Lyon
Culinary Heights, Slim Aarons, 1987.
Lyon, the capital city in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, sits at the junction of the Rhône and Saône rivers. Its center reflects 2,000 years of history from the Roman Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules, medieval and Renaissance architecture in Vieux (Old) Lyon, to the modern Confluence district on Presqu'île peninsula. Traboules, covered passageways between buildings, connect Vieux Lyon and La Croix-Rousse hill. Here is our travel guide to Lyon, France.
STAY
VILLA MAÏA Located near the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière, designed by decorator Jacques Grange, architect Jean-Michel Wilmott, and landscape artist Louis Benech. All of the 37 rooms have balconies, which offer stunning panoramic views of the city and the Saône and Rhône rivers. The spa has a hammam, steam room, and heated indoor pool. 8 Rue Pierre Marion; villa-maia.com
VILLA FLORENTINE Atop an enchanting hill, this Relais Chateaux property offers all the spirit and charm of the Italian Renaissance right in the heart of Lyon. The lush green terraces of this 17th century former convent offer exceptional views of the historical city of Lyon, a Unesco World Heritage site. 25 Mnt Saint-Barthélémy; villaflorentine.com
MAMA SHELTER The Paris-based chain’s Lyon location has a restaurant, bar, and rooftop, as well as a workspace and atelier. 13 Rue Domer; fr.mamashelter.com/lyon
COUR DE LOGES Housed in a series of restored buildings from the 14th- to 17th-centuries, the luxury Cour Des Loges is a historic hotel with atmospheric interiors that mix Old World style with contemporary pieces. The centerpiece is a stunning courtyard with a glass ceiling. Located in Lyon’s historic center, the hotel has its own Michelin-starred restaurant, Les Loge. Other amenities include a spa with an indoor pool and a gym. 6 Rue du Bœuf; courdesloges.com
DINE | DRINK
DANIEL ET DENISE
One of Lyon’s most iconic dishes is the sabodet – a rich, fatty sausage made using a pig’s head. The version at Daniel & Denise is far more elevated than the provincial fare, served lightly grilled with local vegetables. Additionally, order the pâté en croute, and clapton d’agneau, a dish of chilled, shredded lamb’s feet served with a salad, and finish with a classic gras-double à la lyonnaise (a dish of slow-cooked tripe in garlic, white wine, and its own fat). danieletdenise.fr
L’AUBERGE Lyonnaise Chef Paul Bocuse’s iconic French restaurant. Order the loup de mer en croûte feuilletée, which is a whole fish baked inside puff pastry, meticulously designed to resemble the shape of the fish. Each dish is served in a sauce choron – a béarnaise sauce with tomato. Finish your meal with oeufs à la neige, a delicate dessert of egg-shaped meringue in a pool of crème anglaise. 72 Av. des Frères Lumière; lauberge-lyon.com
LA MÉRE BRAZIER At Michelin-star Mère Brazier, the mousseline de brochet is chef Mathieu Viannay’s take on the essential Lyonnaise dish of pike quenelle – a classic dish of elegantly shaped fish dumplings in a tomato-based cream sauce. It is served with fingers of lobster meat and a seafood sauce laced with herbaceous local absinthe. 12 Rue Royale; lamerebrazier.fr
LA MEUNIÉRE La Meunière is named l’oreiller (pillow) thanks to its shape. It’s a take on a traditional pâté en croute – a dish you will find frequently in the city. Here, the pastry is stuffed with “foie gras, duck heart, chicken and veal.” The mixture is shaped, and then a blanket of puff pastry is laid over the top. It’s baked until the top has a buttery brown hue. Pair it with bowls of lentils, celery remoulade and a pickled ox muzzle. 11 Rue Neuve; lameuniere.fr
LES HALLES DE LYON PAUL BOCUSE No culinary trip to Lyon would be complete without a stop in Les Halles. In the famed market hall, you’ll find everything from charcuterie stalls and fresh seafood sellers to cheesemongers. Oysters, sea urchin, tripe, offal, tête de veau (calf’s head) are all offered. Don’t miss La Mère Richard for St-Marcellin cheese; Fourme d’Ambert, Cantal, and Saint-Nectaire from the Auvergne region. In fact, St-Marcellin is a Lyonnaise staple: almost every restaurant in the city serves the small, soft wheels of cheese. Charcuterie Sibilia is the place to buy meat, particularly the sausages with pistachio and truffle in brioche, and the local minced pork specialty, Jésu de Lyon— a classic Lyonnaise dish, similar to the rosette de Lyon sausage, made using seasoned pork (the rosette uses more common cuts while Jésu uses the meat from the intestines and a mix of lean and hard fat) ground into sausage meat. It is then left to dry cure for two to six months. It is named after the Baby Jesus, as the wrapped, dried sausage looks similar to a swaddled baby.
BOULANGERIE JOCTEUR Boulangerie Jocteur is a must-visit for Lyon’s famous praline tarts. In Lyon, they are rose-colored and made with almonds, orange blossom, sugar, and pink dye. 102 cours Lafayette, Les Halles Paul Bocuse
BALTHAZ’ART A casual restaurant in the heart of the Croix-Rousse neighborhood with an excellent beef tartare, made with diced beef mixed with black olives, capers, and candied lemon. 7 Rue des Pierres Plantées; restaurantbalthazart.com
BERNACHON In 1975, chef Maurice Bernachon created Le Président, a cake to celebrate the admission to the French League of Honor of Paul Bocuse— a ganache dessert topped with shaved chocolate. Try the original recipe as well as palets d’or (chocolate discs filled with ganache and flecks of real gold) at Bernachon pâtisserie. 42 Cr Franklin Roosevelt; bernachon.com
MAISON TOURTILLER The specialty of this bakery is the Saint Pothin, an almond merengue cake filled with nougatine cream, named after the first Bishop of Lyon. 4 Cr Franklin Roosevelt; tourtiller.com
COMPTOIR BRUNET Robust Lyonnaise dishes & set menus served in a down-to-earth venue with a vintage vibe. 23 Rue Claudia; bouchonlyonnaisbrunet.com/fr
BRASSERIE GEORGES Landmark 1836 brasserie serving traditional Lyonnaise fare & beer in a vast, art deco dining room. 30 Cr de Verdun Perrache; brasseriegeorges.com
LE CAFÉ DU PEINTRE Some may argue that owner Florence Périer’s quenelle is the finest in the city, but if you see a dish consisting of braised beef and carrots on the miniature chalkboard menu that gets passed around from table to table, it’s the perfect entrée for anyone looking for some homey comfort food. And on Thursday and Friday head right next door to its adjoining bistro, Le P’tit Peintre, which turns into a wine bar on both evenings. 50 Bd des Brotteaux; lecafedupeintre.com
À MA VIGNE A tiny bistro, open since1960, and serving the best steak frites ever since. A lean piece of beef is cooked in a pan of sizzling butter and comes out perfectly tender, served with an indulgent beurre noisette. The heaping serving of thick-cut fries are hot, crunchy, and perfectly salted. You may want to keep them all to yourself, but the generous portion is most certainly meant to be shared.
AU PETIT BOUCHON CHEZ GEORGES If you’re a fan of offal, Chez Georges will delight in every way (and if you’re not, maybe just don’t inquire about the specific ingredients on your plate). Liver, tripe, kidney, and a variety of andouillette fill up the menu at this intimate spot. It does get pretty packed, though, so try to make reservations ahead of time. 8 Rue du Garet; aupetit-bouchon-chez-georges.fr
TAKAO TAKANO A French-Japanese restaurant. 33 Rue Malesherbes; takaotakano.com
LA BARGE Seasonal tapas & cocktails served in a cool bar set on a boat with views of the city. 15 Quai du Général Sarrail; labarge-lyon.fr
THE MONKEY CLUB Sip a sparkling French CanCan made with champagne, lemon and cassis at this artisanal cocktail bar. 19 Pl. Tolozan; themonkeyclub.fr
MAISON NÔ Head to the top floor rooftop terrace for panoramic views of Lyon. 11 Rue du Bât d’Argent; maisonno.com
LÉON DE LYON Enduring fine dining restaurant specializing in innovative cocktails & traditional French cuisine. Stand-out dishes include the veal sweetbreads with aromatic truffle-laced mashed potato, and sweet Grand Marnier-flambéed crêpes suzette.1 Rue Pleny; leondelyon.com
CULINA HORTUS Vegetarian cuisine, a rare find in Lyon. 38 Rue de l’Arbre Sec; culinahortus.com
OUEST EXPRESS A Paul Bocuse restaurant, famous for the burger. ouestexpress.com
LE KITCHEN LYON A sleek, modern spot offering seasonal regional dishes & handmade pastries, plus wine by the glass. 34 Rue Chevreul; lekitchenlyon.com
LA MAISON TROISGROS An hour northwest of Lyon, and worth the journey to experience the three-starred Michelin restaurant in Roanne from the third generation Troisgros family. 728 Rte de Villerest; troisgros.com
LE GRAND RÉFECTOIRE Located inside the new Grand Hôtel Dieu, serving refined, inventive French cuisine in an elegant setting with vaulted ceilings & stained glass. 3 Cour Saint Henri Grand Hôtel-Dieu; legrandrefectoire.com
ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES
PLACE BELLECOUR The largest pedestrian square in Europe, and the heart of Lyon. Dominated by an equestrian bronze of Louis XIV and surrounded by Napoleonic-era mansions.
OPÉRA NATIONAL DE LYON The Opéra National de Lyon is an opera company based and performing mostly at the Opéra Nouvel, an 1831 theater that was modernized and architecturally transformed in 1993. 1 Pl. de la Comédie; opera-lyon.com
SAINTE MARIE DE LA TOURETTE A Dominican Order priory designed by the architect Le Corbusier, and the architect’s final building. The design of the building began in May 1953 and completed in 1961.
LA MUSÉE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN The MAC museum is devoted to contemporary art, located in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon, in the Cité Internationale, next to the cinema, in front of the Parc de la Tête d'Or. Cité Internationale, 81 Quai Charles de Gaulle; mac-lyon.com/fr
MUSEE DE BEAUX ARTS
This museum is regarded as one of the most important in Europe. Ancient Egyptian antiquities; the second largest collection of coins and medals in France; and a variety of paintings from the 14th to 20th century, including works by Matisse, Picasso, and Rouault, are just some of the things to look forward to seeing. Before you peruse all the masterpieces, take some time to relax in the serene and beautiful garden, where you can hide under the shade of towering trees and marvel at a couple of original bronze sculptures by Auguste Rodin. 20 Pl. des Terreaux; mba-lyon.fr
BASILICA OF NOTRE-DAME DE FOURVIÈRE Perched up on the hill that it’s named after, Honoring the Virgin Mary, it’s most certainly worth visiting for a close-up look at its Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, as well as the beautiful mosaics and stained glass inside. 8 Pl. de Fourvière; fourviere.org
L'ATELIER DE SOIERIE Tucked away on a side street near the Museum of Fine Arts and City Hall is this family-owned silk workshop. The last of its kind in France to do silk-screen printing by hand, it also has incredibly intricate block prints, the oldest being around 150 years old. It even works with one of Hermès firms to help set and treat the colors on the label’s silk. Stop in to take a look at the process and perhaps even pick up a few scarves while you’re at it. 33 Rue Romarin; atelierdesoierie.com
INSTITUT LUMIÈRE Film lovers won’t want to miss out on Institut Lumière, a museum that pays homage to brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière, the inventors of the cinematograph. In addition to learning more about the device, you can watch a classic. Keep an eye out for the museum’s special events, such as cine-concerts, where silent films are paired with live music. Rue du Premier Film; institut-lumiere.org
PARC DE LA TÊTE D'OR France’s largest public park, complete with a zoo, rowboats, and biking paths.
CITÉ INTERNATIONALE DE LA GASTRONOMIE Inside the Grand Hôtel Dieu with exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, and cooking classes— all relating to gastronomy.
MUSEE DES CONFLUENCES A science and anthropology museum in the Confluence neighborhood designed by Herzon de Meuron. The digital start-up hub H7 is set inside an industrial boiler-works constructed in 1857, and offers street food galore at its food court called Heat. Try the wood-fired Neapolitan pizza at La Boîte Rose. End at the 1930s sugar warehouse-turned-rooftop bar Le Sucre for drinks. 86 Quai Perrache; museedesconfluences.fr
MARCHÉ DE LA CROIX-ROUSSE An open-air food market. Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse.
CAFÉ DU GROS CAILLOU Order a Communard (glass of red Côtes du Rhône wine with blackcurrant liqueur) and a charcuterie or cheese platter. 180 Bd de la Croix-Rousse; lecafedugroscaillou.fr
LES DESJEUNEUR Have a decadent brunch with American classic like g pancakes, granola, and eggs. 3 Rue des Pierres Plantées; ledesjeuneur.com
SHOP
MAISON BROCHIER A family-run silk business dating to 1890 that has worked with Picasso, Miro, Chagall and other modern artists. 16 Rue du Bœuf, soierie-lyonnaise.com
LES PUCES DU CANAL An open-air flea market with many stalls of merchants offering an eclectic mix of antiques. 5 Rue Eugène Pottier; pucesducanal.com