Three days is the right length for Lyon, because the city is compact but layered. The trick is to organise your time by district rather than by a checklist, and to plan around the weekly closing days that catch out so many visitors. This itinerary keeps each day within one or two neighbourhoods, leaves room for long lunches, and uses the Lyon City Card’s transport and museum entry if you decide to buy it.
Before you start
Lyon sits where the Saône and the Rhône meet, with Fourvière hill to the west and the Croix-Rousse hill to the north. Between the rivers runs the Presqu’île, the long peninsula that holds Place Bellecour and the shopping streets. Many museums close one day a week, and these days differ: the Musée des Confluences, the Lugdunum museum and the Institut Lumière close on Mondays, the Musée des Beaux-Arts closes on Tuesdays, and the Musée Cinéma et Miniature opens late on Tuesdays. Book restaurants first, then fit the sights around them.
Day one: Fourvière, the Romans and Vieux Lyon
Start early at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, which is free to enter, and take in the view from the esplanade while the light is soft. Walk or ride down to the Roman theatres of Lugdunum, which sit on the slope below the basilica, and spend an hour in the Gallo-Roman museum beside them. Then continue down through the Rosaire gardens into Vieux Lyon, where the Renaissance lanes and traboules are best explored on foot. Have a long bouchon lunch, wander the traboules, and finish with a Saône river cruise in the late afternoon, when the quays are golden. If you want something special, the Hermès I dinner cruise runs on the Rhône side in the evening.
Day two: the Croix-Rousse and the Presqu’île
Take metro line C up to the Croix-Rousse, the silk weavers’ hill, and spend the morning in its traboules, staircases and market, stopping to look at the giant trompe-l’oeil mural. Walk or ride down to Place des Terreaux, where the Musée des Beaux-Arts is a good option for the early afternoon, particularly if the weather is wet. Continue south through the Presqu’île on foot, passing the opera house, Rue de la République and the grand squares, until you reach Place Bellecour with its equestrian statue. Evening is for a table in a restaurant of your choice, and a stroll along the Rhône.
Day three: the Confluence and the left bank
Take the tram to the Musée des Confluences, the glass-and-steel museum at the southern tip of the Presqu’île, and give it a good two to three hours. If you still have energy, add a VR experience at ECLIPSO nearby, or walk along the quay to the Aquarium du Grand Lyon. In the afternoon, cross to the left bank for the Institut Lumière in the 8th arrondissement, reached by metro line D, where cinema was born. If you prefer a food finish, go to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse near Part-Dieu for a counter lunch of oysters, charcuterie and pastries.
Swaps for different travellers
With children, replace the Beaux-Arts with the Parc de la Tête d’Or, which has a free zoo, a lake and a playground, or spend an afternoon at Mini World Lyon if it rains. For food lovers, trade the Confluence for a market and cooking class on the Croix-Rousse, or add a half-day Beaujolais wine tour. For history buffs, a day trip to Vienne, the Roman town south of Lyon, is easy by train.
Getting around
The centre is walkable, the metro, trams and buses of the TCL network fill the gaps, and funiculars climb the Fourvière hill from Vieux-Lyon station. Vélo’v bikes are available all over the city, but the hills are steep. Tickets can be bought at machines and on a phone, and the Lyon City Card includes public transport and entry to many museums.
Where to base yourself
For a first visit, the Presqu’île is the most convenient, with the InterContinental, the Sofitel Lyon Bellecour and Hotel Le Royal all within a few minutes of the main squares. For atmosphere, the Collège Hôtel in Vieux Lyon or the Villa Florentine and the Fourvière Hôtel on the hill are memorable, though you will be climbing slopes. Mama Shelter and OKKO are the value and design options on the left bank.
A closing thought
Lyon rewards slowness. Allow time for a coffee on a square, a second helping of quenelles and a walk by the water at sunset. If you find yourself running to tick off a list, drop one attraction and sit down instead, because that is how the city is meant to be enjoyed.
