bellinghamsters

Help!!! I only budgeted 2 full days in Lyon and there's so much to do! We arrive October 19th around noon and will be dropping off a car at the airport. We leave on October 22nd to catch a flight to Bologna at 9:30am, so 2 full days. Some of my questions are below and I am open to any other suggestions or information. We are both 70, but in good health and don't mind a lot of walking. We are both interested in art, history, soaking up the environment, food and wine. We also don't mind (at all) sitting and people watching.

Should I get the Lyon City Card for travel and admission to different sites? There are so many museums..how to narrow down?

Should I book a walking tour to Vieux Lyon with the Lyon visitor center? My husband and I both love hearing about the history of places, but there are so many other tour companies to choose from and everyone I've checked out sounds great....hence being overwhelmed!

And then food!!! Should we do a food tour for an overview or should we just make reservations for a few restaurants and let that be our introduction since we are here for such a short time? Any recommendations?

Should we do a cruise and visit Musee des Confluences or just concentrate on Vieux Lyon?

I am hoping Fodorites can help me narrow down some of these questions. I wish we had more time, but these are the problems of wonderful vacation. We will have been in France for almost 3 weeks in Paris, Dijon and Beaune prior to arriving in Lyon. Unfortunately, I tacked on Lyon at the end for a flight to Bologna, so that cannot be changed. Thanks for any direction or assistance.

FTOttawa

Tough choices, but it’s going to be a lovely couple of days no matter how you spend them.

Apparently a lot of the traboules (hidden passageways) of old Lyon are now only accessible with a guided tour, so that might tip the balance for you. Top that day off with a funicular ride up to the Fourvière area for its basilica and the views.

Either the Beaux Arts museum or Confluences, depending on your mood and what else you’ve been seeing on your trip.

Definitely just book a couple of nice restaurants. That is the essential Lyon experience in my opinion. There is almost certainly something great within walking distance of wherever your hotel is. The only disappointment we had was Bocuse Est. Pro tip, plan to eat lightly the rest of the day if you have a meal at a bouchon. We loved Flair, Têtedoie, Burgundy Lounge, Comptoir d’Ainay and Café Comptoir Abel, missed out on Cinq Mains owing to failure to book ahead. But there are dozens more just as good.

Other pro tip, visit Place des Terreaux after nightfall. Oh, the fountain.

bellinghamsters

FT Ottawa,

Thank you so much, this was just what I needed to begin to calm down and have a beginning plan. I'll checking out restaurants and making reservations now.

zebec

Hi BH,
IMHO, those traboules are overrated. Unless you've never been to Europe before, I would def skip them. The one exception for us was Vieux Lyon's, 'La Tour Rose' = a maraboule or open-air traboule. It is quite the sight. Vieux Lyon is fairly touristy but for us it worked. Maybe check out the quai St. Antoine weekend Farmers Market. One of our all-time faves.
In Dijon, one excellent daytrip would be Semur-en-Auxois.
In Beaune, we highly recommend the original cafe there: Bistro de Bourguinone (SP?) on the main drag. The place has recently been sold, but if the new owners maintain the policy, the cafe features one of the most amazing winelists by-the-glass anywhere.

Will be interested in hearing about your Bologna experience.
I am done. The end.

FTOttawa

Oh, and another great walk is along the Saone - - plenty of people watching, and then by night the fine buildings of Vieux Lyon are skilfully illuminated

TDudette

Page 12 starts the Lyon portion of our 2010 trip. If you're interested in textiles, Lyon's Fabric Museum is neat: https://www.museedestissus.fr/
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Here's the TR for possible ideas...do double-check after all these years:
Trip Report from Menton and Lyon

Looking forward to reading about your time there, and Bologna!

kja

Lyon's traboules are unique and IMO, utterly fascinating. I booked a tour with the Tourist Information Office and was very pleased with the experience and the explanations, which helped me understand and better appreciate them. Certainly NOT something you'd see anywhere else.

You might also want to make a point of seeing see some of Lyon's amazing murals.

joduhl

We took the hop on hop off bus tour which was a good decision as Lyon is very large and we got to see the whole city. But the caution is to be careful when you hop off; we had to wait a long time for the next bus as it was lunch time.

Maribel

Since you mentioned food and wine, you might really enjoy a walk through of Lyon's wonderful Paul Bocuse indoor market, which is a treat for the eyes and senses.

For our traditional bouchon experience, we chose the Daniel et Denise, the one in the Croix-Rousse, which wasn't heavy in offal dishes. It was wonderful and extremely hearty. There are so many good value Michelin Bib Gourmands in the city (we chose the bistro Le Jean Moulin), along with the Michelin starred. For our one star splurge, we chose the special lunch menu at Les Terrases, the restaurant of the Villa Florentine in Fourvière, with lovely views of the city below.

Like TDudette we also enjoyed the Fabric Museum. And we loved the Musée des Beaux-Arts.

bellinghamsters

Thanks everyone. I'm feeling so much better and I think I'm beginning to understand that Lyon is not just a 1 time trip and I'll have to plan another for this interesting city! I'll get busy researching all these options provided.

Intellectually, I knew Lyon was a gastronomic center, but I did not realize there were so many 1 starred Michelin restaurants, many that are affordable! Having fun checking out the menus.

Maribel, thanks for the rec for Les Terrasas as we are staying at Villa Florentine. I think the restaurant, Tetedoie, that FTOttawa recommended has the same owner/chef as the videos of the restaurants featured the same woman eating there and the filming was very similar.

Also, thanks for the rec in Dijon and Beaune. I recall on my previous trip to Beaune (which was a dash actually...this was when I was planning 2 day stays everywhere, so everything was a dash with only very faint memories), we ate at a small restaurant with the best sweetbreads I've ever had! I Cannot recall the name, but I've been dreaming of them for years. Any ideas????

I will certainly attempt a write up of this trip. I always have the intention to do so, but I just have not developed a good system for recording the days. Maybe since I'm traveling much slower this time, I'll be able to keep up.

FTOttawa

Your choices for this trip are simplified by the fact that both the Musée des Tissus and the excellent Villa Lumière are closed for renovations. There will just have to be a next time.

Maribel

We spent considerable time at the Roman Museum and Theatre, Lugdunum.in Fourvière, it that appeals.