Things to Do in Lyon: Our 22 Top Highlights & Activities

Our Top 3 Hotel Tips for Lyon

Before we dive into the most beautiful sights in Lyon, here are our recommendations for places to stay in Lyon across all price ranges.

The Best Things to Do in Lyon

There is an incredible amount to discover in Lyon. Here we show you the top attractions and highlights the city has to offer.

All Lyon Attractions on One Map

To help you get a better sense of where everything is in Lyon, we’ve put together a map with the most important sights in Lyon.

Vieux Lyon

The old quarter of Lyon is located to the west of the Saône river and is often the first stop on a city trip to Lyon.

In Vieux Lyon, delicious, typical restaurants line the streets, so you can indulge in the city’s cuisine to your heart’s content.

The old town is made up of narrow alleyways and beautiful medieval and Renaissance buildings. Vieux Lyon is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Highlights in Vieux Lyon include the Saint-Jean Cathedral and the secret passageways known as Les Traboules.

Lyon Cathedral

The Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste is located in the heart of Lyon’s historic center and is one of the most important points of interest in the city.

It features a mix of Romanesque and Gothic elements and is a real eye-catcher both inside and out.

The standout inside the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste is the Astronomical Clock. It dates back to the 14th century, making it one of the oldest clocks in Europe.

Admission to the cathedral is free.

Les Traboules

The Traboules are a very unique type of structure found almost exclusively in Lyon.

They are a kind of secret passageway through the city. You’ll find them in the Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse neighborhoods.

Les Traboules wind through balconies, courtyards, stairwells, and hallways, all connected to one another. It’s definitely something different!

The tricky part? You have to find the Traboules first. The website traboules.fr has an interactive map for that. The blue dots mark the Traboules that are open to the public.

Colline de Fourvière

The Colline de Fourvière is a hill right in the city center of Lyon with many wonderful sights at the top.

Don’t skip this hill on your trip to Lyon — from up top you have a breathtaking panorama of the entire city.

How to get to the Colline de Fourvière

You have several options to get up the hill. The first is to walk up.

The walk is fairly strenuous, though, as it’s about 20 minutes uphill. For the athletic types, it’s no problem. But if you’re traveling, for example, with kids, it’s not recommended.

Alternatively, you can take the funicular. It’s more comfortable and the scenic ride is already a highlight in itself.

The starting point is the Vieux Lyon – Cathédrale Saint-Jean stop. From there you can take line F2 to the Fourvière viewpoint, where the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière is also located.

Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière

The Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière is the symbol of Lyon and towers over the city from Fourvière Hill. It’s one of the absolute must-sees in Lyon — if not the top pick of all.

With its four towers and a bell tower, the basilica is a seriously impressive structure. The mosaics inside the church are equally stunning.

Admission to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière is free.

You can also visit the basilica’s towers as part of a guided tour. However, you’ll need to climb 345 steps to do so. Adult admission costs 14 euros. You can buy tickets online.

Our tip: The tower visit is included in the Lyon City Pass.

Tour métallique de Fourvière

Did you know that Lyon also has an Eiffel Tower? Yes, really! It’s nowhere near as impressive as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but it does stand out in Lyon’s cityscape.

The structure is called Tour métallique de Fourvière and is located just a few minutes’ walk from the basilica on Fourvière Hill.

From a distance the tower looks cool, but honestly it doesn’t offer much beyond that. You can neither visit it nor get a good close-up photo. So we’d recommend saving yourself the walk to the tower.

Théâtre Gallo Romain

Far more worth your time than Lyon’s Eiffel Tower version are the former Roman amphitheaters. These are also located on the Colline de Fourvière.

There are two ancient theaters in total. The larger of the two is called Le grand théâtre and the smaller one L’odéon. You can visit both theaters free of charge.

How to get to the Théâtre Gallo Romain

From the Vieux Lyon – Cathédrale Saint-Jean station you can take funicular lines F1 and F2 to the theaters. Take the F2 to the Fourvière station and the F1 to Minimes.

From both stops you’ll still need to walk a few minutes. A round-trip funicular ticket costs 3.60 euros per person.

If you’re up for the walk, you can also save the money and walk to the Théâtre Gallo Romain.

Lugdunum Museum

Next to the theaters you’ll also find the Lugdunum Museum, where you can learn more about the history of the Romans.

Our tip: The Lugdunum Museum is included in the Lyon City Pass.

Presqu'île de Lyon Neighborhood

Presqu’île means “peninsula” in French and refers to the district in Lyon situated between the two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône — it is also the center of Lyon.

The neighborhood is home to many central squares, shopping streets, and museums.

Highlights in Presqu’île include the main square Bellecour, the Place des Terreaux, and the Musée des Beaux Arts.

Place Bellecour

The Place Bellecour is, after the Place de la Concorde in Paris and the Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux, the third-largest square in France.

The square has a reddish surface reminiscent of a school sports court. Other than a bronze equestrian statue, there isn’t really much else on the Place Bellecour.

We thought the look of the square was totally cool though. Somehow it doesn’t quite fit the cityscape, yet as an open space for a stroll it has its own charm.

Place des Terreaux with the Hôtel de Ville

The Place des Terreaux is another great square in Lyon. It features the famous and impressive Bartholdi Fountain.

You’ll also find plenty of pubs and bars here, as well as the magnificent building known as the Hôtel de Ville.

Before you get just as confused as we were — no, the Hôtel de Ville is not a hotel, it’s the city hall of Lyon.

Musée des Beaux Arts

The Musée des Beaux Arts is, after the Louvre in Paris, one of the most important art museums in France.

It is located on the Place des Terreaux and houses a massive collection of works by famous artists such as Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet.

Our tip: The Musée des Beaux Arts is included in the Lyon City Pass.

Musée des Confluences

The Musée des Confluences is located at the southern tip of the peninsula and is a super modern building complex.

In addition to its extraordinary architecture, the museum houses a wide range of collections spanning natural sciences, humanities, and technology.

Particularly cool in the museum are the dinosaur skeletons. These are really worth seeing for kids too.

Our tip: The Musée des Confluences is included in the Lyon City Pass.

Get your ticket for the Musée des Confluences

La Croix-Rousse Neighborhood

The La Croix-Rousse neighborhood is a hip, alternative district on a hill in Lyon.

This former working-class area has developed into its own little hub within Lyon and is absolutely worth a visit — cool trompe-l’œil murals, beautiful buildings, and great views over the city.

You’ll find plenty of cozy cafés in the neighborhood and it’s simply fun to wander through the alleyways of La Croix-Rousse.

Because we love the atmosphere here so much, we also highly recommend staying overnight in this neighborhood of Lyon.

Rivers and Bridges in Lyon

You’ll quickly notice that Lyon is a city of rivers and bridges. The two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, flow almost parallel through the city center of Lyon.

Along the riverbanks you can take a lovely stroll or sit back and relax on a pier.

On the eastern bank of the Rhône you’ll also find a row of cool restaurants and bars on boats — a great spot to enjoy a drink. From here you also have a beautiful view of the bridges over the Rhône.

By the way, Lyon has plenty of bridges! This is super convenient, as you can easily switch from one bank to the other without a long detour on foot.

The Coolest Things to Do in Lyon

Wondering what else you can do in Lyon beyond sightseeing? Here’s our answer! We’ll show you the coolest activities and experiences the city has to offer.

Discovering Lyon's Food Scene

Eating is a great activity — that goes without saying, right? In Lyon it’s especially fun, because the city is seriously known for its outstanding cuisine.

These dishes and treats are typical of Lyon:

• Saint-Marcellin: Soft cheese
• Quenelles: Elongated dumplings
• Cervelle de Canut: Herbed fresh cheese
• Tarte aux Pralines: Praline tart
• Les Bugnes: Carnival fritters
• Salade lyonnaise: Leafy salad with smoked bacon, poached egg, and croutons
• Rosette: Salami made from pure pork
• Tablier de Sapeur: Breaded tripe

Wondering where to try all these delicacies? Here are our restaurant and dining recommendations in Lyon.

A great first stop is the modern food hall Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Here you can sample many high-quality specialties. The quality does come with a price tag, though.

Traditional Lyon cuisine is served at establishments known as Bouchons. You’ll find these authentic eateries all over the city.

We especially recommend the three restaurants Bouchon Les Lyonnais, Daniel et Denise Créqui, and Le Bouchon des Cordeliers.

Lyon Food Tasting Tour

Since we’re already on the topic of food, here’s one more culinary activity in Lyon you shouldn’t miss: a food tasting tour through the city.

On this tour you’ll get to know Vieux Lyon and the Traboules better and stop at five tasting stations along the way.

You’ll learn about the local cuisine and its products and get to sample 14 different specialties.

Book the food tasting tour through Vieux Lyon

Dinner Boat Cruise

As they say, good things come in threes. So here’s one more food-focused activity in Lyon. After this we’ll really stop, we promise!

On the dinner boat cruise, you’ll spend two and a half hours drifting through Lyon aboard the Hermès restaurant ship while being served a top-notch 3-course meal.

You’ll have the choice between several local, seasonal, and fresh dishes — yum!

Book the dinner boat cruise

Mini World Lyon

Mini World Lyon is France’s largest miniature park and a genuine highlight for kids.

You’ll find lots of great miniature exhibitions here, such as the city of Lyon or a Lego world. There are also cool nighttime periods when the museum goes dark and works with impressive lighting effects.

Tickets cost 15.90 euros for adults and 10.90 euros for children aged 4–17. You can buy them on the Mini World Lyon website.

Our tip: Mini World Lyon is included in the Lyon City Pass.

How to get to Mini World Lyon

Mini World is located a little outside of Lyon. However, it’s only a five-minute walk from the Vaulx-En-Velin La Soie metro station.

From Place Bellecour, you can get there in less than 20 minutes on metro line A. A single ticket costs 2.10 euros.

Fête des Lumières

The Fête des Lumières is the event in Lyon. Every year on the first weekend of December, the entire city comes alive in beautiful colors and lights.

The festival of lights is Lyon’s greatest pride and every year several million visitors pour into the city for it. Understandably so! The Fête des Lumières is simply a breathtaking experience.

The festival runs over four evenings and the theme varies from evening to evening, so you keep discovering new light shows with videos and laser effects.

What’s especially cool? The Fête des Lumières is free!

The Best Day Trips from Lyon

Not only the city itself has many beautiful highlights — the surrounding area of Lyon also has great places to visit. Don’t miss these day trip destinations.

Beaujolais Wine Region

Beaujolais is a very well-known wine region in France and is located just a few kilometers north of Lyon.

If you enjoy wine, you really shouldn’t miss a day trip to the region. You’ll find countless wineries, charming medieval villages, and the delicious Beaujolais red wine.

From Lyon, you can explore Beaujolais perfectly on a half-day tour with a wine tasting.

Book the Beaujolais tour with wine tasting from Lyon

If you’d like to stay longer in Beaujolais, you also have the option to spend the night at a winery.

We recommend La Maison des Vignes in Charentay for this. A wonderful place to stay surrounded by vineyards.

Lac d'Annecy

Lyon is not far from the beautiful Alpine town of Annecy, which sits on the shores of the turquoise mountain lake Lac d’Annecy.

The lake is one of the cleanest, clearest lakes in France, one of the most beautiful sights in France, and an incredibly stunning photo subject.

If you plan on spending more time in and around Lyon, you really shouldn’t miss Annecy.

In our article about Annecy you’ll find the best tips for Annecy and the lake.

Getting to Annecy from Lyon

By car, you’ll drive just over two hours from Lyon to Annecy.

The same travel time applies by train. You can get a one-way ticket for around 30 euros on the SNCF website. The departure station is Lyon Part-Dieu. You’ll arrive right in the center of Annecy.

La Bastille in Grenoble

The city of Grenoble is just over 100 kilometers from Lyon and sits on the edge of the Alps.

The highlight of the city is the military fortress La Bastille from the 19th century. It sits on a mountain about 260 meters above Grenoble.

From the top you have a stunning vista of the city and the surrounding mountains. You can reach the Bastille by cable car, by car, or on foot.

In our detailed article about Grenoble we’ve put together the best tips for Grenoble.

Getting to Grenoble from Lyon

You have several options for getting from Lyon to Grenoble. By car, it’s about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Alternatively, trains run from Lyon Part-Dieu to Grenoble in about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Tickets are available from 19 euros.

Flixbus also runs several times daily from Lyon Perrache to Grenoble. Tickets start at just 5 euros.

Our Top Tip: The Lyon City Pass

If you’re heading to Lyon for sightseeing, you should definitely take a look at the Lyon City Card.

With this city pass you can easily save money on sightseeing. How? We’ll break it down for you right here.

When you buy the Lyon City Card, you get free or discounted entry to several attractions in Lyon.

These Lyon sights are included in the Lyon City Card

• Musée des Confluences
• Lugdunum Museum at the Théâtre Gallo Romain
• Mini World Lyon
• Musée des Beaux Arts
• Public transportation (tram, bus, funicular)
• Boat tour through Lyon
• Visit to the towers of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
• Free admission to a total of 23 museums
• Discounts on additional tours and attractions

You can purchase the Lyon City Card with a validity of 1, 2, 3, or 4 days. This means that within that time period — for example two days — you can visit all the included sights.

These are the prices for the Lyon City Card

For students and children aged 4–15, the Lyon City Card is available at a lower price. You’ll find the prices on the Lyon City Card website under “Price list.”

Here’s where you can buy the City Pass

Get the Lyon City Card for 1, 2, 3, or 4 days

Get the Lyon City Card for youth and students

If you’re arriving by plane, you can also order the Lyon City Card including an airport transfer from Lyon Airport.

Get the Lyon City Card incl. airport transfer

You can pick up the City Pass at the Pavillon ONLYLYON Tourisme and at the reception desk in the Part-Dieu shopping center.

If you add the airport transfer, you’ll receive the Rhonexpress ticket in advance as a QR code by email.

Here’s a sample calculation showing how the Lyon City Pass pays off over two days

General Tips for Lyon

To make sure you’re perfectly prepared for your city trip, here are a few helpful travel pointers for Lyon.

#1 Getting Around Lyon

You have plenty of options for getting around Lyon. Most sights in the city center can easily be reached on foot.

Public Transportation in Lyon

Since Lyon, with over 500,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in France, some attractions are best reached by public transit.

Lyon has an excellent tram and metro network. You can pretty much get anywhere with it. It’s best to buy tickets at the machine.
A single ticket costs 2.10 euros and is valid for one hour. The 24-hour ticket costs 6.90 euros.

A ticket for the funicular, which takes you to Fourvière Hill, costs 3.60 euros.

Note: Public transportation is included in the Lyon City Pass.

Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Lyon

Another great way to get around and see Lyon’s highlights is the hop-on/hop-off bus. A day ticket starts at 25 euros and takes you past almost all the major sights.

Get your ticket for the Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Lyon

#2 Getting to Lyon

You have several options for getting to Lyon. The most convenient is the plane — Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport is served by a number of European carriers, with direct connections available from major hubs including Frankfurt and Munich. Otherwise you’ll usually need to factor in a layover.

We always search for our flights using the flight search engine Skyscanner.

Go to the Skyscanner flight search engine

You also have the option of traveling by train. From Frankfurt there is a direct connection to Lyon in 6 hours. You can book train tickets on SNCF.

#3 The Best Time to Visit Lyon

Lyon’s climate is pleasant for much of the year, generally a touch warmer than much of central Europe.

We highly recommend the months of April, May, June as well as September and October. During these months it’s neither too cold nor too hot for a city trip to Lyon.