Where to Stay in Lyon
 

Hi all...

We have our air tickets to Paris (Great prices from the US right now -- under $500 round trip nonstop from Philadelphia). We have 12 days (not counting the first jet-lagged day we plan to stay in Paris). We have been to Paris seven times and will likely spend only five of those days in Paris...the rest probably in Lyon.

I'll get back with more detailed questions about things to do there, day-trips by train, overnight trips by car, etc., after we've done some basic research, but for now, my main questions:

1. At first glance, it appears the area around Ampere and Bellecoure Metro stops are touted as being great areas. We like a walkable location in a more historic section. Your ideas, please? Our target rental maximum is about 700-800€ for a week.
2. We are looking at AirBnB -- no editorial comments, please. We will stick with those that have registration numbers, but, is there a web site to check that the number is legitimate?

Thanks.
ssander

I just noticed that my son & family stayed near the Cordeliers Metro in 2015 and really liked that area. What are your thoughts?
Thanks.
ssander

One more bit of information about our taste that might help your answers:

In Paris we always stay at the Hotel de Nice on R. de Rivoli, on the west edge of the Marais. We like the area between H. de Ville and Bastille. Historic and a great walking area.

ssander

We head to Lyon next week and are staying in an AirBnB. I will report back!

The spelling s Place Bellecour. That's a very convenient location, I think. It isn't really "the historic center" which is Vieux Lyon, however I think the center area on the island is more convenient, anyway, I would much rather stay there. Convenient to stores, restaurants, some museums, the Hotel de Ville, etc. Personally, I'd say the area from Place Bellecour north is more convenient than around Ampere, it's closer to many things you can just walk to. It also is kind of the center of some transportation lines, so you can get the metro north or EW from that stop. From Ampere, you'd have to transfer at Place Bellecour to go E/W (you also would at Cordeliers). There is a Tourist Information center at Place Bellecour, also.

this is a map of the metro/tram system
Attachment 1571

or see TCL - Accueil

Lots of buses, also, I know I knew some of the bus lines near where I last stayed but I can't remember how I found the maps.

I know vacation rentals are regulated in Lyon, the host must fulfill the requirements of not renting 100 pct unless a B&B, etc, and collect tax de sejour, etc., but I don't think they actually have a registration number system like in Paris, to be honest. I could be wrong, but not from the info I read on the Lyon city website. I love he way Airbnb refers to people doing this as "hosts" when they aren't hosting anything, they are renting their place out to others and are not even there. That's typical of that sleazy company.

Another question...

Is air conditioning recommended typical for the first two weeks in May?

ssander

The Place Bellecour is my favorite area of Lyon, but I have a favorite hotel and never stay in AirBnb. I can't imagine you'd need AC in May, but we live in France and don't think it's healthy to be freezing at night.

St Cirq - Can you share the name of your favorite hotel in Lyon? I'll be there in July. Thanks

Hi, isabel. Hôtel la Résidence. It's on a pedestrian street just minutes from the Place Bellecour. It has enormous rooms for a French hotel and the staff are lovely. I don't know what current prices are, but it has been a bargain when I've stayed there in the past (last time probably 4 years ago).

While there are numerous guide books (Fodors, Frommers, Syteves, DK and Lonely Traveler) on Paris, Provence and France, I cannot find any book that has detailed info on Lyon and the region.

Does any such book exist?
What are other good general info sources?

We now have our air tix and lodging. I am ready to dig into the details.

Thanks.
ssander

St Cirq - do you think it's possible they may not have bookings open yet for July? I put in two different dates on booking.com and on the hotel's official website and says no availability. So I put in test dates in June and May and got the same response. But April worked. So either they haven't loaded their calendar past April yet or they are so popular they are already full for May, June and July. What do you think? Years ago I used to run into the problem of hotels (especially small ones) not opening booking six months in advance, but in recent years I have not run into that.

I spent nights in Lyon twice and both times I stayed in the "wrong" place, assuming that one wants to walk out the door and find oneself immersed in ambience. The first time was right across from the Lyon Perrache train station, which I don't think is quite as dismal now since it has been redeveloped a bit. The second time was close to the Confluence area, but not quite close enough. But since I enjoy taking the tram and the metro, it was not really a problem either time.

I did about as bad, sleeping at cité concorde - far away from everything but with easy access to tram line.
Perrache must have been an experience.

I haven't run into that recently either, isabel. Used to be hotels couldn't take bookings until they'd bought their paper agendas from the papétières, but that seems rather quaint now. Still, I'd call or email or wait until January 2.

Bonjour Ssanders,
If you want a walk-able, more historic section, then perhaps staying in the old town would be interesting. The historic tower called La Tour Rose, is adjacent to a pretty miraboule, an open courtyard version of the famed local traboules. The surrounding residential structures there include a few vacation rentals, decent little apartments with reasonable rates. Plenty of atmosphere. The old town outside the miraboule is predictably somewhat touristy, but who cares? Btw, be sure to visit the quai St Antoine riverside market there each Sunday--one of the best of its kind. I hope that you find some good lodgings---bonne chance!
I am done. The end.

We just spent a week in Lyon over the holidays and loved the city. Very walkable (but hilly), beautiful, friendly, great food. We stayed at the AirBnB called L'annexe Sathonay near the Place Sathonay at the bottom of the Croix Rousse hill. It is only a one bedroom with pull out couch, so maybe too small if you are traveling with a family, but we loved it as a couple. Great design combining modern furniture and kitchen with historic elements in the apartment, very comfortable, nice host, private, and the location was perfect for us. You do have to climb steps to get to it (gorgeous historic stone steps) and I'm not sure about the AC situation, but it was cozy in the winter.

The location is charming with small shops and an organic market to buy groceries to keep on hand and walkable to many, many restaurants. It's right down the street from a beer and burgers place called Hop Store that was clearly a hip spot for young people. We weren't bothered by noise but also didn't need to open the windows. It's right across the river from Vieux Lyon and has a similar historic charm. Think narrow sidewalks, small winding streets, similar to the Marais. It is even right near a small Roman ruin/park.

We love to walk and walked everywhere except taking the metro to and from the train station with our bags and taking the charming little funicular up the hill to the Fourviere area, but that was more for the experience (although the hills are a little bit of a challenge if you aren't in shape). If you are a history buff, definitely check out Lugdunum. Even if you just go for the ruins/amphitheater, the atmosphere and view is incredible, but we really enjoyed the museum too. We never found a guidebook but used online sources for research, which worked well for us. We really, really enjoyed Lyon! Have a great trip!

Thanks to all. We have an AirBnB near the Ampere-Victor Hugo Metro stop. Not in Vieux Lyon, but within walking distance.

BlueSwimmer...thanks for the info.

We also have our Paris-Lyon train tickets, and that is a story. I went to Trainline because my experience (and recommendations from others) was that it is (a) in English and (b) less likely to have credit card issues than the SCNF site. However, after four tries and two calls to my card issuer, I gave up. It was being automatically rejected because Trainline was sending the wrong street address -- even though the site never asked me for my address, The SNCF site was manageable between my very rudimentary French and Google Translate, and it accepted my credit card without any problems. It also gave me more specific seat choices (though I could not determine which direction the cars were facing).

I'll be back with a new thread or two after we have done some research about sights and an overnight driving trip that we will plan. We can close this thread.

ssander