Lyon in 1 Day: all you need to know

Although one day is not enough to explore the city in its entirety, there are many things you can see and do in Lyon to get to know it. So for a day you can visit the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière and take a tour of the city. I also recommend you to go for a walk in Vieux Lyon and its historical area.

La Presqu'ile with its historical buildings, the cathedral of St. John, or the Parc de la Tête d'Or, are other places that you can include in your day trip in Lyon. Of course you can't miss tasting some of the Lyon food. This itinerary will also give you time to visit the Musée Gadagne and walk along the banks of the Rhone and Saône rivers.

Your day out in Lyon will start in the early hours of the day, so you should have arrived in the city the night before or at least very early in the morning. Thus, you should be starting this itinerary around 8:00 am, having a good breakfast, either at your accommodation or near the first point of visit.

If you decide for the second option, you will have to go in the direction of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière in Lyon, where you will find several options to taste some of the best Lyon food.

Among the most popular nearby restaurants visited by locals and tourists are La Taverne des Gones, Le Petit Bouchon, Café des Fédérations, Café des Fédérations, Le Max Lyon and La Croix Rousse, which you could visit if you sign up for one of the best gastronomic tours in Lyon.

The food in Lyon is very varied and exquisite, so you can decide between eating traditional food like croissants and cheese, or international food like scrambled eggs or toast. Breakfast should not take more than an hour, to enter the Basilica in the first group of visitors.

As you will have had breakfast near the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, this will be the first attraction to visit. In fact, it is one of the main tourist sites in Lyon. It opens every day between 9:00 and 18:00, so in this case you will enter around 9:00. To enter and get to know it you will have to pay around 8 euros.

If you want to take a guided tour you will have to pay an additional cost. It will take you between two and three hours to fully explore the place, so in this case you will tour it for about two hours, leaving around 11:00. Inside you will be able to enjoy the views from the balcony of the cathedral, as well as a variety of art and historical works.

Among the works you will see inside are the image of the Virgin Mary, the statue of St. John the Baptist, the Chapel of the Priests and the Cathedral Tower. You can visit the Basilica on your own or you can sign up for one of the best tours of Lyon that will take you to see not only the church, but also other important sites in the city.

After leaving the Basilica around 11:00, I recommend you go for a stroll through Vieux Lyon, and take no more than an hour for this activity. If you want to tour Vieux Lyon in a different way, I recommend you consider one of the best bike tours in Lyon, although in this case you will be on foot.

Part of what you will see on the way through this historic place will be the Comédie Theater, the Bourse, Justice, Opera, and Monnaie Palaces, as well as the Place des Terreaux, not to mention the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Fourvière, which you have already visited. In this historic complex also highlight some museums such as the Mint, the Fine Arts and Natural History.

If you finally decide to visit the city with a guided tour instead of doing it on your own, you have to take into consideration that they can cost between 10 and 20 euros. Since it will only take you an hour to tour the entire historic center of the city, keep in mind that this time will give you plenty of time to admire the facades and take lots of photos of each of the sites you see.

After touring the town of Vieux Lyon, it's time to make a stop at the Musée Gadagne, which is a historical museum that in turn houses three museums inside: the History Museum, the Puppet Museum and the Toy Museum, so entering this complex is one of the best things to do in Lyon with children, because you can find special activities for them.

Inside the History Museum you will see a complete collection of artifacts, objects and documents related to the history of Lyon between the fourth century and the twentieth century. Also, at the Puppet Museum you will see a collection of puppets from all over the world. And finally, at the Toy Museum you will see more than a thousand antique and modern toys.

You can sign up for a guided tour of the museum through its website, and for this you will have to pay around 10 to 20 euros. The complex is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00, but in this case you will go to see it around 11:00. I recommend spending at least an hour at each museum, so you'll finish around 14:00, perfect time to take a lunch break.

You're sure to leave the museums very hungry, so this is a good time to enjoy a nice lunch at one of the restaurants near the Musée Gadagne. Among the top places to try traditional French food are: Café des Fédérations, Le Petit Bouchon, La Taverne des Gones, Le Max Lyon, La Croix Rousse and Le Petit Bouchon.

Not only will you get a wide variety of traditional French dishes such as crepes, salads and soups, but you can also taste international flavors such as pizza and hamburgers. Plus, you'll love to pair the food with good wines, which will make you want to sign up for one of the best wine tours in Lyon.

A good plan for after lunch is certainly to go for a leisurely stroll through the Parc de la Tête d'Or, which is one of the largest parks in France and certainly one of Lyon's main attractions. If there is one thing you will love about this place, it is that it is ideal for connecting with nature.

You will arrive at the park shortly after 15:00 for a walk of about two hours and you will not have to pay anything to walk through it. You will love walking the trails and seeing the local flora and fauna. I also recommend stopping to discover the botanical gardens and visit the lake.

Inside the park you can also enjoy multiple sports and entertainment activities, such as playing paddle tennis, soccer or tennis. It is a good place to visit in Lyon in April or May, when it is spring time and the flowers are at their peak of bloom and beauty.

Around 17:00 you will be able to enter the Lyon Zoo, which is located inside the same park that you have been touring for the last two hours. It is certainly a unique experience, ranked as one of the best things to do in Lyon, regardless of the type of trip you make to the city.

To enter you will have to pay about 8 euros per adult and approximately 6 euros per child. I recommend staying inside for at least two hours, which will be enough to see the whole zoo. You can visit it on your own or you can sign up for a guided tour if you pay some extra money.

Inside the complex you will be able to observe different thematic sections, within which you will see mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. You will have the opportunity to meet at least 500 different species, including polar bears, penguins, African buffalo, Sumatran tigers and hippopotamuses. You will leave the zoo around 19:00, one hour before closing time, which is at 20:00.

19:00 will be a perfect time to go for a walk along the banks of the Rhone and Saône rivers, whose area is located very close to the zoo where you were strolling. You will love the mix of modernity and antiquity, which is perceived in this area of the Rhone.

You will have the opportunity to see and photograph different buildings and the many old bridges of the city, and at the same time you will be able to see nature up close. You should take the opportunity to take pictures at the old Saint Nicolas bridge, the Tournelle bridge, the Pont de la Paix, the Pont de la République, and the Pont de la Concorde.

You can go for a walk on your own or join one of the many guided walks along the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers. It will take you about an hour to walk around this place, although if you prefer , you can stay up to two hours to get to know the atmosphere of the area during the early afternoon.

In addition to the different buildings, a walk through this area will allow you to see the wildlife activity in the river, which includes ducks, swans and a variety of fish.

Just after having had a good tour along the banks of the Rhone and Saône rivers, between 20:00 and 21:00 will be a good time to start to know the nightlife of the city; and what better place to do it than the Place Bellecour, which is one of the main squares of Lyon, located in the heart of the city.

It is an important public space, and a meeting point for locals and tourists. I recommend spending at least an hour walking around the square and enjoying the lively nightlife that is maintained in this place during the night. There you can see icons of the square such as the equestrian statue of Louis XIV or the Trinité Church. You can also see the Statue of Liberty and the Statue of the Republic.

If you go on a guided tour or night tour of the city, your guide will tell you some of the most interesting details of the square, which has also been the scene of important events in the history of the city. One of the events still remembered and commemorated by the locals is the celebration of the liberation of the city during the Second World War.

Without a doubt this is one of the best things to see and do in Lyon at night because in this place you can see people enjoying a glass of wine or beer around the square, it is also a good time to visit the markets, or just sit on a bench to enjoy the atmosphere. Around the square you will find restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

After walking around the square and enjoying the nightlife in this place, you will surely want to eat some dinner, and if so, you should know that near the Place Bellecour in Lyon there are many dining options. The Lyon region is famous for its cheeses and wide selection of meats, so your first choice is to eat traditional French food.

Among the food options you will find around the square are: chicken in wine, cheese fondue, potato gratin, beef in red wine, or salad with egg, bacon and ham. For after dinner, I recommend trying some of the traditional French desserts, including flan, apple tart and cream-filled sweets.

Places to visit for this variety of food include Café Bellecour, L'Espace Brasserie, Le Wagon Bar, La Fondue Lyonnaise, La Table Lyonnaise, La Maison des Canuts and Le Vieux Lyon. You should go for dinner around 21:00, and you should not stay later than 22:00, to go and find out more about what the nightlife and nightclubs in Lyon are like.

After a good dinner and a few drinks, it's time to continue getting to know and enjoy the nightlife of the city of Lyon. You can stay dancing and having a few more drinks, or you can skip this last point of the itinerary to go to your hotel or lodging place to rest.

As the nightlife in Lyon is so varied, you will be able to find many places to enjoy the party atmosphere. Among the best places to go for drinks are the bars on Rue Mercière, the Bar des Capucins and the Velvet Club. If you want to go dancing, you can choose from a variety of discos and nightclubs such as Club Transbo, Club La Paloma, Ninkasi Kao and BPM.

If you don't want to go dancing, Lyon, being such a cultural city, offers you the possibility to go and enjoy other plans such as theater plays, watch movies in the many cinemas, attend concerts in the various halls of the city, among other places to enjoy the cultural night.

After such a full and fun day all over the city of Lyon, it is time to go to your lodging place to rest for an early departure to the airport and return home. The closest airport for travel is Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.