What To Do In Lyon For A Day : Finding Lyon’s maze-like secret passages that were once used by silk traders and eating Michelin-starred food under the city lights could take days. The culinary capital of France, Lyon, is extremely appealing thanks to its many excellent art galleries, UNESCO-listed old town, and stunning views of the Alps. However, if you only have one day to explore this culinary paradise, this guide will help you make sure you get everything.
With over 2,000 years of history, every corner of Lyon, which is the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area, hides a fascinating story. A stroll reveals stories, from the stunning modern architecture of the Confluence area to the legendary writings on the ruins of Roman rule on the Fourviere. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance left their mark on the old town, which is full of secret passageways that silk merchants used to tell stories about the city.
For example, Lyon’s story would only be complete with mentioning its culinary prowess. It has a strong food culture and is known as the French cooking center. Internationally renowned chefs come to Lyon every year to either compete in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or cooking competition or pay tribute to the famous chef Paul Bocuse, who was born in Lyon. Numerous market stands spread out in the city show off the area’s wealth by selling recipes that Monsieur Bocuse himself has created.
One Day in Lyon Itinerary – What to do in Lyon
Paris’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region’s capital city, Lyon, is happy to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has many important sites. Lyon is the second most popular city in France. It is nestled where the Rhone and Saone rivers meet. The city’s prehistoric ruins show that it was founded by the Romans, even though it didn’t start growing quickly until later.
France’s Nazi troops controlled the area around Lyon, so it was an important city in the Second World War. Significantly, the city’s underground passages were created and utilized to assist people in evading the Gestapo. Visitors can still see these caves, which are a real link to Lyon’s wartime history.
Beyond its historical importance, Lyon is known for its food and cooking skills. The city is a paradise for gourmet and rustic French food lovers, with treats like foie gras, pig sausages, biscuits, and macarons. In Lyon, the variety of food options makes the city even more appealing.
What’s the Best Time to Visit Lyon?
Although Lyon is famous for its light festival every year, there are many other things to do there all year long. Winters in Lyon are very cold, with lows of about 0°C. Regardless, the weather is generally lovely and warm in the second half of the year.
From June to August, when it’s the hottest in Lyon, lots of people are traveling. In July, highs of about 29°C (83.9°F) are common, making it the hottest month.
Even though it’s cooler than summer, September and October are the best times to visit Lyon if you want to avoid all the other tourists. Bright colors from autumn have already fallen on Lyon at this point, making the skyline very attractive.
It’s just as nice to visit Lyon in the winter, when its wonderful Christmas Market is open every year from November 24 to Christmas Eve. Around 40 light installations make the city suddenly change for the holidays during the famous Fete de Lumiere, which happens in early December.
1 Day in Lyon for First Timers
Visitors are drawn to Lyon because of its delicious food and beautiful buildings. These include the Old Town and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, which is often compared to Notre-Dame in Paris. Since Lyon isn’t very big, you can easily see everything on a day trip. Take advantage of your time in this lovely city by following these tips:
Start your day by learning about Lyon’s rich artistic history at the Museum of Fine Arts. Place Bellecour is a great place to get a 1-day Lyon City Card and a dessert from a nearby bakery. After looking around the museum’s nicely decorated halls, take the tram to Lyon’s large Croix-Rousse neighborhood. A hop-on-hop-off bus trip is another option that lets you easily get to many places.
When it gets to afternoon
After learning about culture in the morning and in the afternoon, take an e-bike tour with a food theme through the beautiful city while enjoying a tasty local meal. People can also enjoy local dishes on private food tours and gourmet walking tours at famous markets like Halles Paul Bocuse. Sightseeing-only Segway rides are a good option, and they often stop at Parc de la Tete d’Or, Lyon’s famous city park. Utilize your Lyon City Card to finish the afternoon with a free tour of the church’s tower from the top of the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière.
Time of night
Explore the Old Town’s charm at night, when the streets are lined with cobblestones and buildings in the Renaissance style are everywhere. For free with a Lyon City Card, take the funicular back from the church if you’re feeling tired. Explore a standard traboule, a medieval alleyway that winds down a hill and was once used by Lyon’s famous silk workers for a more daring trip. This will take you to the Old Town, which is near Montée Saint-Barthélémy. Along Rue Saint-Jean, you can sometimes see gargoyles watching over the area and raising their heads. Indulge in regional favorites like duck paté and pork sausage at a classic bouchon Lyonnais, which is the perfect place to go for dinner.
Our experience spending a day in Lyon
We began our tour of Lyon at the famous Bellecour Square, which is surrounded by buildings from the Napoleonic era and includes a bronze statue of Louis XIV riding a horse in the middle. A lot of different kinds of protests happen in Bellecour, which is one of Europe’s biggest public shopping areas. Our visit coincided with a protest, so we had to stay away from the statue for safety reasons. Instead, we kept walking until we got to Presqu’ile, where we continued shopping along its pretty streets.
The streets in Lafayette where people shop
We enjoyed walking along Presqu’ile’s beautiful 19th-century boulevards. Around the area’s historic businesses, high-end shops, and gourmet chocolatiers, there’s a lively vibe. Near bakeries and coffee shops, people were shopping or just enjoying the atmosphere.
SITUATION OF DES JACOBINS
Our journey ended when we got to Place des Jacobins, a beautiful park surrounded by cute houses. An amazing fountain was in the middle of this square, and we were so thankful to a kind bystander who offered to take a picture of us with the fountain. Shortly after it started to rain, the sun came out, and we could take off our jackets. We started walking around the area and looking at all the beautiful architecture.
Location: TERRAUX
These charming buildings, including the city hall and the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts, are set off by the stunning Bartholdi Fountain. We weren’t able to get the best pictures because there was work going on. The square’s beauty and well-known landmarks left an effect that lasted.
Things To Do in Lyon, France – Itinerary for 1 or 2 Days
After spending two full days in Lyon, France, I was so excited about the city that I sent daily messages to family and friends back home asking them to see it. As France’s third-largest city, its many activities are sure to keep people happy.
Although Lyon is big, its old-town charm makes it feel manageable and nice. Filipinos love having foreign guests, and the fact that you can walk almost anywhere in the city, even if it means climbing a few hills, makes it even more appealing. Like a nice change after a busy week in Paris, Lyon is close enough (just two hours by train) to be a great overnight trip for anyone in Paris who wants to do something less popular.
What to do in Lyon is mostly concentrated in four main areas: Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), the City Center, Croix-Rousse, and La Confluence. If you have two full days in the city, you can see all of these places.
Is it worth going to Lyon for a day?
In short, yes Lyon is worth visiting! Lyon only came onto my radar because my graduate studies took me there for a consulting engagement. That’s when I learned all that this thriving city in France has to offer — from an extraordinary food scene to its dedication to combating climate change.
You should definitely go to Lyon! During my doctoral studies, I went to Lyon for the first time on a consultant job. At that moment, I learned about all the great things this lively French city had to offer, including its delicious food and a strong commitment to fighting climate change.
Despite being a beautiful city, Lyon is often overlooked by tourists. Some people will find it rewarding to take the time to understand and research Lyon.
Is Lyon famous for anything?
Lyon became a major economic hub during the Renaissance. The city is recognised for its cuisine and gastronomy, as well as historical and architectural landmarks; as such, the districts of Old Lyon, the Fourvière hill, the Presqu’île and the slopes of the Croix-Rousse are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
However, Lyon is often overlooked even though it is France’s second-largest city and a bustling cultural hub. The reasons for its continued undervaluation are only partially clear.
Possibly, Lyon’s underrated status comes from people rushing from Paris to Provence, wanting to get there without stopping. Secondly, Lyon isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind when people think of France.
Should more people learn about what Lyon has to offer, they might choose to go there to see how exciting it is. Still up for consideration to be named France’s second city, depending on the criteria used, are Lyon and Marseille.
Is Lyon a good walking city?
Lyon is a very easy city to walk around. The main areas of Vieux Lyon and Presqu’Île are flat and easy to get around. Most of the highlights of Lyon are located pretty close to each other. Some, like the hidden passageways of Vieux Lyon, can only be explored on foot.
Reporter Le Parisien thinks that Lyon deserves to be called a “15-minute city” because all of its main attractions are easily located within a 15-minute walk of each other. Individuals who like to travel by foot will find Lyon’s public transportation very useful, as it provides easy access to parks, museums, hip coffee shops, and business areas.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Capital of Gastronomy, Lyon is a lively city with a lot of different cultures. It is unforgettable to walk around this partially passable French city.
Architecture in Lyon honors the city’s past, which goes back about 2,000 years. Ancient Romans built it. Its network of cobblestone streets and covered passageways called traboules transport visitors to a lovely bygone era. The city’s bright facades reveal hundreds of years of history. At the top of the Fourvière hill, the magnificent Notre-Dame de Fourvière church offers an amazing view of the city. Learn about Lugdunum’s past by visiting the Gallo-Roman museum and seeing the Roman theater’s artifacts.
Is Lyon very expensive?
Lyon is generally considered to be 20% cheaper than Paris, but that doesn’t mean that it still isn’t one of the most costly cities in France to live in. In fact, prices are high on just about everything.
A daily budget of about €125 ($135) is suggested for your trip to Lyon. This amount is what previous guests are guessing the average daily cost to be. Usually, previous guests have provided:
$44 (€41) dollars for lunch
17 euros ($18) for local public transportation
106 euros ($114) on lodging
Two adults going to Lyon for a week usually spend around $1,893 (€1,756). Prices for lodging, food, local transportation, and sightseeing are all included in this estimate. For your planning purposes, these average trip prices come from what other people have spent while traveling.
Is Lyon cheaper than Paris?
3) Lyon is cheaper
Cost of living is about 30-40% cheaper and though a lot of that has to do with prices of rent, things like entertainment, food, transportation and shopping are all still a bit cheaper.
The information and details came from real tourists. Let’s go over them again.
French capital:
A lot of people like to travel, and Paris is a fantastic place with lots of things to do. Popular landmarks and a lively arts and culture scene make the city famous for its stunning beauty. Theaters, museums, and a lively scene make the city more appealing.
Lyon
Alternatively, Lyon is known for its unique blend of cultural charm, earnestness, and quaintness. In addition to a wide range of activities, the huge city draws tourists with its uniqueness. Due to its beautiful surroundings, the city stands out and provides an experience unlike any other. People know Lyon for its great restaurants, lively nightlife, and museums.
It is with great pride that Lyon calls itself one of the gastronomic cities of the world, citing its long history of food. Two things give the city its foodie reputation: the original nouvelle cuisine restaurants and the famous bouchons. People love the casual, friendly atmosphere of bouchons, which are famous for their hearty meat dishes that represent Lyon’s culinary history. These small spots give you a sense of the real city while also creating a friendly, outgoing atmosphere.
But in Lyon, there are cutting-edge businesses that serve nouvelle food and set the standard for new flavors and ingredients. For example, these restaurants are leading the way in the city’s culinary change by pushing the limits and creating new ways to eat. Incredible 84 restaurants in Lyon have been praised by the famous Michelin guide, showing how dedicated the city is to creating delicious food. This award reinforces the city’s status as a global hub for culinary innovation, where tradition and new ideas come together to create a lively and varied food scene.
