hanl

I thought it might be useful for those travelling to Lyon to have an overview of the different areas of the city - I actually started writing this as a response to another post but it got so long and detailed that I figured it might be better as a separate post.

The city of Lyon is divided up into arrondissements, a bit like Paris. The last letter of the post (zip) code is the number of the arrondissement, so for example, 69005 would be the 5th.
There's a map showing the layout of the arrondissements here:
http://www.lyon.fr/vdl/sections/fr/p...ce_1/?aIndex=2
The city transport authority (TCL) also has a very detailed downloadable PDF map of the city and its surroundings: http://www.tcl.fr/site/00_plans_rese...lleurbanne.pdf

The <b>1st arrondissement</b> is located at the northern end of the Presqu'ile (peninsula) between the Rh&ocirc;ne and S&acirc;one rivers. It includes the magnificent Place des Terreaux and the criss-crossing old streets that stretch up behind it on the Croix-Rousse hill (les pentes de la Croix Rousse). The 1st is home to the Opera house and fine arts museum, and covers a chunk of rue Edouard Herriot and rue de la R&eacute;publique, two of the city's main shopping streets. The metro stations Hotel de Ville and Croix-Paquet (on the slopes) are in the 1st. This arrondissement is sometimes referred to as the Terreaux area.

The <b>2nd arrondissement</b> covers most of Lyon's main shopping and restaurant zones, extending from Cordeliers metro station all the way down to the confluence where the Rh&ocirc;ne and S&acirc;one rivers meet. The term Presqu'ile is often used to refer to the 2nd. It includes the pedestrianised section of rue de la R&eacute;publique and the place de la R&eacute;publique, the enormous place Bellecour, the restaurant streets of rue Merci&egrave;re and rue des Marronniers, the pedestrianised shopping street rue Victor Hugo, Perrache station, the city aquarium... it also includes the large chunk of land extending south of Perrache to the confluence, which is in the process of being rehabilitated and turned into a super duper new dockland development.
It's the 2nd arrondissement, north of Perrache station, that's probably the best area for hotels. The metro stations Cordeliers, Bellecour, Amp&egrave;re and Perrache are all in the 2nd arrondissement.

The <b>3rd arrondissement</b> is on the other side of the Rh&ocirc;ne river and is essentially a residential and business area. It includes the Cr&eacute;dit Lyonnais tower, a pencil shaped building that is visible from most of the city, along with Part Dieu station (the city's main rail hub) and Part Dieu shopping mall. It is also home to the city's covered food market, the Halles de Lyon, patronised by many of the city's chefs. This area is sometimes also known as the Part-Dieu area.

The <b>4th arrondissement</b> is usually known as the Croix-Rousse, and it covers the area at the top of the Croix-Rousse hill and down the sides of the slope, extending northwards as far as the communes of Cuire and Caluire, which aren't part of Lyon proper. It is the old silk weavers district and has in recent years become a very desirable place to live, particularly for young couples and families. It is home to the city's best street market (along the Boulevard de la Croix Rousse), some good bars and restaurants, and the Maison des Canuts or silk weavers museum. It's a steep walk up the hill to reach this area, but you do have the option of taking the wonderful cog metro (line C) which hauls you up from Hotel de Ville to the stations of Croix Paquet, Croix Rousse, Henon and Cuire. Just by Henon station is the most amazing, enormous trompe l'oeil mural, the Mur des Canuts - perhaps the biggest and best example of the city's numerous painted murals.

The <b>5th arrondissement</b> stretches along the banks of the Sa&ocirc;ne river opposite the Presqu'ile, and includes the Vieux Lyon (old town) area, Fourvi&egrave;re hill with its basilica, the roman theatres and Gallo-Roman museum, along with the network of traboules or covered passages linking up many of the old buildings (there's also a network of traboules on the Croix-Rousse hill). Beyond the basilica and Roman theatres is a fairly quiet, residential part of Lyon. Metro station Vieux Lyon is in the 5th, along with the funicular stations at Minimes, St Just and Fourvi&egrave;re.

The <b>6th arrondissement</b> is on the other side of the city, opposite the peninsula on the banks of the Rh&ocirc;ne, and north of the 3rd arrondissement. It's considered a very upscale area to live (Lyon's answer to the 16th arrondissement in Paris) and is home, in particular, to the magnificent parc de la T&ecirc;te d'Or, a wonderful place for Sunday strolls or summer picnics. Also in the 6th is the Cit&eacute; international and conference centre, and the Hilton hotel, all of which are clustered between the park and the river, rather on the edge of things. Metro stations Foche, Mass&eacute;na, Brotteaux and Charpennes are in the 6th.

The <b>7th arrondissement</b> is south of the 3rd, stretching south from the Cours Gambetta to the Gerland area with its stadium. The 7th is home to much of the university, located on the banks of the Rh&ocirc;ne, the open air piscine du Rh&ocirc;ne, and the Halle Tony Garnier, an old abbatoir that has been converted into a huge concert and exhibition venue. The metro stations Jean Mac&eacute;, Place Jean Jaur&egrave;s, Debourg and Stade de Gerland are in the 7th, while Guilloti&egrave;re and Saxe Gambetta sit between the 7th and the 3rd. The northern part of the 7th is often referred to as the Guilloti&egrave;re area.

The <b>8th arrondissement</b> flanks the 3rd and 7th and is largely residential.
The <b>9th arrondissement</b> is located north of the 5th arrondissement and curves up alongside the Sa&ocirc;ne river and into the hillside behind. It is mainly a residential and, to an extent, business district. Metro line D runs across town between the 8th and 9th arrondissements.

Jay_G

Can I be cheeky and make an addition to your otherwise brilliant rundown of Lyon? I'll take that as a yes ; )

The 3rd arrondissement is also home to the Chateau Lumiere, the museum and former home of the Lumiere brothers who invented 'movies'. In the summer there are regular, free open-air screenings in the Place Lumiere, as stone's throw from where the first ever film was shot. An absolute must for any film fan.

Travelnut

thank you for your descriptions... we visited once for a couple of days and enjoyed meandering but I had no idea really about the city. I'd like to go back some time.

hanl

Thanks for the addition, Jay G - had forgotten about the Lumi&egrave;re museum

swagman

hanl

Thanks for the detail description.

How much time would one spend in Lyon in order to see the basic sights?

S

hanl

Hi Swagman, I think that around 3 days in Lyon is enough to get a basic overview of the city, though one could certainly stay longer and not get bored! A 4-5 day stay would allow for a couple of day trips to the surrounding area, such as the Beaujolais region, the medieval village of P&eacute;rouges, or a boat trip down the Rh&ocirc;ne to the old Roman city of Vienne.

swagman

hanl

As a first timer to Lyon, in which area should I stay? Place Bellcour, Place Republique, the Bosolo Grand on the river has good rates (Euro 110), Vieux Nice or another area you may recommend.

S

hanl

The Boscolo is in a good, central location, near the Rh&ocirc;ne (so on the opposite side of the Presqu'ile from the Old town). Very close to the main shopping streets, and lots of bars and restaurants nearby. I haven't been inside that hotel so I don't know what it's like as a place to stay, however.

Place de la R&eacute;publique or Place Bellecour are also fine areas to stay (they are pretty close together), although the area around R&eacute;publique is mostly pedestrianised, while Bellecour has a bit more traffic. Rue de la R&eacute;publique is always packed with shoppers on Saturdays.

Vieux Nice might be a little bit far if you want to visit Lyon
As for Vieux Lyon, much as I like the area I'm not sure I'd necessarily want to stay there, as I think the Presqu'ile is more convenient for transport, shopping and restaurants. But again, the old town is a stone's throw from the Presqu'ile and it's very atmospheric. I think it would depend very much on the hotel - the area has some very upscale hotels like La Tour Rose, La Cour des Loges and the Villa Florentine, but I'm not sure there are as many good value mid-range options as in other parts of the city.

samsmom1127

bookmarking this great information

indytravel

Thanks for the excellent summary hanl. I've always appreciated your advice on Lyon. I made it back to Lyon in February this year, my third trip.

Though Paris is fabulous I think Lyon is more &quot;real.&quot; And has better food. Something that sings to my culinary tastes.

hanl

Thanks Indy. I must admit I do miss living in Lyon (though fortunately Brussels has its fair share of excellent restaurants)

cobbie

bookmarking

yestravel

Old thread, but great info -- thanks to the OP

genevievemartins

Is the 1 arr a safe area? I was thinking of staying in an airbnb.

nukesafe

Excellent information, but some of the links from this old thread do not work well. Could anyone supply an updated link that clearly shows the Arrondissements?

nukesafe

To answer my own question, here is such a discussion of Lyon arrondissements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrondissements_of_Lyon

Christina

The first arrondissement is certainly safe, it's where the OPera and Hotel de Ville are.

There is an interactive plan on www.lyon.fr (top upper RH corner) but it seems a little skittish.

The TCL map has the arrondissement boundaries on it marked fairly well, if you enlarge http://plan-interactif.tcl.fr/