I made my way to the train station to catch a train to the airport. Drunken young adults were coming back from their Thursday night out. Meanwhile, I was searching for McDonald’s for a quick breakfast and some caffeine. I met up with my travel partners at the airport and in less than an hour and a half, we landed in Lyon, France.

Tip: There’s a train that takes you from the airport to the city. It’s called the Rhône Express and if you get the return ticket for under 25 year olds, it’s 24 euros.

A Bite to Eat

Two rivers run through Lyon, cutting the city into three sections. Our hostel was in the center section, so we crossed one of the rivers to look for food. We found a cute little restaurant called Crock ’n’ Roll. They serve paninis and sandwiches. I’m not really one for sandwiches, but mine had jamón ibérico, which was delicious. Apparently a lot of university students like to come to this place on their lunch break, so there are a lot of young people around.

The Church on the Cliff

Lyon is a great city to get your steps in. There are so many cute shops full of chocolate and cafes (or bouchons) everywhere. On that side of the river is the Basilica de Notre Dame de Fouviere. I’m pretty sure if you just want to go in and take a look around, it’s free, but you can also take paid tours. The Basilica also has some spectacular views overlooking the city.

We had no idea where we were or how to get to the basilica. It was on the opposite path of where we were. One of us had seen a gate and we decided to see what was beyond the gate. It was the Roman ruins of Lyon! Although not as grand as the ruins in Tarragona, it was still super cool to see Roman ruins. Maybe it’s the American in me. I sat down on the amphitheater seats and imagined all the Romans who had sat in that place before me.

When we finally found our way, the basilica was breathtaking. From the outside, it’s simple but beautiful. The inside was even more amazing. There are gorgeous stained glass windows, gold sprinkled throughout the ceiling, and pretty artwork. My description does no justice to the beauty of the basilica.

The basilica is beatiful and the sights off the cliff are beautiful as well. Like I said, Lyon is the perfect walking city. It’s not too big where you are afraid you will never make it back to where you are staying. It’s the perfect city to just walk around and get lost.

Stuck in the Middle

The middle of the city is also another area where it’s great to walk and stumble upon things. We came upon the Traboules du Vieux Lyon. During World War II, silk workers lived in these apartments with crazy passages. They are credited in preventing the Nazis from taking complete control of the area. People still live in these apartments today. If you’re lucky, you can see the inside of the apartments.

Street Art

The middle part of the city is considered the more “modern part”. The old side, the side with the ruins and the basilica, is much more beautiful. Graffiti lines the wall on the streets. There is a mural in this area called Le Mur de Canuts (Mural of the Silk Workers). It’s Europe’s largest fresco painting and it depicts and normal, modern French scene. It’s freaky to look at it because it almost seems like it’s coming to life. We pretended to sit on the stairs to become part of the painting.

If you walk around some more, you might stumble upon a street market. The one we found was selling meats, fish, quiches, pretty much everything. There are also some cute restaurants and cafes, too. I don’t remember the restaurant we stopped at, but the meal was a simple yet delicious chicken and potato meal. Remember, the best restaurants don’t have a million translations on their menus!

The Chilling Church

The next thing we stumbled upon was a freaky-looking church. It looked like a building in a horror film. We were convinced the place was haunted. Finally, someone had to guts to open the door. It was just a normal church, but it didn’t look like we could go inside. We left, but, in a horror-inspired scene, an old lady came after us and signaled for us to come back. Despite looking terrifying from the outside, the inside was really nice. It was really white and had gold accents all over.

Although it was a Saturday when we were there, it was really quiet the whole day. In France, a lot of the stores close around 8 PM, so make sure to plan your day wisely. If you do walk around at night, though, you’re in for a treat. Everything is lit up, from the basilica, to the bridges, to the buildings. It’s a great sight to see.

If you’re looking for a night out, I’d recommend Ayers Rock. It’s an Australian-themed bar that’s a lot of fun. When someone tips the bartenders, they spray water at the crowd. I was skeptical at first, but it was a lot of fun and there was a lot of dancing.

Part III

On our final day, we spent the morning on the third side of the city. We went to the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market. It’s an indoor food market, similar to La Boquería in Barcelona. A lot of the food was very expensive, but I settled for a pain de chocolat, or a croissant stuffed with chocolate.

There’s also a rather nice park on this side of the city. It’s called Le Parc de la Tête d’Or. It’s a giant park with a zoo inside. There’s a cool sign that says “ONLY LYON” that we posed for pictured with. The zoo has lots of animals, and it’s free. There were deer, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, flamingos, lions, hearts, and more!

Lyon is a great city to visit! It’s the second largest city in France, after Paris, of course. It’s very walkable and has a lot of good culture and atmosphere. Sometimes the French mentality can be a little off-putting. I mean, we did save your country in both World Wars. Help us out here. But overall, it’s a fun and pretty city to visit.