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Fourvière hill and its white basilica rising above the roofs of Lyon

Things to do in Lyon: 12 experiences

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Photo: Romainbehar, CC0

Lyon sits where the Saône meets the Rhône, and its centre reads in three layers: Fourvière hill and the Renaissance lanes of Vieux Lyon on the west bank, the Presqu'île between the two rivers with Place Bellecour and the Terreaux, and the old silk workers' hill of the Croix-Rousse to the north. The historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998. It is the city of the Lumière brothers, of the canuts who wove its silk and of Paul Bocuse.

The country guide already covers the traboules with a late dinner in Vieux Lyon and a full bouchon meal; this page adds the hill, the market, the museums, the December lights and two day trips. With the TGV two hours from Paris, Lyon also works as a stop between Paris and the Alps or Provence.

12 things to do in Lyon

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The nave of the Fourvière basilica, its walls and vaults covered in mosaics and gilding

Ride up Fourvière hill to the basilica and the city view

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon

1 to 1.5 hours with the esplanadeFree

The white basilica on Fourvière hill looks over the roofs of the Presqu'île and, on clear days, to the Alps.

Tours in Lyon
The stone tiers of the Roman theatre of Fourvière on the hillside, with the odeon beside it

Sit in the Roman theatres of Fourvière and visit Lugdunum

Théâtres romains de Fourvière and Lugdunum, Lyon

1.5 to 2 hoursNo booking needed

Two Roman theatres of Lugdunum survive on Fourvière hill, and in June and July concerts and plays return to their tiers.

Tours in Lyon
A cheese counter at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, stacked with goat's cheeses and tommes

Graze through Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse

Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, cours Lafayette, Lyon

1 to 2 hoursNo booking needed

Stand at a counter for a dozen oysters and white wine, then take cheese and charcuterie for a picnic by the Rhône.

Tours in Lyon
The steel and glass Musée des Confluences on the water at the tip of the Presqu'île

Explore the Musée des Confluences where the rivers meet

Musée des Confluences, Lyon

2 to 3 hoursNo booking needed

Where the Rhône and the Saône meet, a cloud of steel and glass mixes meteorites, fossils, masks and scientific instruments.

Tours in Lyon
The Mur des Canuts, a trompe-l'oeil fresco covering a whole building on the Croix-Rousse

Follow the silk weavers up the Croix-Rousse

La Croix-Rousse, Lyon

Half a dayBook ahead

On the silk weavers' hill, a guide weaves on the only working hand looms you can see in Lyon.

Tours in Lyon
The façade of Saint-Jean cathedral covered in coloured projections during the Fête des Lumières

Walk the light installations of the Fête des Lumières

Lyon city centre

Two or three eveningsFree

For four nights around 8 December, light installations cover Lyon's façades, squares and parks, and many windows still hold candles.

Tours in Lyon
The lake of the Parc de la Tête d'Or framed by a leaning plane tree

Spend an afternoon in the Parc de la Tête d'Or

Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon

2 to 3 hoursFree

Lawns, rose gardens, greenhouses and a zoo around a lake on 105 hectares by the Rhône, and all of it is free.

The round pavilion at the Institut Lumière, inscribed with a tribute to the Lumière brothers' invention of the Cinématographe

See where cinema began at the Musée Lumière

Institut Lumière, Monplaisir, Lyon

1.5 hours, more with a filmNo booking needed

Cinema was born here: the Lumière villa shows the brothers' cameras, and the hangar from their first film screens classics daily.

Stone and half-timbered houses around the cobbled Place du Tilleul in Pérouges

Take a half-day trip to medieval Pérouges

Pérouges, Ain

Half a day from LyonNo booking needed

A hilltop weavers' village ringed by houses that once formed its ramparts, where a thin sugared galette has been served since 1912.

Tours in Lyon
The village of Juliénas and its church surrounded by Beaujolais vineyards

Taste the Beaujolais crus in their villages

Beaujolais, north of Lyon

A full dayBook ahead

Ten Gamay crus, each with its own name on the label, grow on granite and schist hills north of Lyon.

Tours in Lyon
A covered traboule passage in Lyon

Walk Vieux Lyon's traboules, then stay for a late dinner

Lyon

An eveningBook ahead

Slip through Lyon's covered passages from street to street before they close, then stay in the old town for dinner.

Tours in Lyon
Inside a Lyon bouchon, Le Poêlon d'Or

Eat a full bouchon meal in Lyon

Lyon

About 2 hoursBook ahead

Checked tablecloths, set menus and big plates of Lyon's working food, from cervelle de canut to a pink praline tart.

Tours in Lyon

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    TGVs from Paris Gare de Lyon reach Lyon Part-Dieu in about two hours, and direct trains also run from Marseille, Lille and other French cities. Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport, east of the city, has its own TGV station, and the Rhônexpress tram links it to Part-Dieu in about 30 minutes.

  • Getting around

    The TCL network covers the city: four metro lines, A to D, trams, buses and two funiculars from Vieux-Lyon station up Fourvière, F1 to the Roman theatres and Saint-Just and F2 to the basilica. The Presqu'île, Vieux Lyon and the Croix-Rousse slopes are best on foot, and metro C climbs the Croix-Rousse hill. The Lyon City Card bundles public transport with entry to the main museums, and Vélo'v bike stations are all over town.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, three days. One for Vieux Lyon, Fourvière and the Roman theatres, ending with a bouchon dinner; one for the Presqu'île, the Halles and the Musée des Confluences; one for the Croix-Rousse and either the Parc de la Tête d'Or or the Musée Lumière. A fourth day goes to Pérouges or the Beaujolais.

  • When to go

    May, June and September bring mild weather and long evenings on the quays. July and August are hot, with plays and concerts in the Roman theatre for the Nuits de Fourvière in June and July. The Fête des Lumières, from 5 to 8 December in 2026, fills every hotel months ahead. October brings the Festival Lumière for film lovers, and the Beaujolais Nouveau arrives on the third Thursday of November.

  • Where to base yourself

    Stay on the Presqu'île, between Bellecour and the Terreaux, to walk to most sights and restaurants and cross to Vieux Lyon on a footbridge. Vieux Lyon itself puts you among the traboules and bouchons, with the funiculars at the door. Part-Dieu suits a short stop by TGV, with hotels by the station and the Halles nearby, and the Croix-Rousse is the quieter, village-like choice.

Questions travellers ask

How many days do you need in Lyon?

Three days cover the essentials: Fourvière, Vieux Lyon and the Roman theatres, the Presqu'île with the Halles and the Confluences, and the Croix-Rousse. Add a fourth for a day trip to Pérouges or the Beaujolais.

When is the Fête des Lumières in 2026?

From Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026. The installations are free and spread across the centre every evening, and the official programme with routes and hours comes out shortly before. Book accommodation months ahead and expect crowds and security checks.

How do I get from Lyon airport to the city centre?

Take the Rhônexpress tram from Lyon Saint-Exupéry to Part-Dieu station, about 30 minutes, then the metro or a tram to your hotel. The airport also has its own TGV station for trains to the rest of France.

Is Lyon worth visiting if you have already seen Paris?

Yes, because it is a different city: smaller, walkable, built on two rivers and two hills, with Roman theatres, Renaissance lanes and a food culture of its own in the bouchons and the Halles. It is two hours from Paris by TGV and a good stop on the way to the Alps or Provence.

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