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15 Things to Do in Lyon
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Last Update on Dec 22, 2025
Introduction
Lyon is the third largest city of France in population, but also one of the most significant cities of France. Known for its culture, food and history, Lyon is probably one of the best cities for any tourists looking to see more than Paris when visiting France. This being said, let’s dive into some of the best things to do in Lyon.
All the prices listed here are based on the conversion rate of Euro to US dollars as of December 2025.
1. Les Bouchons Lyonnais
​Each city probably has its identifying mark. For Lyon, it may be the “Bouchons”. These traditional restaurants are well known for their warm and convivial atmosphere. However, it's the food that really makes these restaurants stand out. The traditional dishes served are known for being hearty, but also very qualitative. It is without hesitation one of the best things to experience in Lyon.
A "Salade Lyonnaise", one of the signature dishes found in the bouchons.
2. Le Parc de la Tête D’Or
As the biggest urban park in Lyon, the Parc de la Tete D’or (Golden Head Parc in ENG) is also one of the best activities in the city. The park is known for its beauty, its lake, but also two of the attractions that it houses, the Zoo of Lyon and the Jardin Botanique de Lyon (Botanical Garden of Lyon). If we had to compare it to other parks, we would say that it is a bit like Central Park or the Golden Gate Park in the United States.
Admission (General Admission): Free​
Accessibility: Wheelchairs accessible
Pet Policy: Animals authorized in leads no longer than 1m.
Address (One of the Parkings): 69006 Lyon, France
Photo by Romain Girot | Unsplash
3. Zoo
Let’s be honest, it's a zoo and there is nothing outstanding about it. But as bad as it may sound it does not necessarily mean that it's not worth a look. The zoo of Lyon houses more than 400 animals mostly from biomes that could be found in Africa, and for free. So if you love animals and pass by the Parc de la Tete d’Or, why not give it a look?
Admission (General Admission): Free​
Accessibility: No information found.
Pet Policy: Pets are not allowed. It is unspecified for service animals.
Address: Parc de la Tête d'Or, All. de l'Orangerie, 69006 Lyon, France
Lions are among the species you can see in the Zoo of Lyon. Picture not from actual zoo of Lyon.
4. Musée Lumière
If you are a cinéma lover, the name “Lumière” might sound familiar. The two brothers bearing that name are the inventors of the Cinématographe, the ancestor of our modern cameras. But more than just their creation, the Lumiére brothers are known for being among the pioneers of cinema. These contributions to the early days of cinema are one of the main focuses of the Musée Lumière (Musée being the french word for museum). It's a small museum and will not take a whole day, but it's still an interesting visit.
Admission (General Admission): 9.50 € (~$11.1)
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Pet Policy: Pets are not allowed. It is unspecified for service animals.
Address: 25 Rue du Premier Film, 69008 Lyon, France
5. Musée du Cinéma et de la Miniature
If the Musée Lumière focuses on the early days of cinema, this museum is about the set and accessories that contributed to make many movies what they are. From Star Wars to Back to the Future passing by Marvel heroes, this museum can amaze both cinema lovers and occasional movie watchers. And the icing on the cake is the museum's location. The building that houses the Musée du Cinéma et de la Miniature (Museum of Cinéma and Miniatures in English) dates back to the Renaissance and is located within the Vieux Lyon (Old Town).
Woops, we have no picture currently available for this activity.
Admission (General Admission): 22.90 € (~$26.8)
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Pet Policy: Dogs are welcomed.
Address: 60 Rue Saint-Jean, Lyon, 69005
6. Vieux Lyon (Old Town)
​The Vieux Lyon (meaning Old Town) is the historic and oldest neighborhood of Lyon. Its Renaissance architecture brings visitors back to 15th and 16th century France, when banker-merchants, silk weavers lived in the area. Lyon Old Town is also known for its traboules, small and narrow passageways that are believed to date as far as early as the middle-age. Wander through the streets and discover the history, food and culture within the streets.
Address (Point Within): Rue Tramassac, 69005 Lyon, France
Photo by Warren Sammut | Unsplash
7. Le Musée des Beaux Arts de Lyon (Fine Art Museum)
As one of France and Europe largest art museums, the Fine Arts museum of Lyon is easily among the best things to do. Of course, it may be more appealing if you are an art lover with paintings from Van Gogh, Monet or Renoir, but something that may interest you is the collection of artifacts from ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece and the Middle East. An interesting dive into history that might be worth a look.
Admission (General Admission): Free (Under 18)* to 8.00 € (~$9.4)
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible (Contacting the museum ahead of time is recommended). Many other resources are made available for those with disabilities.
Pet Policy: No Information found.
Address: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, 20 place des Terreaux, 69001 Lyon
*Proof will be required. Tickets must be reserved online.
Photo by Snap Wander | Unsplash
8. Dive Into the Roman Past of Lyon
​Before Lyon even existed, a Roman city named Lugdunum existed in these lands. Lugdunum was an important city in the western part of the Roman empire. The prosperous city welcomed an estimated tenth of thousands of inhabitants, and was one of the most cosmopolitan in Gaul. As the Roman empire changed its organization, Lugdunum declined in importance and went under the rule of the Burgundian kingdom as the empire later collapsed. Nowadays, mostly ruins remain from that bygone era. And these ruins are among the favorite attractions for many tourists in Lyon. You can access them for free (although fees may apply when special events are held) and for more details you can take a ticket at the Lugdunum museum which also offers guided tours (for a fee) through these remnants of history.
Information for the Ruins (Not the Museum):
Admission (General Admission): Free
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Pet Policy: No Information found.
Address: 6 rue de l'Antiquaille - 69005 Lyon 5ème
9. Place Bellecour
The “Place Bellecour” is a large square located within the heart of Lyon. It is a nice spot if you are looking for nice pictures, but also if you are looking for information. Indeed, the square houses the tourism office of Lyon. It's a popular starting place for many people, and in case you wonder, the statue at the center of the square is the monarch Louis XIV, the famous “Sun King”.
Address: Pl. Bellecour, 69002 Lyon, France
Photo by Jametlene Reskp | Unsplash
10. Les Halles Paul Bocuse
Let’s be honest, one of the best things about France is its food. One of places that reflects well that heritage is the “Halles de Lyon” also known as the “Les Halles Paul Bocuse”. That indoor market born in 1859 is one of the greatest spots in Lyon to taste some great food and see all the extent of French cuisine. Of course, if you are used to this kind of environment it may not be that nice. Nonetheless, food lovers are likely to enjoy the air of the place and the products displayed there.
Admission in the Halles: Free*
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Pet Policy: Service dogs only.
Address: 102 Cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon​
*The access to Halles is free, but restaurants within it are not.
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11. Musée Henri Malartre
The Henri Malarte museum is part of those museums that you visit as much for their content than their settings. Located in a castle from the 12th century, the museum displays a collection of cars once owned by Henri Malartre. It's a great place to learn about and see some cars from the early days of automobiles up until the 90s.
Admission (General): Free* (Under 18) to 6 € (~ $7)
Accessibility: Parts of the museum are currently not accessible to disabled guests.
Pet Policy: Service dogs only.
Address: 645 Rue du Musée, 69270 Rochetaillée-sur-Saône, France​
*The admission can be free for other people with specific situation (see the website for a full list), but proof will be required.
Woops, we have no picture currently available for this activity.
12. Pérouges
Considered one of the most beautiful villages of France, Pérouges is a nice and well preserved village from medieval times. It's approximately 30km northeast of Lyon and therefore a great daytrip if you want to get out of Lyon’s center. Pictures speak for themselves.
Admission to the Village: Free
Address: Pl. du Tilleul, 01800 Pérouges, France​
13. Visit the Forts Around Lyon
During the 19th century, several forts were built in Lyon and its surroundings. Those forts were part of a desire to strengthen France’s defense system. However, as new technology emerged, these forts quickly became useless and many of them were either destroyed or repurposed. Among those who still stand today, many are open to the public. If you are interested in visiting one or more of these forts, you can visit the website of Lyon Tourism Office.
Fort of Bron
14. Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation (Center of Resistance History and Deportation)
If you have read or studied World War II, you may know about the “Resistance” as well as the terrible things that happen to many people. With the support of archives, witnesses and more, the CHRD focuses on WWII in the city of Lyon.
Admission (General): Free (Under 18) to 8 € (~ $9.4)*
Accessibility: Accessible for guests with all kind of disabilities. Wheelchair accessible.
Pet Policy: No information found.
Address: 14 avenue Berthelot - 69007 Lyon​
*This admission include the main exhibits + any temporary exhibits.
Woops, we have no picture currently available for this activity.
15. Walk Around “La Confluence”
The district of “La Confluence” is somewhat interesting. Once an industrial district, it has since been redeveloped into a reference of design and sustainable architecture. The district itself contains several attractions, but simply walking around and looking at the different buildings in this dynamic district is a nice thing to do.
Address: La Confluence, Lyon, France
Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra | License attribution CC BY 2.0
Moving Around Lyon
Like many European cities, Lyon has an effective public transit system that will help you to move around the city. The transit system is managed by TCL (Transport en commun a Lyon, meaning “Public Transportation in Lyon”) and includes metros, tramways and of course, buses. In addition, two lines of funicular are located in the Old Town. Since these are all part of one bigger system called the “Reseaux TCL” (TCL Network in ENG) which is operated by SYTRAL, one pass/ticket is enough to travel in all the transportation types. However, you should know that the system is divided into six fare zones with all their own costs. Here are most details:
Transportation Types
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4 Metro lines
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7 Tramway lines
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150 bus, trolleybus and shuttle lines
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1 river shuttle
How does it work?
The first thing that we encourage you to do is to think about how much time you plan on using public transit so that you can select your pass or ticket accordingly. Once you know that, buying a ticket or pass is pretty simple. The easiest solution is to use a contactless payment method (credit card, smart device, etc…) and tap it at the entrance of the vehicle. Once you tap for the first time, you can ride the TCL network for 1 hour, and if you get controlled by an inspector, you simply need to show your payment method. If you tap more than three times, you won’t pay more (fare capping). In the case you want an actual ticket or a pass, you can usually buy them at:
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Vending machines (generally located at metro and tramway stations)
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Online
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TCL App
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Sales offices
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TCL agencies
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On board (only for bus tickets)
The Metro of Lyon.
However, please note that some types of passes can be bought only at specific spots like the TCL agencies. Usually, you will be given a rechargeable card so that you can add more trips or passes as your journey advances. If you are a big group, passes are available for multiple people. The only thing to keep in mind is to validate the tickets as many times as there are people. This also applies if you are alone; validate your ticket/pass each time you board a vehicle. There are many other options like night buses and passes specific to some events, but globally we covered the most important part.
Funicular in Lyon.
Fares
We cannot cover all the fares because of the huge variety of options offered by TCL, but here are the fares for the most basic options. These are for zones 1 and 2 which is usually the area in which many tourists stay. And even if you are not traveling outside of those two fare zones, know that they are the most expensive, meaning any other will be cheaper than what is written here:
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1 Trip (1H) – 2.10 € (~ $2.5)
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Booklet of 10 Tickets (each valid 1H) – 20 € (~ $23.5)
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Pass Tribu (Group of 2 to 5 people) for 24H – 7 € (~ $8.2)
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Contactless Payment (1 trip) – 2.10 € (~ $2.5)
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7 Day Pass – 23.20 € (~ $27.2)
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Children under age 11 travel for free, but still need a free ticket if between 4 and 11.
​Lyon City Card
If you plan on spending multiple days in Lyon, this card may be an interesting option. The Lyon City card offers to visitors the possibility of having access to transportations, 27 museums, temporary exhibitions and guided tours for the price of only one card. The card for 24H cost 32.00 € (~ $37.5) and cards with longer time (up to 96H or 4 days) are available. Nonetheless, we encourage you to do research ahead of time before buying one. For example, some museums are closed on specific days and the card won’t do anything about it. Guided tours are not always available and please, keep in mind that it is a physical card and you will either need to pick it up or get it delivered to you by mail. It is a good option and most people are satisfied with it, but be sure you understand how it works before buying one.
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