The city feels less like a museum and more like a well-loved book, where narrow traboules hide quiet courtyards and the air smells of baking pain de mie rather than perfume. It is a place for slow mornings and late dinners, inviting you to linger in its warm, convivial embrace without rushing to see everything at once.
Do Lyon the way locals do: start slow at Parc de la Tête d'Or, eat where the regulars do at Carmelo, let the evening run long at L Bar food & drink.
Top things to do in Lyon
Ranked by rating and review volume. These earn their hype. Booking links may earn Roam a commission, at no cost to you.
1
Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourvière
19th-century basilica with 4 octagonal towers, a religious art museum & regular Catholic services.
Check tours & tickets2
Parc de la Tête d'Or
Vast, 19th-century park with statues, fountains & tall trees, plus a lake & botanic & rose gardens.
Check tours & tickets3
Musée des Confluences
Permanent & temporary exhibitions about anthropology & science amid dramatic, modern architecture.
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Musée Cinéma et Miniature
Museum of hyper-realistic, miniature everyday scenes, plus movie props & special effects exhibits.
Check tours & tickets5
Place Bellecour
Vast, tree-lined public square with flower stalls & a small art museum, plus a seasonal ice-rink.
Check tours & tickets6
Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Grand medieval cathedral with an astronomical clock & stained-glass windows, plus a treasury museum.
Check tours & tickets7
Musée de l'illusion LYON
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Théâtre Gallo Romain
The substantial ruins of a pair of Roman theaters, now used for open-air concerts & festivals.
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Mur des Canuts
Huge fresco of a neighborhood of silk workers who rebelled against working conditions in the 1800s.
Check tours & tickets10
Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon
Art museum in former 17th-century abbey, with ancient & modern paintings, sculptures & artifacts.
Check tours & ticketsWhere to eat
Local favorites, not tourist traps.
11
Carmelo
Colorful restaurant serving up hearty Italian staples in a warmly decorated, multi-room space.
Website12
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Website13
Le Coin Vert
City square with an elaborate fountain & surrounded by tall, 19th-century townhouse buildings.
14
Le Mercière
Choice Lyonnaise cuisine in a warm, old-fashioned dining room or an arched passageway.
Website15
La Scala Siciliana
Sicilian antipasti, pasta & wood-fired pizza, plus veal & seafood, in a cozy, relaxed trattoria.
Website16
Le Bouchon des Cordeliers
Colorful, old-school restaurant serving locally sourced traditional fare & French wine.
Website17
Garden Bistro - Restaurant Français Rue Mercière
Fashionable bistro restaurant featuring a terrace & a menu of traditional French dishes.
Website18
Le Vieux Lyon
Cozy, old-world restaurant offering a regional menu & locally sourced wine, plus a terrace.
WebsiteHungry for more? Book a food tour or tasting in Lyon
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Tours worth booking ahead
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19
Cap Confluent location de bateaux avec et sans permis / Promenade en bateaux / Team building
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Mobilboard Lyon Location vélo
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ComhiC - Segway Tour
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Boat Hermes Restaurant (Restaurant Cruises in Lyon)
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LyonExplorer - Free Walking Tour & Private Tour
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Free Tour Lyon
Check tours & ticketsGet outside
25
Parc de la Tête d'Or
Vast, 19th-century park with statues, fountains & tall trees, plus a lake & botanic & rose gardens.
Website26
Parc naturel régional du Pilat
Vast, mountainous countryside for many activities, including hiking, biking & cross-country skiing.
Website27
Grand Parc Miribel Jonage
2200-hectare park & nature reserve with lake, golf course, beaches, hiking & mountain-bike circuits.
Website28
Lyon Botanical Garden
This botanical garden dating from 1857 features greenhouses filled with 15,000 species of plants.
Website29
Animal Park of Courzieu
Animal park with raptor flight demonstrations, wolves & snails in action, plus nature trails.
WebsiteAfter dark
30
L Bar food & drink
Website31
Phoenix Bar - Billard Bar
Website32
Wanderlust Lyon
Website33
Le Bar Bu - Bar Lyon 5
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