Hôtel de Ville. €7, students and under 26 free. Audio tour €3, under 26 and students free. Open M 10am-6pm, W-Th 10am-6pm, F 10:30am-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm.
PLACE DES TERREAUX
SQUARE
Heads might roll when you see this square; it was used as a place of guillotine beheadings during the French Revolution. Of course, with the Musée des Beaux Arts on one side and the Hôtel de Ville on the other, no one would suspect that morbid history today. On the far north side is a grand fountain built by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi; it used to belong in Bordeaux, but the mayor was unable to afford its upkeep, so in 1890 the mayor of Lyon bought it and transported it to his own city center. The four horses bursting out of the water represent the four tributaries of the Saône river that runs through Lyon.
Hôtel de Ville.
Presqu’ile
MUSÉE DES TISSUS
34 rue de la Charité
MUSEUM
04 78 38 42 00 www.musee-des-tissus.com
This museum is more for those who like their fashion, but it’s not all Gaga and Chanel here. From 4000 year old Egyptian Tunics and fashions from the Ottoman Empire to French fashion from a few years ago, this museum provides a long history of what we wear and why we wear it. At the entrance, check out the family tree that maps a fierce history of fashion. Who knew that your jeggings have ancient Chinese and Italian roots.
Ampère Victor Hugo. €5.50, students and under 26 €3. Open Tu-Su 10am-5:30pm.
FOOD
Lyon is the home of high quality and top notch French cuisine and many will say that this is the city where you will find traditional food alongside modern fusions. Walking through the cobbled streets, you will see areas lined with traditional bouchons—little restaurants that serve dishes such as andouillette (sausage in a variety of sauces), duck, snails, and frog legs. Most restaurants are accessible on a budget, and every restaurant offers daily set menus; you can expect to pay anything from €12 for set menus, and the more expensive (but oh-so-worth-it) set menus are often worth the splurge. Fast-food options can be found around many squares in the center and just off of Pl. des Terreaux, along with many kebab joints along rue d’Algérie. Daily food markets appear along the banks of the Saône from 8am-1pm hawking wares from fruits and vegetables to cheeses and other locally sourced produce.
Vieux Lyon
Vieux Lyon’s cobbled streets are lined with bouchons and little alcoves housing all types of restaurants. Strolling along rue Saint Jean and the little streets off here will throw up many delightful places to sample the local cuisine.
LE PETIT GLOUTON
56 rue Saint Jean
CRÊPERIE, LYONNAISE
04 78 37 30 10
This cheery little restaurant feels very homey, with its checkered tableclothes and attentive waiters. If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to sit down, don’t fret—you can grab a cheap crêpe to go (€3-€5.55), and watch as the man makes it in front of you. For a more indulgent meal, we recommend the salmon (€12), or a special pork cooked in a mustrad sauce (€14.20). Their three-course set menu is cheaper than those at other restaurants in the area, but may be slightly less plentiful than other offerings (€14.25).
Vieux Lyon. rue St Jean runs north from the Metro station Meals €10-15. Crêpes €3-5.55. Open daily 11:30am-11:30pm.
LES PAVES DE SAINT JEAN
23 rue Saint Jean
BOUCHON
04 78 42 25 13
This traditional bouchon offers cheaper set menus than the other restaurants in the area but without sacrificing the standard of the food. The restaurant boasts dishes such as cold pork meats, andouillette, and duck in pepper sauce. The high-ceilinged dining area makes it feel like the family are serving you dinner in their own kitchen, and the food is served quickly but still feels as if it’s been freshly prepared.
Vieux Lyon. Set menus €12.50-21. Meats €10-15. Fish €10-16. Open daily noon-2pm and 6:30-10:30pm.
LIBRAIRIE CULTURE CAFÉ
16 quai de Bondy
CAFE
04 78 25 56 19 www.book-livre.com
The old owner of this little bookshop has doubled it up as a “culture café,” providing a great place to grab a drink, read a book, and watch the locals go by. With a view of the river, this cafe is a great little place to rest your feet, but make sure you explore the crypt of books under the first floor. The menu boasts a great range of 25 teas (€3 each).
Vieux Lyon. Drinks €1.60-3. Open daily 10:30am-7:30pm.
TERRE ADÉLICE
1 Place de la Baleine
ICE CREAM
04 78 03 51 84 www.terre-adelice.fr
Terre Adélice is a glacier with a difference—they specialize in bio-ice cream and sorbets. This ice cream is locally made in the Lyon area, and comes in 200 different flavors (though not all of them are served at the same time), including pear sorbet, clementine sorbet, and caramel ice cream.
Vieux Lyon. On the corner along rue Saint Jean. 1 scoop €2.30. Open daily noon-midnight.
Croix-Rousse and Terreaux
Rue Austerlitz is lined with brasseries, which are usually open from 10am until late; entrees generally start at €10. Place Croix Rousse features lots of boulangeries and supermarkets for the real cheapskates among you. Head down the hill into the Terreaux area for a great selection of traditional and modern cuisine.
L’ESPRESS’O’
39 rue Paul Chenavard
PIZZA, PASTA
04 78 91 86 64
Despite a plethora of expensive set menus that rarely dip below €15, L’Espress’o’ offers slightly cheaper options in heaping portions. During the week, you can get a steak and chips (€8), and for an extra €2 you can add a drink and a coffee. The traditional pizza and pasta offerings will fill you up nicely if you’d rather not eat steak, and the outside terrace opposite the restaurant is perfect for getting some sun.
Cordeliers Pizza and pasta €9-12. Set menu €13.50. Open daily 8am-10pm.
LE NORD
18 rue Neuve
LYONNAIS
04 72 10 69 69
Although the food is slightly more expensive, heading north will give you some of the best Lyonnais cuisine available, from snails to quenelle. Although splurging on a meal here may break your budget, the three-course set menu (€23) gives you a rather lavish selection of Lyonnais cuisine. Grab a seat on their covered terrace, complete with faux stained-glass windows.
Hôtel de Ville. Meat entrees €15-26, 2-course set menu €20, 3-course set menu €23. Open daily noon-2:30pm and 7:30-11pm.
Presqu’ile
The center of Lyon is great for cheap eats and traditional Lyonnais cuisine. Restaurants line rue Mercière and rue des Marronniers all boast set menus (€14-25), where you will find typical dishes from the south of France. Splurging is not necessarily a bad thing here, as you get what you pay for—spending a few extra euro on dinner will give you a very tasty dining experience.
LA CLÉANOA
33 rue Mercière
TRADITIONAL
04 78 37 78 37
Although their set menus are slightly more expensive than some of the others in the area, this ultra modern restaurant serves some mouthwatering dishes. This is one of those places where dishing out a little extra pays off. The duck dressed in lavender sauce and pork with peppercorn sauce may cost you a bit more, but you won’t care about the damage to your wallet when the immaculate dishes are sizzling in front of you.
Cordeliers. English menu translations. Set menus €20-26. Lunch menu €12. Meats €14-20. Open daily noon-2pm and 7-11pm.
LA MARONNIER
5 rue des Marronniers
LYONNAIS
04 78 37 30 09
This homey bouchon serves Lyonnais cuisine of all varieties. The helpful staff makes you feel like you’re eating in someone’s house rather than a restaurant. A brilliant three-course menu (€14) allows you to choose from several pork dishes, including a sausage in a red wine that which comes comp
lete with potatoes. If you’re after a more indulgent cuisine, there is a more expensive set menu giving you a choice of snails, mullet, and duck liver foie gras.
Bellecour. Set menus €14-23. Meat €8.50-18. Open M 6-11pm, W-Su 6-11pm.
CHEZ MARIE-DANIELLE
29 rue des Remparts d’Ainay
BOUCHON
04 78 37 65 60
Pictures of the Queen of England and Prince Charles indicate which toilet is for the femmes and which is for the hommes in the quirky Chez Marie. The small restaurant gives off a relaxed vibe, and you don’t need to own your own island to pay for your meal. Everyone is made welcome by the staff, even the traveler in shorts and flip-flops. A lot of the dishes are served the “Marie-Danielle way,” with a traditional flare to the cooking. Their beef steaks, covered in creamy and sauces, are popular and tasty (€15-€18).
Amère Victor Hugo. Lunch menu €16. Meat entrees €14-22. Open M-F noon-2pm and 7:30-10pm.
NIGHTLIFE
With Irish, English and Scottish pubs in the Vieux Lyon area, busy and noisy boat bars and clubs along the river, cocktail bars and classy establishments near the center, and rum bars specializing in rum cocktails, Lyon’s nightlife scene has something for everyone and a bit of everything. A more relaxed scene can be found by sipping wine after your dinner, outside on one of the brasseries’ terraces until the early hours.
LE PERROQUET BOURRÉ
18 rue Ste Catherine
RUM BAR
06 68 68 03 12 www.perroquetbourre.com
After having a few of the bar’s famous cocktails (“Sex’n’Fresh,” anyone?), you’ll be stumbling on to the next bar like a perroquet bourré (drunken parrot). The dancing barmen chuck, throw, toss, and mix the cocktails in time with the music; if they like the looks of you you might even get in on their special handshake. If you’re lucky, you might get a glowstick and some candy sweets in your cocktail.
Hôtel de Ville. Rum shots €2-5, cocktails €5-7. Open daily 6pm-1am.
THE SHAMROCK
15 rue Ste Catherine
IRISH PUB
Although this is an Irish pub, complete with the Guiness signs outside, a step inside the Shamrock will quickly remind you that you’re in Lyon. Inside the small room with skateboards and buckets hanging from the ceiling, locals show off their musical talents in jam sessions on Wednesdays and jazz nights on Mondays. The back room offers a more chill atmosphere, with old leather sofas where students gather to drink a large bowl of cocktails (€20), or work through a meter of shots (€16). The place can get pretty crowded, though, so be prepared to tussle to get to the bar.
Hôtel de Ville. Beer €2-6. Cocktails €6.50. Open daily 7:50pm-late.
SIRIUS
4 Quai Augagneur
BAR
With treasure chests hanging from the top of the boat, a quirky collection of nets and diving suits, and even barrels for bar tables, this boat bar really gets in touch with its pirate side. Order a mojito complete with a glowstick (€8), or try the special “secret” punch that comes in bottles (€10). As the boat gets busier, the heat turns up, so expect to get sweaty on the dance floor in the early hours on the boat.
Cordeliers. Over pont Lafayette and along the waterfront. Drinks €3-10. Open daily 9pm-3am.
AYERS ROCK CAFÉ
2 rue Désirée
ROCK BAR
08 20 32 02 03 www.ayersrockcafe.com
No, not that Ayers. With music so loud that the bartenders can only just hear your order, Ayers really isn’t the place to come for a chat, but it’s definitely the place if you’re in the mood for a busy and wicked night of loud music, excited barmen, and Australian fun. Bouncers (and a fake kangaroo) guard the door on weekends when it gets busy, so you may have to dress to impress if you want to get in. Watch in awe as the barmen juggle bottles, balance glasses on their arms, and serve you a cocktail or beer with a few other party tricks they’ve learned along the way. They occasionally bang on the lights that hang above them, so mind your head!
Hôtel de Ville. Beer €3-6. Cocktails €6.50. Open daily 8pm-3am.
THE SMOKING DOG
16 rue Lainerie
PUB
04 78 28 38 27
With pictures of dogs in smoking jackets and English music playing over the system, The Smoking Dog is a wonderful, if slightly out-of-place, watering hole. There is an old bookshelf full of French and English books in the back seating area, as well as empty boxes of whiskey. For a test of your brain power, visit on Tu night at 9pm for the weekly quiz, including the “Hamster Question” round and the “Yank or Manc” section. Even though the bar is English, the locals lap up the atmosphere, and you will find French people amongst the Anglophones.
Vieux Lyon. Beer €2-6. Open daily 5pm-1am.
ARTS AND CULTURE
Festivals
LES NUITS DE FOURVIÈRE
1 rue Cléberg
MUSIC, DANCE, THEATER
04 72 57 15 40 www.nuitsdesfourviere.fr
Every summer, this massive arts festival takes place in Lyon with everything from public showings of black and white horror classics such as Dracula to another kind of vampire, Vampire Weekend. In 2010 Iggy and the Stooges even graced the Théâtre Romain as well as performances of The Tempest, “Let it Be,” opera, and classical music performances. Every year Lyon trumps with its selection of arts and performances. Tickets can be bought by calling or visiting the Théâtre Romain or the FNAC store on rue de la République.
Tickets from €10. Some performances are free. June-July.
ESSENTIALS
Practicalities
• TOURIST OFFICE: In the Tourist Office Pavillion at place Bellecour, 2ème. (04 72 77 69 69 www.lyon-france.com. Open daily 9am-6pm.) Offers free accommodation bookings, a free public transport map and the Lyon City Card (1 day €20. 2 days €30. 3 days €40.). It gets you free entry into Lyon’s 21 museums, free public transport for the period, a city tour, a boat tour (Apr-Oct) and reductions at certain places, including the National Opera and bicycle rentals. Student reductions on the price of the card are available upon request.
• TOURS: Audio tours are offered in English and organized by the Tourist Office. To book one, either call or go into their office ( €9, students €5). Le Grand Tour is also offered. English guides are available ( €17, students €15, ages 4-11 €8 1hr. 15mins.)
• CONSULATES: USA (1 quai Jules Courmant, 2ème 04 78 38 36 88). Canada (17 rue Bourgelat, 2ème 04 72 77 64 07). UK (24 rue Childebert, 2ème 04 72 77 81 70).
• CURRENCY EXCHANGE: Goldfinger SARL.No commission (81 rue de la République 04 26 68 00 12 Open M-Sa 9:30am-6pm).
• ATMS: 24hr. ATMs line the Bellecour Square in the Hôtel de Ville area. An HSBC Bank is located at 18 Pl. Bellecour (04 78 92 31 00 Open M-F 8:45am-12:15pm and 2-5pm).
• LAUNDROMAT: 19 rue St-Hélène, 2ème. ( €4 per 7kg Open daily 7:30am-8:30pm).
Another branch at 51 rue de la Charité, 2ème ( Open daily 6am-9pm).
• INTERNET ACCESS: Free Wi-Fi at the Bellecour McDonald’s. Raconte Moi la Terre has Wi-Fi and internet access (14 rue du Plat04 78 92 60 22 €3 per hr. Open M noon-7:30pm and Tu-Sa 10am-7:30pm.)
• POST OFFICE: Pl. Antoine Poncert, 2ème, next to pl. Bellecour. (72 40 65 22 Open M-W 9am-7pm, Th 9am-8pm, F 9am-7pm, Sa 9am-noon).
• POSTAL CODES: 69001-69009; last digit corresponds to arrondissement.
Emergency!
• POLICE: 47 rue de la Charité (04 78 42 26 56).
• HOSPITAL: Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu (1 pl. de l’Hôpital, 2ème08 20 08 20 69; central city hospital line).
• EMERGENCY SERVICES: 17.
Getting There
By Plane
Lyon’s main airport is Aéroport Lyon-Saint-Exupéry. You can reach the city proper from the airport by train run by Rhônexpress (www.rhonexpress.fr €13, roundtrip €23; ages 11-25 €11, roundtrip €19. 30min., daily 5am-midnight). You can pick the train up at Lyon Part-Dieu station or Vaulx-en-Velin La Soies
tation. Tickets can be bought online in advance to save time. For information on flights, Air France has an office on 10 quai Jules Courmont, 2ème (08 20 32 08 20) and runs 10 daily flights to Paris’s Orly and Charles de Gaulle aiports (from €125. Open M-Sa 9am-6pm.)
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