Lyon is a culinary heavyweight, with traboules (hidden passages), Roman theaters, a UNESCO old town and the Beaujolais region nearby. Plan for long lunches and an evening at a bouchon.
Good to know
- Book bouchons ahead for dinner; they fill up quickly.
- Lyon City Card covers museums and transport.
- Walk the traboules; some are open to the public.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Hilltop basilica with city views, reached by funicular.
Ancient amphitheater still used for summer concerts.
Renaissance old town with passageways that silk weavers used to carry cloth.
Traditional Lyonnais bistros serving quenelles, sausage and tarte aux pralines.
Covered food market of cheese, charcuterie and oysters.
Silk weavers' hill with murals, traboule passageways and a village feel; the Sunday market is a highlight.
Golden-stone villages and vineyards, 40 minutes away.
Dramatic crystal building with natural history exhibits.
Birthplace of cinema, in the family villa of the Lumiere brothers, with film history exhibits and early projectors.
Huge urban park with a lake, zoo and rose garden.
Every December the city is lit with art installations.