especially loved reading about the history of Lyon and learned some things I didn’t know previously. The images are really great and paint a lovely picture of this fantastic destination! Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome Michelle .. I loved sharing this blog post because it brought back some lovely memories. And that’s the beauty of being a blogger, you get to experience places multiple times. Once for real, and then each time you write about them.
Lyon sounds like the perfect destination, with not too many tourists. I usually like to do a walking tour when arriving at a new destination just so I can get a bit of the history before venturing out on my own, so I would definitely book one, and the food! What can get better than mushroom and goat cheese! I definitely need to add Lyon to my list of places to visit (and eat).
Walking around a new city is the best way to experience it – so I guess that makes me an ardent slow traveller.
Lyon is in my future travel list and your blog post has given me a lot of ideas of what to do there. I would love to explore the traboules of Lyon’s vieux quartier. It looks like a city with a lot to see. I am sure it was worth walking 800 steps and slopes to reach Notre Dame de Fourvière. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
It was well worth the hike up the hill for the view and the cathedral.
Wow. You had a blast there! Not only walking, but the food trailing is also commendable. I loved the vicarious journey through your words. I wish I could visit Lyon soon enough.
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We were only there a few days… but loved it, and on the first day were already planning our return trip.
The 19th century neo-Byzantine architecture will be my biggest draw to visit Lyon. As a former architect, I will spend hours marvelling at the delicate design of Notre Dame de Fourvière. The bonus will be the view of the city. Realising that Lyon is just about 6 hours on a road trip makes it all tantalising. Bookmarked for later.
The architecture was beautiful, and reminded us so much of Paris. If you’d dropped us into this town, without telling us where it was. I would have guessed, Paris.
Sounds like my kind of walking tour – lots of food and lots of visual stimulation for photos. That goat cheese with edible flowers is so pretty!
Even in the biggest of cities I much prefer to explore them on foot. You get to see so much more this way.
I’ll be honest, I would go just for those pastries! What beauty!! I could picture myself in Lyon as I was reading it. Love your writing and photography. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Courtney … yes we had our fare share of pastries in France, I love the red berry creme patisserie tart.
My boyfriend is from the south of France and I would LOVE to travel to Lyon with him. Sorry to hear Vieux Lyon was basically a ghost town! I am so happy to see that they served vegetarian options, as when I last when to France I mostly ate baguette to avoid any meat.
I’d love to see Vieux Lyon when it’s busy, but it was still a great place to walk around when it was so deserted.
I have never visited Lyon, however now I feel I’ve traveled with you! What a beautiful place. So glad yo see they have veggie options as i always end up eating chips to avoid meat. The murals on the walls are awesome too! I have added this to my bucket list and can’t wait to visit!
In some of the places we visited in France it was difficult to find vegetarian options, but Lyon was fabulous for choice if you don’t eat meat.
I have never visited Lyon, but loved reading your post. Lyon looks so beautiful with cobbled stoned streets and I always prefer walking tours to know the city better. The views from La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière looks amazing. The food and Goat cheese in edible flowers looks yummy.
I was really impressed with how much milder the goat cheese was here in France. I’m sure there are some pungent versions, but all the one’s we had were mellow and creamy.
Such a lovely tour of Lyon through your eyes. I find a lot of similarity with Paris yet it has it’s own charm which is so different again. Seeing the bridges makes me want to go now. If only we could. One thing that I love about Europe, having traveled to many countries, is the wide variety of cheese that we keep gorging on. It would be great to try out the goat cheese with the edible flowers. Looks enticing.
As long as there’s a cheese option on the menu, I’m happy! France is perfect for that.
Hi Jay .. I have never been to France and hence to Lyon , though I have heard about the mention and that it is famous for the culinary delights. reading your post I could understand what food is so much emphasised out here. The murals on the wall and the vibes of the places are so visible. Have never tried goat cheese with edible flowers, this is the first time I heard of edible flowers.
Nearly every city we visited in France had stunning wall murals. Seems to be a thing here. Just wish there had been more street art.
Ooh, Lyon has been on my bucket list for ages! Two friends lived there for a while and were always going on about how great the food is. I’ll definitely be making a visit to Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse – that “fresh berry goat cheese” you mentioned sounds to die for. So does the goat cheese covered in edible flowers. Okay, maybe I just really like goat cheese!
I’d go back in a heartbeat. It really is a foodie heaven. So many places in France only have local cuisine, which is a lot of meat, but Lyon offers so much more.
I haven’t been to Lyon yet, but I feelI I have to add it on my bucket list after reading your article. The city looks really beautiful, like that Trompe L’Oeil near Pont de la Feuillée – fantastic! Not to mention that food sounds great too 🙂
The food was fantastic, we were so lucky where we stayed, there was such a diverse range of cuisines.
I have spent a few weekends in Lyon as it was only 90 minutes away from where my hubby and I lived in France, we just to make pilgrimages to go to the Ikea which is in Lyon’s surroundings. The best thing to do in Lyon is walk and eat and that’s what I did!
Ah .. the pilgrimages to Ikea! I know those well. Our local Ikea in Turkey is in Izmir .. so it’s an overnight trip to go and have a walk around the shop. They have a delivery centre near us in Bodrum, but it’s only small. But I love me a bit of Ikea!!
Wow! This is the 2nd time that I read about french empanadas today and I am really curious about that. Would love to them in the future. Looks really delicious.
Great when you’re looking for vegetarian options. We went back for seconds. 🙂
This looks like such a lovely city. I love the Trompe L’Oeil too! Wow! I can only imagine how long that took to create. I like your suggestion about the “Greeters” tours. We took a walking tour with Munich Greeters in Germany and had the treat of having a retired university professor take us around the city for 8 HOURS! He was amazing! He allowed us to buy him lunch but otherwise wouldn’t accept any payment. I highly recommend the “Greeters” organization.
That’s great to hear about your positive experience with the Greeters. I think it’s a fantastic idea, and would love to make the most of them on future trips.
Those look amazing, the combination of Black mushroom and Garlic makes them yummy and mouth watering – I really can’t wait to pack my suitcase again. Food when traveling always tastes a lot better. I want to eat my way around the world.
Well there’s plenty of choice in Lyon … you would certainly be able to taste lots of different global cuisines there.
I’ve never been to Lyon, but would love to visit someday! I’m all for self-guided walking tours and budget-friendly food! I’d love to check out the market–those vegetarian pasties sound amazing!
The pasties were delicious, and I loved that they were small and compact, but still packed a big wallop of flavor. We loved our day just wandering around the city and seeing what we stumbled across.
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