City Review: Lyon, France

This past December, I returned to the magical city of Lyon, France, for the second time — and to attend Lyon’s famous Festival of Lights for the second time!

While both trips have been fairly short visits, only about three or four days each, I feel like I’ve finally had enough time to get to know the city a bit better. And you may be wondering: Is Lyon worth a visit even if you’re not there for the Fête des Lumières?

Want to know my verdict? Keep reading for everything you need to know about visiting Lyon, France.

About Lyon, France

After Paris and Marseille, Lyon is the third-largest city in France. However, I feel like you don’t hear too much about Lyon, even compared to smaller French cities such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Nice. When we told people that we were visiting Lyon, some of them thought we were going to the Spanish city of León, lol.

Lyon — the French one — is located in the southeast-central part of the country, only about 70 miles (113 km) from Geneva, across the Swiss border. Lyon is also the capital of France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. And speaking of the Rhône… Lyon lies at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, forming a peninsula that actually has a lot of the cutest and most picturesque parts of the city!

On top of that, Lyon is the second-biggest city for education in France, with an estimated 200,000 university students living in the Lyon metropolitan area. Which means you’ll find lots of cool bars, cafes, shopping, and more.

And… restaurants! Lyon is actually considered the gastronomic capital of France, if not the entire world. Lyonnaise cuisine is famous for its simplicity and high-quality ingredients, typically combining into hearty meals such as dumplings and meat dishes.

How Many Days Do You Need in Lyon?

I think two days in Lyon would be enough to see everything, at least if you’re there in the winter. I’ve only ever been in the winter, but I imagine there’s even more to do in the summer.

If you had three days or more, you could visit at a slower pace and spend more time eating your way through the city, or even take a day trip to Avignon, which is only an hour away by train.

Things To Do in Lyon, France

So… if you can, I recommend visiting for the famous Lyon Festival of Lights (Fête des Lumières) which has been the reason for my past two visits! It takes place about two weeks before Christmas, and it’s such a fun way to kick off December. For four nights, Lyon transforms into a celebration of art, light, and color, as you make your way through the city and visit the displays.

Along the way, you’ll find groups of friends who have set up folding tables to sell mulled wine, lemonade-stand style, for a couple of euros, which pretty much guarantees you’ll be warm on the inside (if not the outside). But overall, you can just feel the excitement buzzing throughout the whole city, and there isn’t any other way to describe it than just… a lot of fun.

But during this past visit — now that I’ve visited a lot more cities in France and Europe in general — I can definitively say that Lyon has a lot to do even outside the festival.

On this visit, we were lucky enough to stay right near Place Bellecour, which is the largest public plaza in in Lyon and the third-largest in all of France! And it’s right nearby some of the most popular shopping streets: Rue de la République (main shopping street), Rue Victor-Hugo (one of the largest pedestrian streets in Europe), Rue du Plat (designer shops), and the Rue du Président Édouard Herriot (luxury shops). It’s also close to Rue Mercière, which is one of the best places to find a bouchon — generally a small, family-operated restaurant that serves typical Lyonnaise cuisine.

That part of town is on the peninsula made by the river, but you’ll need to cross one of the many bridges over the Saône to get to Vieux Lyon — Lyon’s old town. (This is my favorite part of the city.)  Vieux Lyon is full of history and unique little shops to visit as you wander through the winding cobblestone streets. Don’t miss the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste and its huge plaza, which is a great spot for taking photos!

And from Vieux Lyon, you can take the funicular to Fourvière Hill. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, which is like the crown jewel of the Vieux Lyon skyline, is perched on top of the hill, and taking the funicular is a fun way to see it up close, though you can also walk and it’s not *too* difficult.

Not far from the Basilica is a place that we came across by accident on our walk back down from Fourvière — the Théâtre Antique de Lyon, or the ancient theatre of Fourvière. Built by the Romans around 15 BC, the theatre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in pretty good condition, all things considered! (As someone who had just visited Italy and Pompeii a couple months before, I still found it impressive.) Apparently, the city uses the space for the Les Nuits de Fourvière festival each summer. It’s so cool to think about a 2,000+ year old venue still being used today.

As you leave the old town, be sure to take the Passerelle Saint-Georges bridge over the Saône if you didn’t take it on the way there. The view of Vieux Lyon, Fourvière, the basilica, and the Église Saint-Georges can’t be beat, and it’s a great spot for photos — especially with the red from the bridge making it all pop!

On the other side of town, where the Rhône starts to turn to the east, you’ll find the Parc de la Tête d’Or. It’s basically like Central Park in New York, Hyde Park in London, or the Retiro in Madrid — the city’s biggest public urban park. I remembered checking it out briefly on my first visit to Lyon, but on this past trip, I really fell in love with it!

Despite the fact that it was December and pretty cold, the park still has sooooo much to offer. From all kinds of random birds and ducks wandering throughout, to the rose garden and carnivorous plant collection, to the free zoo… there’s a lot to see, and it’s definitely worth a visit.

How Expensive is Lyon?

Lyon is definitely a bit more expensive than what I’m used to in Spain, but it wasn’t too crazy. I typically turn to my unofficial The Girl Who Goes Price Index™ in which I evaluate the price of two major staples: coffee (such as a cappuccino) and wine (by the glass or bottle).

In Lyon, a cappuccino was about €4-5, with other drinks such as lattes in the €5-6 range. I personally feel that a cappuccino should not cost more than €3, so by the time you add in the terrible exchange rate to $USD right now… well, I tried not to think about it too much.

The price of wine varied quite a bit depending on what type of restaurant you were at — it could be anywhere from about €5-9 at an inexpensive/mid-range place. Since we were traveling in a group of three, we pretty much stuck to full bottles of wine, the cheapest of which were generally around €23.

For actual food, we were only there a few days and mostly eating crepes (more on that in a minute) but we typically paid about €13-19 per person for a meal. Tax is already included, and tips aren’t necessary, but again… the exchange rate takes it to about $16-22 real quick. 💀

Bonus: A cup of mulled wine at one of the streetside stands during the Festival of Lights was about €3-4. This was definitely an increase from my first visit in 2019 where it was €2-2.50, but honestly… what prices haven’t gone up in the last 7 years?

Where To Eat in Lyon

Lyon is a world-class city for gastronomy, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to partake in trying any of the bouchons on this visit… thanks to the fact that I have celiac disease. That means that I was pretty limited in where I was able to eat.

But we were still able to find a few places that had decent gluten-free options and were also delicious — for both me, and my gluten-eating travel companions! So here are just a couple of recommendations.

Nataly’s Cafe: It turns out that traditional French buckwheat crepes are naturally gluten-free, so coming across Nataly’s Cafe in the old town was perfect for lunch when we were hungry! The restaurant is in a cute space with a cave-like underground which made it super cozy, especially on a cold day. We enjoyed the food and it wasn’t too expensive, which was surprising considering its prime location across from Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

Nataly’s Cafe
70 Rue Saint-Jean
69005 Lyon

Buckwheat crepes at Breizh Cafe

Breizh Cafe: When I saw the name of this restaurant, I felt like I was having deja vu. And that’s because Breizh Cafe also has a location in Tokyo, where we had just been a few months before! Though we didn’t eat at the one in Tokyo, it was a place that consistently popped up as I was doing my intensive research to find the best gluten-free options in Japan. So in some ways, it wasn’t surprising to find out that Breizh Cafe, Lyon edition, also had great GF options. We really enjoyed the food (more buckwheat crepes) and the cozy ambience here… and having the opportunity to try a bottle of artisanal Breton cider.

Breizh Cafe
3 Pl. d’Albon
69001 Lyon

Tigermilk: I’m aware that a Mexican restaurant is a very unconventional choice when you are in France. But I’m pretty sure this was our favorite place we ate during the entire trip. The decor was upscale in a fun way, which made me think the food would be expensive… but there was no need to worry. I thought the prices were super reasonable! Also, the pitcher of hibiscus margarita was insanely delicious. If you’re planning to eat here, you might want to make a reservation — we couldn’t get a table the first night we tried to go.

Tigermilk Lyon
18 Rue Pizay
69001 Lyon

Cute decor at Tigermilk!

Where To Stay in Lyon

The first time I visited Lyon, my friend Hanna and I stayed in Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon. It wasn’t much fun waiting in line for the metro for an hour at 1 a.m., trying to get back to our place from the city center when the festival ended. But the commute certainly wouldn’t be as bad if you’re visiting Lyon at another time of year, and it would definitely help save you some money on your stay.

This time, armed with the lessons learned from my first visit, I decided we should stay as close to Place Bellecour as possible. This ensured that we would be able to walk home from the festival each night. And it was worth the money to be more central, at least during the festival. (Again, I’m not sure that would be as much of a priority otherwise.)

Just keep this in mind: If you are planning to visit Lyon for the Fête des Lumières, you will want to book your accommodations at least six months in advance. This will help you ensure you have options that meet your needs and aren’t too expensive. We actually booked our place for the December 2025 festival, way back in August 2024!

Is Lyon Worth Visiting?

After my first visit, I knew with 100% certainty that it was worth visiting Lyon for the Festival of Lights, because it was such a special experience and I’d had such a good time. But I guess I had never thought about whether Lyon was worth visiting outside of the festival.

By now, I have been to so many cities around Europe and around the world. So on this trip, instead of just being charmed by Lyon because it was my second-ever visit to France, like in 2019, I could think more critically about it as a city and potential travel destination.

With that being said, I can confidently say that Lyon is absolutely worth visiting — during the Festival of Lights, or otherwise! Between the elegant classical architecture, pedestrian shopping streets, stunning cathedrals, river views, and world-class gastronomy, I highly recommend a visit to Lyon if you’re looking for a version of France that isn’t Paris.

My most recent trip really solidified it as one of my two favorite French cities (alongside Toulouse), and I think it would be tough to visit Lyon and not fall in love.

Plan Your Lyon Trip

Have you ever visited Lyon, or are you planning a trip? What do you want to know? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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