Top things to do in Lyon

Must-see Lyon sights

Lyon is a modern city par excellence. Moreover, with a Eurostar link to London, Lyon is more accessible than ever.

  1. Marvel at Lyon’s murals
  2. Enjoy Vieux Lyon, Lyon’s old town
  3. Visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
  4. Make the most of Lyon’s cuisine
  5. Discover the Museum of Fine Arts
  6. Spot traboules around the city

Fantastic museums? Check. Glorious architecture? Yes. Heart-warming cuisine? Got it. Lyon is a wonderful place to visit on your holidays in France.

In collaboration with
Rough Guides

1. Marvel at Lyon’s murals

Lyon’s fascination with mural art can be traced back to the late 1970s, when a group of students thought it a good idea to introduce some colour to the city’s grimescape, while simultaneously bringing art to the masses. The Garnier Museum murals aside, the easiest ones to track down are the Mur des Canuts in Croix-Rousse, a brilliant, illusory piece depicting everyday life of the district’s inhabitants, including, of course, the old silk-weavers. La Fresque des Lyonnais on the corner of rue de la Martinière and Quai St-Vincent, which honours Lyon’s most famous citizens, such as the Lumière brothers, Garnier and Bocuse, and La bibliothèque (The City Library), just down the road on the corner of rue de la Platière and Quai de la Pecherie. Looking for Lyon holidays? Why not stay at the Novotel Lyon Gerland hotel?

Best for: Unique Lyon attraction

While you’re there: Enjoy a view of the mural, ‘Les routes de la soie’ (the silk roads), which shows the history of the material.

2. Enjoy Vieux Lyon, Lyon’s old town

Reached by one of the three passerelles (footbridges) crossing the Saône from Terreaux and the Presqu’île, Lyon’s old town, Vieux Lyon is made up of the three villages of St-Jean, St-Georges and St-Paul at the base of the hill overlooking the Presqu’île. South of place St-Paul, the cobbled streets of Vieux Lyon, pressed close together beneath the hill of Fourvière, form a backdrop of Renaissance and medieval facades, bright night-time illumination and a swelling chorus of well-dressed Lyonnais in search of supper or a midday splurge. This is one of the best things to do in Lyon.

Best for: A pleasant stroll through Lyon

While you’re there: Don’t forget to wander through one one of Lyon’s great museums. Why not check out the Museum of Textiles?

3. Visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

A hulking, incredibly ornate wedding cake of a church, the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière was built, like the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, in the aftermath of the 1871 Commune to emphasize the defeat of the godless socialists. And like the Sacré-Coeur, its hilltop position has become a defining element in the city’s skyline. Overblown it may be, but the interior is utterly dazzling, from the marble statues and stained glass to the gold and turquoise mosaic wall panels, depicting events such as Joan of Arc in Orléans and The Battle of Lepanto. Take a look, too, down in the crypt, where there’s some beautifully executed stonework, plus an ornate turquoise mosaic ceiling in the apse. It’s well worth partaking in the Basilica tour, which includes a look behind the scenes, a march to the top of the observation tower and, best of all, a vertigo-inducing rooftop walk.

Best for: Incredible architecture

While you’re there: If you can’t stomach the rooftop walk, you can take in the magnificent citywide views from the esplanade.

4. Make the most of Lyon’s cuisine

No visit to Lyon is complete without a visit to a bouchon, the traditional Lyonnais eating establishment. Its provenance most likely comes from the time when inns serving wine would attach small bundles of straw to their signs, indicating that horses could be cared for (bouchonnés) while the coachmen went inside to have a drink. The food may not be to everyone’s taste - andouillette (hot cooked tripe sausage) and pieds de veau (calves’ feet) are typical staples - but the dishes are usually beautifully cooked and they’re wonderfully convivial places. While many bouchons claim to be authentic, only 22 are certified, the best of which are found in the Presqu’île. Visiting a bouchon is by far one of the most rewarding things to do in Lyon.

Best for: Foodies

While you’re there: Head to Bouchon Les Lyonnais for some traditional grub.

5. Discover the Museum of Fine Arts

Housed in a former Benedictine abbey, the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts are second in France only to those in the Louvre. The museum is organized roughly by genre, with nineteenth- and twentieth-century sculpture in the ex-chapel on the ground floor. The first floor houses a particularly interesting collection of Egyptian artefacts including coffins, amulets and stone tablets, in addition to a selection of medieval French, Dutch, German and Italian woodcarving and antiquities. Upstairs, twentieth-century painting is represented by Picasso (Woman Seated on the Beach) and Matisse. There are also works by Braque, a brace of Bonnards and a gory Francis Bacon. The nineteenth century is covered by the Impressionists and their forerunners, Corot and Courbet. There are also works by the Lyonnais artists Antoine Berjon and Fleury Richard, and here you can also find Rembrandt’s The Stoning of St Stephen, his earliest known work completed in 1625 at the age of just nineteen.

Best for: Art

While you’re there: For some respite from traipsing the many halls, make for the lovely garden, where there are sculptures by Rodin.

6. Spot traboules around the city

Still thinking about what to do in Lyon? All around Lyon lurk traboules, alleyways and tunnelled passages. Originally built to provide shelter from the weather for the silk-weavers as they moved their delicate pieces of work from one part of the manufacturing process to another. The streets running down from boulevard de la Croix-Rousse, as well as many in Vieux Lyon, are intersected by these traboules. Usually hidden by plain doors, they are impossible to distinguish from normal entryways, proving an indispensable escape network for pre-war gangsters and wartime Resistance fighters.

Best for: An interesting and traditional feature of Lyon

While you’re there: Remember to look out for subtle signs on the walls indicating the presence of a traboule.

You could also be interested in

Find your perfect destination

When?
Guests