Lyon – the city where cinema was born...
In the morning, take the metro to the station Monplaisir Lumière, just a few minutes from the former home of the Lumière Brothers, which has been turned into a museum of cinema. After visiting the exhibitions that explain the genius of these two inventors, you can take a seat and rest your feet as you watch some of the first films ever made (which, as you will see, are full of humour!)Make sure you don’t miss the engraved copper plates bearing the names of all the directors who have come to the Lumière Museum over the years, displayed on a wall on the Rue du Premier Film. The list is long and inspiring Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, Wong Kar-wai, David Lynch, Agnès Jaoui, Quentin Tarantino, Claude Chabrol, Marcel Carné, Isabella Rossellini, Ettore Scola ou Agnès Varda…!
For lunch, just a few metro stations away, head for the food paradise that is Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Take a stroll through this indoor food market as you follow the delicious scents of cheese, charcuterie (cured meats), seafood, vegetables, fruit and chocolate, which are sure to get your stomach rumbling. After lunch, a walk in the nearby Tête d’Or Park will do you a world of good! The park offers 104 hectares of greenery, a lake, a free zoological park, a large rose garden, greenhouses, drinks stalls and leisure activities for children. Created in 1857, it is France’s largest urban park in the heart of a city. Stroll along its paths lined with stately old trees, by the lake and the African Savanah, and explore the rose garden and tropical hothouses. For a fun and memorable experience, you can also visit the park by Segway.
The end of your stay is approaching already…
... And there are so many sites, traboules and neighbourhoods left to discover, including Ainay, Guillotière, Brotteaux, Gratte-ciel (in Villeurbanne), Île Barbe and the banks of the Saône, as well as neighbouring towns. So many restaurants to try, specialities to taste, experiences to have and interesting people to meet. So many events, celebrations, shows and exhibitions to see. And many museums left to explore: MacLyon (Contemporary Art), Gadagne (History or Puppets, Printing and Graphic Communication, Textiles and Decorative Arts (closed until 2026 for being restaured), Miniatures and Film Sets, the IAC (Institute of Contemporary Art), the CHRD (Resistance and Deportation History Centre)… Not to forget the recently opened MUSCO (Sève Chocolate Museum), the Planetarium and the Tony Garnier Urban Museum with its 24 painted walls. Then there are the river cruises, outings around Lyon, excursions in the regions of Beaujolais or Côtes-Rôties… In short, Lyon still has so much more to offer!In any case, you may well be planning to return for visiting the in the Grand Hôtel-Dieu complex.You have really only begun to scratch the surface!
So be sure to come back soon!
A few tips to make the most of your stay
With the Lyon City Card (for one, two or three days), you have free access to the public transport network (bus, metro, tramway and funiculars), museums (including their temporary exhibitions), and the silk workshops. You can take a free guided tour or river cruise (from March to October) and enjoy discounts in several show venues.
It’s easier to visit with a guide!
We never get tired of saying it: the Vieux-Lyon, Croix-Rousse, Presqu’île and Confluence districts are best visited with a guide who knows all their secrets and will be delighted to share them with you. It is the perfect way to make sure you don’t miss all the important bits.There are so many ways to explore the city that everybody should be able to find something to suit their tastes: by bus or mini-tram, by boat, on foot with an audio-guide on an app or tour group, by bike (electric), by Segway… To find out about all the various ways to visit Lyon, click here.
And here are some of the major events held in Lyon that should not be missed: the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights) held annually across four days around the 8th of December, the Dance Biennial (September in even-numbered years) and Contemporary Art Biennial (from September to December in odd-numbered years), the Quais du Polar (crime fiction festival held in April), the Nuits Sonores music festival (weekend of the Ascension), the Lumière Festival (October) and not to forget the many cinema, music and theatre festivals, and the events held at national venues, such as the Opera House, the Auditorium, Théâtre des Célestins and the TNP, and many more besides!
See the full schedule in the Calendar.
All that is left for me to do now is wish you a very pleasant stay in Lyon!