Lyon and The French Countryside were both two unexpected favorites from our travels this summer, so I’m excited to round up some recommendations and what we loved from our personal experience from each place.
LYON
Lyon: also known as the gastronomical capital of the world?! Who knew?! Not I. But now we’re all on the same page and you can add Lyon to your must-see list if you find yourself wandering France in the future.
Stopping in Lyon was never a part of the original (loose) itinerary, but after realizing how far Paris was from the French Riviera, we decided it would be nice to stop halfway to break up the long journey.
WHERE TO STAY
We only stayed in Lyon for 2 nights, but I can see how you could be there for 2 weeks and still not even touch the tip of the iceberg.
Our Airbnb was right in the heart of Old Town, right outside of Vieux Lyon — did you see the walkthrough on Tiktok? It was SO stunning inside, the building itself was a bit shocking though lol. Either way, it was a good stay and under $100 for the dates we selected.
There are tons of hotels around, all moderately priced, making Lyon a very affordable place to visit in France.
WHAT TO DO
If you want to experience traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, Old Town is bustling with lively restaurants offering the finest dishes. My personal favorite was lentil salad that I saw on various posts & tiktoks. We ate at Brasserie Gabriel and did their set 3 dish menu option and overall enjoyed our experience.
I’d recommend researching more dinner spots because from what I saw on Tiktok there are a ton of great spots to check out…we were just strapped for time and came somewhat unprepared.
We did walk by Regain, French Cuisine in Terreaux, and it looked really vibey; it is on the top of my list if we return in the future!
Diploid also looked like a cute coffee shop!
Lyon is right at the base of Fourvière Hill, which has a funicular to the top so you can easily explore the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere; we also learned that there are a handful of staircases leading to the top as well.
Both mornings during our stay we decided to tackle the stairs as our workout and it was quite the experience. I counted just over 650 stairs to the top, and quickly realized just how long it has been since I got my heart rate up that high.
The view is absolutely worth making your way to the top, whichever way you decide; you can grab an espresso at the cafe on the top of the hill and take your time on the way back down.
We went to La Boîte de Cafe for coffee one day; I had my first true iced latte of the trip and it was a decent experience, but I recommend sticking to one of their hot drinks to get the full essence of their espresso.
The next morning we headed to their sister store Arctic Juice and Cafe in another part of town — HIGHLY recommend this spot. Amazing smoothies, juices, and healthy menu overall. They offer free WiFi and a great place to watch the local crowds hurrying to work and school in the morning.
If you happen to be craving sushi like we were — we enjoyed Komé Izakaya. The waitress immediately spoke English to us which was selfishly a very welcomed break from attempting our best Franglais for the past week and a half. The menu offered a lot of sharing options for a really reasonable price, and we left full (despite what the review says about not getting enough food for your money).
ADDITIONAL THINGS TO DO IN LYON, FRANCE:
+ Northern Rhône Valley Day Tour with Wine Tasting from Lyon
+ Lyon Highlights & Secrets Walking Guided Tour (small group) including Funicular
+ Walking Food Tour in Vieux Lyon
+ Lyon Old Town Five Tasting Stops Walking Food Tour with Lunch
GETTING AROUND
There is a really nice local metro to get around the city, and a ton of train options to get into and out of the city.
You can get by without a car or scooter here; taxis are also pretty easy to come by. Our Taxi driver gave us his card after taking us to our Airbnb so we could WhatsApp him when we needed — I recommend asking your driver if they hand out their contact for this!
Unless you have an international number or WhatsApp, it’s nearly impossible to connect with a formal cab company without the help of a hotel or local kind enough to help out. If you’re staying at a hotel this won’t be an issue, but if you are an avid Airbnb-er like we are, then we highly recommend planning ahead when it comes to wrangling a driver in cities where Uber/Lyft are not available.
THE FRENCH COUNTY SIDE
I say The French Countryside semi-satirical because when I booked this Airbnb, I pictured us being in a desolate town with no cars or major highways.
To my surprise, it couldn’t have been more opposite lol.
We are in the town of Riorges, right outside the *bustling* town of Roanne. Don’t get me wrong — it is dreamy and when we’re on the Airbnb grounds (yes, the grounds…it’s massive), it feels like we are hours away from the nearest town.
As soon as we leave the front gates, though, we are quickly reminded that we are just off a major roadway that connects all neighboring towns and is weirdly busy at all times of the day and into the evening.
Despite the geographical misunderstanding, this has been one of my favorite airbnbs. It’s a small detached house right off of a stunning French mansion. It’s owned by the kindest husband and wife, she is from Australia, him from France. It’s so nice to have them nearby whenever we need them for suggestions, or help with their bikes. They even helped with calling car rental places around town for us when we first arrived as the town was small enough that no one speaks English.
We enjoyed an evening on their terrace one night for a traditional Apertif, and ended up chatting with the hosts for hours. It was such a special experience and such a great way to meet locals and learn about their daily life, culture and traditions in a place you’ve never been before.
I cannot recommend this spot enough if you want to get out of Lyon but not go too far.
There’s not too much to do, but that’s what we were after. A quiet “retreat” week where we could refocus, get caught up on work, not feel pressured to explore, and just be chill for a week before we head to Paris.
During our stay it ended up raining for a few days, but we did get some sunshine on the final days of our stay. The couple was kind enough to open their pool to us (not included in the Airbnb experience, unless previous accommodations have been made), so we enjoyed getting to spend some time in the countryside sun before getting into the city life.
This part of town in The French Countryside is 99% French speaking only, so again, bring your best Franglais, or do the right thing and get some really basic conversational skills down before trekking into local territory. Every time I ask “parle-vous Anglais?” I am silently kicking myself inside for forgetting everything I learned in 2 semesters of French in college. Again — immediately re-adding *learn French* to the top of my to-do list.
WHAT TO DO
To our surprise, we learned there is actually a world-renowned Michelin star restaurant in this neck of the woods. You’ll be looking at $100-$300 Euro a head depending on when you go, but it’s definitely worth the experience if it fits in your budget
Titus & Suki — cute coffee shop and interesting food
Ride bikes around the french countryside for a good workout — beware, they drive FAST in France. Without much regard to pedestrians, so be aware of your surroundings.
La Cour Interieure — local artists studio offering beautiful works from the artist, Melanie Chambefort — @la.cour.interieure | www.editionslacourinterieure.
La Tour Saint Maurice — tour a beautiful medieval town
ENJOY!!
