Lyon Trip Report
 

Just got back from a short trip to Lyon. I was traveling alone (a first for me in France) and it turned out to be a very good way to work on my French. I had no real agenda except to talk to wander around, enjoy myself, and talk to people. Arrived at CDG Friday morning and made a painless transfer to the TGV to Lyon. Stayed at the Sofitel Royal on Place Bellecour. Excellent location, well-run hotel. Spent the afternoon walking around Presqu'Ile in the rain, getting a SIM card for my new dual-band cell phone, and visiting the tourist office. Slept in a bit Saturday morning, then visited (in the rain again) the museum about the French Resistance. . .well worth a visit. In the afternoon, I took the tourist office's walking tour of Vieux Lyon and its traboules. Our guide was very good and the group on the tour was quite congenial. . .mostly Australian, with a few Brits, one Austrian and me (the Texan). Took the funicular up to the old Roman area, but by the time I got up there the rain was coming down so hard I gave in, went back to the hotel to dry off, change shoes, and have an aperitif and light supper in the hotel bar. The bartender helped me translate some of the movie reviews in the paper. Saturday morning it was still raining all over the eastern half of France, so I planned the day around inside activities rather than heading to flea markets, Perouges or Viennes as I'd originally planned. Visited the museums of fabric, decorative arts and fine arts, spent an hour or so in the indoor antique mall, and went to the movies. Pleasant, if soggy, day. Monday morning, took the TGV to Avignon (only 1 hour) and saw the sun! (The folks in Avignon said it was their first day to see the sun, and it started raining again about 6 p.m., so I guess I was lucky.) I was in Provence last year but had skipped Avignon because I was driving and was far too intimidated to try a town of that size, so it was a good day trip for me. Loved the town and its people. Did the Palais du Papes and the bridge, but spent most of the day walking the charming back streets and talking to some of the shopkeepers. Back in Lyon by 8:30 and discovered a wonderful bistro quite close to the hotel. "Le Comptoir des Marronniers" in a little alley just off Place Bellecour. It's one of the 10 bistros run by Jean-Paul Lacombe, the chef of Leon de Lyon. They're called "Des Bristots de Cuisiniers." Had a delightful 3-course meal for 22.50E in an inviting, informal atmosphere. Highly recommend it. Tuesday morning caught the 8:00 TGV to CDG and caught my flight home. Won't run on anymore, except to say don't be afraid to go to France by yourself and don't put off a trip just because you don't have alot of time to spare for a French vacation.

Enjoyed your report. I started traveling alone a few years ago, and now I don't want to do it any other way!
I went to Lyon for a few days in October - after more time in Alsace. I enjoyed Lyon and its museums, old town, and food. I, too, ate at Le Comptoir des Marronniers, and loved it. After trying the "solo" thing, I bet you'll be doing it again! Now I'm even renting a car and driving around an area solo.
That's really a great way to improve your French.

What are traboules -- alleyways? Unfamiliar term to me.

I'm thinking we might visit Lyon on our next *pilgrimage* to France -- (kind of an annual event).

To me Lyon was always a place to drive through and get out of ASAP. But several posters here have piqued my interest.

Thanks for adding to the mystery and allure of Lyon -- we may follow in your footsteps

Traboules are kind of covered passageways through buildings. Originally constructed to move silk about in inclement weather (the area was a silk district) and later used during WWII as kind of an underground railway to get Jews out of the area.

Nice report fbc. Lyon is one of my favorite French destinations; wonderful food, a lovely old town, that great cathedral, Roman ruins and beautiful squares and fountains.

Thanks for the report. I was there last month for a couple of days and really enjoyed the city (posted my trip report here as well).
Too bad it sounds like you missed the wonderful museum next to the Roman ruins. I missed the traboules, but my husband went and said they were really interesting.
We also ate at Le comptoir and had a very nice lunch.

Great report, as I'll be travellng solo next week to CDG from the US and had planned to take the train from the airport. Did you make reservations for the train prior to your arrival in Paris? I was hoping to just buy a ticket next Sat am. I'll only be in Lyon one day and then was going to return to Paris (city) on Sunday. One questions about rail fares, it seems the return trip is about $150 in coach via the train, does that seem right?? To me it seemed a bit high, but that is the quote on the SNCF web site. I'm at the Boscolo Grand (on the isle). Has anyone stayed there?

Interesting to hear your report from another solo traveler. I did the same last summer, following the Tour de France. There are pros and cons for me; the previous summer, I had visited France with two of my family members, and it was lovely to have the company. Last summer, my solo trip offered a couple of pluses, however: nobody in the back seat arguing (!) and it was delightful to just follow my whims, driving my rented car about in pursuit of the Tour--or opting to bike 80 kilometres of it one day!. I, too, worked on my French (nothing better than solo travel for having to make the language leap). I spent some time outside of Lyon in Vonnas--incredible food and tradition of cooking and eating--but found the rental return to Hertz in Lyon (a city I had never before visited) a nightmare--requiring driving up a DO NOT ENTER ramp to access the essentially unmarked Hertz depot. Hopefully, the construction that obfuscated their Hertz operation at the TGV train terminal has been completed and obvious signs directing returnees are now posted.

This summer I return to France with my teenage daughter, so we'll see! It will be definitely different than last summer's sometime lonely but freeing excursion!

Thank you for all the lovely pointers. We will be going to Lyon in Sept., hopefully the weather will be better! I'd also like to see Viennes, but we're not planning to rent a car. Any pointers on the best way to get there? Also, there is a Lyon city card that gives access to the tourist office tours, museums and transport (bus and tube). It's 38euros for 3 days, is this worthwhile? All tips for this France neophyte will be greatly appreciated.

bosfam, trains every 30 to 45 minutes all day long go from Lyon's train stations. Mostly Perrache on the Presqu'Ile but a few from Part Dieu. The ride's about 30 minutes. That's how I'd get there.

www.voyages-sncf.com

38euro for the Lyon card has struck me as a lot of cash. I mostly walked in Lyon. It's pretty compact. I've ridden the funicular (and walked) up the Fourvier hill to the basilica, Roman forum and archeology museum. I've ridden the trams with my Dad too. I think you'd have to see a lot of museums and ride the transportation many times to get 38 euro's worth out of it. The best thing to do is determine which museums you'll see, check their price on-line and add it up.

For example if you see the decorative arts museum and fine arts museum in one day you won't need any transportation. They're both an easy walk from Place Bellecour in the middle of the Presqu'Ile.

If you're there on a Sunday morning make sure you see the market in Place Carnot outside of the Perrache train station. Both times I've been they have the most adorable puppies and kittens for sale along with incredible looking foods.

Here's a link to my trip report from May 2004.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34498288

Lyon is the gastronomy capitol of the known universe. :-) Enjoy your time there. I know I have.

Bosfam, you can take a boat trip down the Rhône to Vienne with the Lyon river cruise company Navig-Inter (www.naviginter.fr). Haven't done it myself but you can take the boat downriver, stop to sightsee and then return in the afternoon.

I recently replied to another post about the Lyon Citycard - if you click on my name you should find the thread in question. I think the fact that it includes guided tours and boat trips makes it a little more interesting than most museum passes. As Indytravel says, it's worth working out what you would like to see and doing a few sums to see if it'll be worthwhile.

Lastly, I personally wouldn't make a point of visiting the puppy/kitten market on Place Carnot as I disagree strongly with the way they are raised ("puppy farms", trafficking of animals from Eastern Europe). I have refrained from commenting on this market before but for some reason today I feel like making a stand for animal rights. Many of the animals have been (and continue to be) maltreated, and are not properly vaccinated; some may even be carrying diseases. The vendors rely on the "aaah" factor to sell animals. Many of these baby animals have been taken away from their mothers far too young and as a result can become difficult to handle. As for what happens to the ones that don't get sold as puppies and aren't so cute anymore... better not think about that.

Wow hanl. That's sad to hear about the the puppy market. I'm so gullible. I thought being in such a public place that they were mostly reputable breeders doing business in a long-running, well established venue. I was wrong and now I know.

Nice to see you still posting here. I've always appreciated your advice on Europe.

Hi Indy,
It's a real shame about that market -apparently many pet shops in France (and elsewhere in Europe) also obtain puppies from irreputable dealers.

My apologies to the other posters for hijacking this thread.