48 hours in Lyon (Nov 25)
I’ve been meaning to come here for a while, ever since Anne-Pierre, an ex-colleague, put this historical city on my radar. So when I saw a £16.99 flight on offer (each way), I just couldn’t resist.
I booked my ticket, packed a travel bag, and found some budget accommodation (£31.50 per night).
Emma was out of town this weekend with friends on the south coast, so who could blame me for squeezing in a little solo trip to this French city of culture?
Anne-Pierre helped with the planning for this trip, so I had no shortage of places to visit. This is her home city after all, tons of recommendations – she has the inside track!
Coincidentally, on the day I arrived, Anne-Pierre was also in Lyon, but travelling back to England after visiting family. Shame our journeys didn’t overlap, perhaps next time!
The arrival
On arrival, I had to plot my route from the airport to Lyon. I decided on the Rhône Express tramway, which was incredibly straightforward. The details are in the hints, tips and recommendations at the end.
I was soon to discover that this region and France’s second capital city is pretty special.
Food and wine are central to most things here, along with religion, commerce and art. There is far too much to mention, and far too much to explore in such a short time, but I did my best!
I spent the first day simply gathering my bearings and wandering parts of the city north of La Confluence, where the Rivers Saône and Rhône converge.
So many awesome structures, so much history and so beautiful.
A, HALLES DE LYON PAUL BOCUSE. B, LE CAFÉ COMPTOIR CHEZ ABEL. C, THE BASILICA OF NOTRE-DAME DE FOURVIÈRE. D, MUSÉES GADAGNE. E, LA CAVE DES VOYAGEURS. F, HÔTEL-DIEU DE LYON. G, PLACE DES TERREAUX. H, ÉGLISE SAINT GEORGES. I, CATHEDRAL SAINT JEAN. J, THE REMEMBRANCE OF ‘LA CATASTROPHE DE FOURVIÈRE. K, UNIVERSITY JEAN MOULIN. L, OPERA NATIONAL
The tram journey from the airport and my accommodation are outlined in the hints and tips section at the end.
Vieux Lyon
Cross over any of the pedestrian or road bridges north of the Quartier Saint-Georges and you’ll enter Vieux Lyon, the historic and oldest district of the city. It sits at the foot of Fourvière Hill along the Saône River.
This area is a major draw and it’s not difficult to see why. It’s a labyrinth of tiny cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways connecting the churches, museums and art houses of the quarter.
Day and night this place is alive with visitors and tourists, with countless bars, restaurants and art shops vying for trade.
This really is a popular spot drawing people from all over the globe. I heard a fair few accents enjoying this centuries-old corner of Lyon.
Prices here are understandably higher than in neighbouring districts, but not extravagantly so.
In the heart of Vieux Lyon are the Funiculars of Lyon, a steep railway built in 1892 that takes passengers up the hill from Saint-Jean to Fourvière and Saint-Just. A nice segue into my next topic…
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Wow. Just wow.
Dominating the landscape both day and night is this beautiful imposing monolithic structure with three domes and four towers.
You only get a sense of its true scale when walking towards its entrance.
I always tend to seek out religious structures, churches, cathedrals, mosques and the like, and so far on my travels I’ve become accustomed to the splendour they offer both the faithful and the curious. But I really wasn’t prepared for the feast of… (I’m struggling to find the words)… extravagant ornateness that I was about to see.
The artistry in this place is astonishing. It’s rare that a building stops me in my tracks. I had to sit down simply to take in the sights and steady my head. WOW.
The basilica is on two levels: the upper, which is more artistic, and the lower church, which is less so. I’m glad I visited off-season, as I gather this place can get very busy.
If this was all I saw over the weekend, I wouldn’t have felt short-changed. A real must-see!
Food and wine
Well, where do I start… maybe here:
La Cave des Voyageurs
My favourite wine bar of the weekend was La Cave des Voyageurs on Rue Octavio Mey, north of Vieux Lyon.
It’s one of those places where you simply discuss your preferences with the bar staff before they trot off or reach out and fetch the perfect bottle or glass.
Perfect, that was until two Greek wine buffs sat next to me and started chatting in English with the local French barman. Their knowledge of wine, vineyards, altitude, weather and all things grape was ridiculously deep. So much so that the bar staff got immediately excited that he’d found his match
It was all I could do to simply nod and look like I was following a conversation taking place in everyone else’s second language, about a topic I know very little about. They left me behind after a few seconds! It was one of those occasions when I decided to stay quiet as opposed to confirm my ignorance – c’est la vie.
I did get some great wine tips out of it, though, including this glass of Saint-Amour.
Turns out the two Greek guys were in town for a wine fair, so it figures they know a bit about the subject. God knows how their livers cope, I had to bail out when they appeared to have only just started!
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Le Café Comptoir Chez Abel
My favourite meal of the weekend was at a local bouchon, Le Café Comptoir Chez Abel.
This is one of those venues you’d never discover unless you’re a foodie or get a recommendation from a friend, in my case it was Anne-Pierre and her partner Thierry who gave me the tip. They both LOVE this place and gave me the strongest hint possible to visit – I now know why!
I snapped the picture above FROM a photo hanging on the wall inside the restaurant. It was taken over 50 years ago, and I can tell you that the venue hasn’t really changed a bit since.
Indeed, it has been around since 1928 and is one of those eateries you now need to book in advance, as there’s little to no chance of a walk-in, unless you’re very lucky.
I managed to get a table (for one) at 21:45 on Saturday night and decided on a menu consisting of warm saucisson and lentils to start, the local speciality called Quenelle de brochet en gratin as main, followed by chestnut cake with cream and vanilla sauce. It was all helped down with some local Beaujolais – all very Lyonnais.
It is an awesome place, not just to enjoy the meal, but also absorb the vibe. It got me thinking of how many people have visited this quiet, unassuming corner of Lyon over the last century (almost). For me, well I was transported back to a time when this city was the ‘Capital of the Resistance”, it has that clandestine feel about it.
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Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
I also paid a visit to the HALLES DE LYON PAUL BOCUSE, a huge indoor food market which is a gastronomic Mecca for foodies.
It was a great place to fuel up after my flight when I first arrived. The market is only a short walk from the GARE DE LYON PART-DIEU where the RhoneExpress tram dropped me off.
I received this recommendation from two independent sources.
One of those tips came from Sam, a chap I got chatting to on the Rhône Express. We started talking because we were trying to work out if we needed to validate our tickets before boarding, it turns out the answer is NO.
Originally from Hong Kong, Sam now lives in Dorking, and appears to spend much of his time exploring Europe, mostly on a budget like me. We discovered we were on the same WizzAir flights to and from Gatwick. Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse was on his list.
Of course, Anne-Pierre had also mentioned his place to me too.
I hadn’t researched this place at all and didn’t know what to expect. But I just LOVE what the official tourist website says about it, so I’ve reproduced their line below:
“If gastronomy were a religion, Lyon would be a pilgrimage site, Les Halles would be the temple and its sixty-or-so shopkeepers would be the preachers.”
Inside, there are market stalls end-to-end, selling delights to eat ‘on the spot’ or to take away.
However, its location is beneath what I can only describe as a 1970s concrete monstrosity, similar to the ugly, yet functional buildings that sprung up post war in London. It’s not the most appealing of design but don’t let that put you off. It really is something special inside, and next time I come here, I’ll aim to arrive earlier as some traders shut up shop at 3pm.
I ended up choosing a huge bowl of fresh mussels cooked in a creamy soft-cheese sauce with white wine, shallots and chives.
I’ve now discovered a little more about Paul Bocuse, he is a local lad, and a bit of a French legend (the cartoon character Chef Auguste Gusteau, of Ratatouille fame, was based on him apparently). He died several years ago, and is still very much revered.
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La limonade de Marinette
A nice little cafe in Saint Georges. Ideal for a coffee and slice of cake!
Musées Gadagne
This place took a lot longer to walk around than I expected and provided a great deal of information about Lyon and its surrounding areas over the centuries. Seriously good place to have a wander, it’s in a lovely old building too. It focuses on the history of commerce as well as art and politics. Not too many photos taken here as I was too busy trying to decipher and translate the information/notices boards
I enjoyed this little injection of local history, but I have to admit the best bit was seeing that they had a video of the Monty Python sketch “The French Taunter”.
The did make me giggle.
The next level of Entente Cordiale.
This is a link to the video on YouTube
Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon
This was a former hospital, now converted to a hotel many years ago. It’s an amazing place to simply wander around. Lots of shops and restaurants within too.
The remembrance of ‘La Catastrophe de Fourvière’
Wandering the backstreets, I became aware of a solemn ceremony taking place behind the Cathédrale Saint-Jean Baptiste.
I stopped and investigated its background.
I discovered that I was stood on the site of a disaster that occurred 12 and 13 November 1930 when a huge landslide came down the slope of the hill and destroyed several buildings. Forty people were killed along with nineteen firefighters and four policemen.
It was a privilege to witness this commemoration, which whilst low key, was large enough to draw a crowd.
Saturday morning street market – along the rivers
My final morning was spent wandering the banks of the rivers Rhône and Saône where huge street markets were busy being set up for the day. What an amazing backdrop!
The return
I met up again with Sam again on the flight back who, by coincidence was only one row from me. This gave us a chance to discuss our respective experiences.
Hints, Tips and Recommendations
Flights:
The price was only £33.98 return (£16.99 each way) with WizzAir.
I did NOT use any vouchers or credits, as those low prices available from the WizzAir website direct.
Transport to and from airport:
The Rhône Exressway tram connects the airport to Gare de Lyon Part Dieu, (central Lyon).
The journey takes around 30 minutes, which at €17 is way more cost effective for solo travellers than choosing a taxi (which cost over €50).
The station at the airport is very modern and the ticket machines are simple to follow.
Accommodation:
£31.50 per person per night.
The People Lyon – 10 `monteé des Carmélites, 1st arr, 69001 Lyon, France.
OK OK I know, most people my age would not use dormitory accommodation, but, given I didn’t rock up on both nights until midnight, and I was gone by 09:00 in the morning, so it worked well for me!
When travelling alone I often find accommodation like this much more cost effective than spending more in a room in a hotel that I hardly use! That said, I usually “upgrade” when with Emma…
Paying less for accommodation means I can travel a LOT more. However, I do check out the places carefully in order to make sure it’s not a dive!
It also means I can spend money on good food, wine and experiences…
This place was spotless and staff friendly and helpful.
The hostel management here appeared to stick similar people together, so my dorm was full of people over 50.
The washrooms were also quite private (allocated to each dorm) and very clean. There were only four people in the dorm on the first night.
