Breakfast8:00 AM
Café Comptoir Abel · Rue Guynemer, Ainay — across the Saône from Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book ahead
€5–12
Plan your trip · Lyon
3 perfect days in Lyon
Nearby sights each day, timed and walkable — with what to wear for the photos and where to eat every signature dish. Tap any stop for angles, hours & tips.
SeasonBest time to visit →
Day 1
Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière & Théâtres romains de Fourvière
7 stops8:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Morning9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Best light: Early morning, when the site opens at seven and the low sun rakes across the tiers — by mid-morning the stone is flat and the seats are full of people sitting on them
Typically 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM from May to September and 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM through the winter
Lunch12:30 PM
Café des Fédérations · Rue du Major Martin, Presqu'île
Lunch and dinner; closed at the weekend in the traditional way — check before Sunday
€10–16
- 3:00 – 4:30 PMExplore The shops of Vieux Lyon, at the bottom of the funicular
Afternoon snack5:00 PM
Chez Hugon · Rue Pizay, Presqu'île
Lunch and dinner on weekdays; book, because it is small
€6–10
Dinner7:00 PM
Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean · Rue Tramassac, Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book, particularly for the mâchon, which is by reservation
€16–26
a short walk
Evening8:30 PM · after dark
Best light: The hour before sunset from the esplanade, when the light comes across the city towards you and the rivers pick it up — the basilica's own façade is better in the morning, when the sun is on it
Typically 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM daily, but visits are not possible on Sunday mornings, when the building is given over to services
Day 2
Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste & Vieux Lyon & the traboules
7 stops8:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Breakfast8:00 AM
The counters at Les Halles Paul Bocuse · Cours Lafayette, Part-Dieu
Market hours, Tuesday to Sunday — many traders take Monday off
€6–10
Morning9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Best light: Around midday, which is the only time the light drops far enough into a courtyard to reach the bottom of a spiral stair — these are deep, narrow spaces and they are dark at every other hour
The streets are always open; the traboules under convention are typically 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM in winter and to 8:00 PM in summer, and not on Sundays
Lunch12:30 PM
Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean · Rue Tramassac, Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book, particularly for the mâchon, which is by reservation
€10–16
- 3:00 – 4:30 PMExplore Rue Tramassac and the Vieux Lyon lanes on either side
Afternoon snack5:00 PM
Café Comptoir Abel · Rue Guynemer, Ainay — across the Saône from Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book ahead
€5–12
Dinner7:00 PM
Café Comptoir Abel · Rue Guynemer, Ainay — across the Saône from Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book ahead
€16–26
a short walk
Evening8:30 PM · after dark
Best light: After dark, when the west front is floodlit and the square in front of it empties — the interior is dim at every hour and the clock is best watched rather than photographed
Typically 8:15 AM – 7:45 PM Monday to Friday, closing earlier at weekends; services take precedence
Day 3
Musée des Beaux-Arts & La Croix-Rousse
5 stops8:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Breakfast8:00 AM
Café Comptoir Abel · Rue Guynemer, Ainay — across the Saône from Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book ahead
€5–12
Lunch12:30 PM
Café Comptoir Abel · Rue Guynemer, Ainay — across the Saône from Vieux Lyon
Lunch and dinner; book ahead
€10–16
Afternoon2:00 – 4:30 PM
Best light: Sunset from the Gros Caillou terrace at the top of the hill, looking east over the roofs and the Rhône with the Alps behind on a clear day
Dinner7:00 PM
Café des Fédérations · Rue du Major Martin, Presqu'île
Lunch and dinner; closed at the weekend in the traditional way — check before Sunday
€16–26
~3 min
Evening8:30 PM · after dark
Best light: Midday in the cloister garden, when the sun reaches the bottom of the courtyard and the arcades are lit on one side
Typically 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, closed Tuesdays and often opening late on Fridays; the cloister garden keeps its own hours
3-days trip · €105 – €182