Lyon in a Day: What to Do With 24 Hours

Lyon is one of France's most underrated cities for a one-day visit. It's manageable in size, has one of the best food cultures in Europe, and the Vieux-Lyon (Old Town) is among the most preserved Renaissance city centres on the continent. People who stop here on the way between Paris and the south of France often wish they'd stayed longer.

Getting In and Out

Lyon Part-Dieu station is on the high-speed TGV network: 2 hours from Paris, around 1 hour 45 minutes from Marseille. Lyon-Perrache station, slightly south, handles some regional trains. The city's Metro and tramway network are efficient and cover most areas you'd want to visit.

Morning

Take the funicular from Vieux-Lyon up to Fourvière Hill. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière dominates the skyline and the view from the esplanade in front of it over the city and the Rhône and Saône rivers is outstanding. The Roman amphitheatre and Gallo-Roman Museum next to the basilica are both worth 45 minutes.

Come back down by funicular and spend the morning in Vieux-Lyon, the Renaissance quarter on the banks of the Saône. Walk the traboules: covered passageways that cut through the old apartment blocks and were used by silk weavers and, later, the French Resistance. Some are marked and open to the public; others require knowing where to look.

Afternoon

A bouchon lunch is non-negotiable in Lyon. Bouchons are the city's traditional restaurants, serving hearty Lyonnais cooking: quenelles, andouillette, salade lyonnaise, and coq au vin. They're concentrated in Vieux-Lyon and the Presqu'île (the peninsula between the two rivers). Book ahead for the most popular ones.

After lunch, walk the Presqu'île. The Place des Terreaux has an impressive 19th-century fountain and the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts, one of the best art museums in France outside Paris. It's free on Sundays and worth an hour of focused time.

Evening (if time allows)

The Croix-Rousse neighbourhood on the hillside north of the Presqu'île is Lyon's traditional silk-weaving district. It's quieter than the centre and has a strong neighbourhood character. The covered market here (Les Halles de la Croix-Rousse) is excellent.

The Confluence district at the southern tip of the Presqu'île has some dramatic contemporary architecture and a good museum (Musée des Confluences) if you want a late-afternoon alternative to the Old Town.

What to Skip

Perouges, the medieval walled village outside Lyon, is beautiful but takes most of a day including travel. Not for a one-day visit to Lyon itself.

The Lumière Museum (birthplace of cinema) is genuinely interesting but requires choosing between it and other afternoon options. Worth knowing about for a return visit.

Lyon's food culture alone is reason enough to come back. Our Lyon guide covers the full picture, including the best bouchons and the neighbourhoods in detail.