Lyon Travel Guide
Food is a good reason to come to Lyon, but the hours between meals are worth planning too. Explore Vieux Lyon, climb to Fourvière and return by the rivers. The Roman theatres are free; Lugdunum adds the museum collection if you want more of the history.
Example spending plans
Use these room and meal budgets to plan a day. They are spending choices, not average prices or available room offers. Replace the room amount with your full booking price, including tax. If sharing, divide only the private-room cost. Airport and intercity travel are extra.
These are separate spending choices, not price or quality rankings. The alternative plan may have a lower total when its room, meal or activity allowances differ.
Simple stay
€89 / day
A bed, simple meals, local travel and an activity allowance.
Editorial planning estimate: 11 Sep 2026
A spending estimate, not a live price quote.
See the five allowances
- Room or bed budget
- €45
- Food and drinks
- €32
- Local transit
- €7
- Sightseeing and entry
- €0
- Miscellaneous
- €5
Private room
€175 / day
A private room, meals, local travel and an activity allowance.
Editorial planning estimate: 11 Sep 2026
A spending estimate, not a live price quote.
See the five allowances
- Room or bed budget
- €110
- Food and drinks
- €47
- Local transit
- €10
- Sightseeing and entry
- €0
- Miscellaneous
- €8
Alternative private room
€264 / day
A second private-room spending plan. Compare the five allowances before choosing.
Editorial planning estimate: 11 Sep 2026
A spending estimate, not a live price quote.
See the five allowances
- Room or bed budget
- €170
- Food and drinks
- €67
- Local transit
- €15
- Sightseeing and entry
- €0
- Miscellaneous
- €12
This example sets aside €45 for one bed or a simple stay, €32 per person for food and drinks, €7 for local travel and €5 for small extras. Sightseeing covers an outdoor walk around the Roman theatres. These are spending choices, not measured averages or available room offers. Replace the stay allowance with your full booking price, including tax and cleaning. Divide only a shared private room; meals and tickets remain per person. Add airport and intercity travel separately.
At A Glance
- Currency
- EUR
- Ideal stay
- 3 days
- Walkability
- High
- Best value season
- March, April, October, November
A useful order for an old-town day
Start in Vieux Lyon, follow a few accessible passages, then take a break before the climb or transport up towards Fourvière. Return towards the Saône for lunch or an afternoon walk. This suggested order keeps the hill and the old quarter together.
The tourist office’s traboule list covers agreed public passages and courtyards, normally open from 7am to 7pm. These are still people's homes. A closed passage is a reason to use the next street, not to search for another way into the building.
Choose the meal you came for
The Les Bouchons Lyonnais directory gives named restaurants to shortlist. Look at the menu before booking, particularly if you avoid offal or want a vegetarian meal. Make that meal the centre of the day and keep the other meal simpler.
For travel between neighbourhoods, use TCL’s current fare guide. A day product is useful when the plan contains several separate rides; it contributes little to a day spent entirely on the rivers and in one quarter.
Give the Roman theatres some context
Lugdunum lists museum admission at €4 outside temporary exhibitions and €7 during them. The first Sunday of each month is free. Pair the museum with the Roman theatres if ancient Lyon interests you; the indoor collection explains more than the outdoor ruins alone.
Top sights and admission costs
Admission choices, ticket prices and practical advice for your visit.
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere
€0.00Ways to save: Free public access
Theatres Romains de Fourviere
€0.00Ways to save: Free public access
Where to Stay
The Presqu’île is a useful first-visit base between the rivers. Vieux Lyon puts you close to the old streets but can mean slopes and stairs; Part-Dieu is practical when an early train matters more than being in the oldest quarter.
Getting Around
Choose the TCL zones that cover your journey. The 2026 guide lists the zones 1 and 2 day cap at €6.90 for eligible contactless travel. Use the same card or device throughout; a physical bank card and its phone-wallet version are separate payment identities.
Airport transfers
View the airport transfer guide
Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport (LYS)
RhoneExpress Tram (Train)
€16.30 - €17.40Rhônexpress links Lyon airport with Part-Dieu. The standard adult single is €16.30 online or €17.40 from a machine; the adult return is €28.50 online or €30.30 from a machine. Youth and advance-return products have separate conditions. Ordinary TCL city tickets do not cover this airport service.
Check current pricesFlixBus / BlaBlaCar Bus (Bus)
Price for your journeyFlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus use the airport coach station at Terminal 1, level 0, for their advertised intercity destinations. Select the actual airport departure, destination and date and check the complete quote and luggage terms. These services do not establish one fixed journey time to every Lyon address. Rhonexpress is a separate connection to Part-Dieu.
Check current pricesEating for Less
For a traditional bouchon meal, start with the tourist office’s Les Bouchons Lyonnais list. Read the lunch menu and book the restaurant you choose. A quality label helps identify the style of restaurant; it is not a promise that every menu is inexpensive.
Worth Paying For
Lugdunum adds Roman objects and the city’s ancient history to a walk around Fourvière. Museum admission is €4 outside temporary exhibitions or €7 during them, with free entry on the first Sunday of the month. The neighbouring theatre site is a separate outdoor stop.
Skip / Save Your Money
Use the riverside paths for a long walk between paid visits. The public traboules covered by the city agreement can also be visited independently during their permitted hours.
Common Tourist Traps & Money Mistakes
Traboules pass through residential buildings. Use the signed passages on the tourist office’s published list, speak quietly and leave closed doors alone. They are not a network of entrances that visitors can open at will.