Lost in Lyon

Of course you will see the Hotel de Ville during your stay in Lyon, or at least you should see it.
During our stay we had the chance to go inside the Hotel de Ville, which is normally closed for visitors.
So we took it upon ourselves to spend hours waiting in a line of tourists and curious french just to get a glimpse of the pompous inside of Hotel de Ville.
Of course we don`t want to deprive you of the pictures we took:

This is the next tip for alternative shoppers but also for those who like walking around the city on a sunday morning. The fleemarket is every sunday from morning til noon.
Sellers are all kinds of people trying to get rid off their old stuff.
So you can find almost everything here: clothes, games, dishes, lamps, books – just all stuff people accumulate over years. Especially people who like vintage will love this fleemarket, and the already fair prices are negotiable. This might be also helpful if you still need some household articles you don`t want to carry back home.
Also you discover the beautiful quarter “croix rousse” with its steep lanes and get a chance to practice your french by asking for prices etc.

It´s unlikely that people will need any help finding shops in Lyon. Presqu´ile, especially Rue de la République and Rue Victor Hugo are full of stores selling literally everything, and then there is of course the always overcrowded Part Dieu shopping center.
If, however, you are looking for something more original, you can find both independent boutiques and vintage shops.
First of all it is worthwhile taking a walk from Place des Terreaux up to the Croix- Rousse district, it´s quite likely you´ll find some nice places there.
We are going to cover the places we have come accross and like the best, and today will start with a little place called Comptoir Americain. It is a very small shop on Rue de Constantine with rather mysterious opening hours. Chances are you will have to pass it a few times before you catch it open.
It doesn´t look all that organized and may not seem appealing at first glance, but to people who love vintage…there may be a hidden treasure. Of course, like so many times in vintage stores, the majority of what you find there will be a bit tacky and second rate. Experienced vintage shoppers of course know this and have cultivated the patience and optimism you need to find a needle in a haystack.

Football enthusiasts have probably figured it out that you will have no problem finding a place that shows the French league 1 games. However not everyone is willing to give up watching their favorite English premier league teams and may be frustrated that those games aren´t as readily shown as the french ones. If you live in Vieux Lyon there are at least two places that show the English premier league and those are the Smoking Dog Pub at 16 Rue Lainerieand Wallace Bar at 2 Rue Octavio Mey.

However, if Lyon is playing at the same time Smoking Dog will probably be showing that. In fact, we would rather recommend Wallace Bar. They always show the English premier league, and often show many games at once so it is likely that you will catch your favorite club. Also they sell mean hamburgers!

In my search of a home away from home here in Lyon I have tried many coffee places looking for a kozy feel, laid back atmosphere, free wifi and good coffee. And I found it all in one place, near Place Sathonay on Rue Louis Vitet.

Its called Le Tasse Livre and it is a bookstore as well as a coffeehouse. It sells particularly books of local authors and graphic novels, most of it in french.

The people who run the place work there themselves and are real nice. They They sometimes have art exhibitions of local artists, and some pieces there are for sale.
The coffee there is good and they also have smoothies, salads and soups, most of which is bio. Its a great place to go out for coffee with friends or to study when you get tired of your desk at home.

Like most places nowadays it has a website you can check out.
If you go there you might as well check out the store next door to Tasse Livre. It´s a store that sells clothing, accessories and stuff from Hong Kong. Not cheap in price but really cool, especially if you are into hip designs and bling bling.

If you are hungry for bagels there are (to our knowledge) two bagel places to chose from on Presqu´ile, Best Bagels on Place Tobie Robatel and City Bagels on Rue Ferrandière.

Now people may not agree which one has better bagels… but I doubt it. Truth be told, I have never had better bagels than at Best Bagels on Place Tobie Robatel. And in comparison the ones at City Bagels were merely mediocre, something I could have made myself at home provided I had a toaster.
But Best Bagels isn´t just a good bagel place but can also serve as a refuge for homesick americans. There you can find all kinds of all-american products you might have difficulties finding elsewhere like peanut butter, marshmellow fluff, american cereal, rootbeer, tootsie rolls, jelly beans, Betty Crocker products, macaroni and cheese an more.

Although we are of the opinion that Best Bagels is better than City Bagels, we incourage people to try both of bagel places and decide for themselves which one they like the best. We would be grateful if you commented your opinion, and also if anyone knows of a third bagel place.

This is the next must-see in Lyon.
The church is enthroned on the hill Fourvière which it is also named after.
In our opinion the most awesome thing there is not the church itself, it`s the view you have from hill Fourvière.
The viewing platform offers a look over the whole city and when the sky is clear you can even see the Alps.
The best way to do it is to climb up the hill, no worries there are footpaths sourounded by a nice park.
For the lazy ones there is also the Funiculaire driving up the hill.

When you once reached the hill you will also see a huge gold-statue of the Virgin Mary.
The statue has an important historic background. In 1634 the plague raged around Lyon and the inhabitants of Lyon prayed to the Virgin Mary to be spared out from the plague. Seems like the praying worked, the plague never came to Lyon. The grateful citizens of lyon then built the Basilica Notre-Dame Fourvière and 200 years later on the 8th december topped it with the golden Mary.
This is also the beginning of the Fête des Lumières held each year on the 8th december, when the whole city is bathed in light. An event that attracts tourist from all over the world.

With 16 hectares this is the biggest park in France which you shouldn´t miss!
It offers a rose garden, a botanic garden, a zoo and a lake completely for free.
opening hours are:

• 6.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. in winter (starts on the 15th of october)
• 6.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. in summer (starts on the 15th of april)

The roman theater was built in 15 bc and then expanded in the 2nd century.
Next to the theater you can find the odeon, which was especially used for music events.
Both are open to visit the whole day (means not when it is dark) and in june and july there are festivities there and some really big concerts. This is a great place and you definatetly have to see it when you are in Lyon.
You can reach it when you go off metro station “Vieux Lyon” by foot or with the Funiculaire.

Our proposals:

- take some food with you and have a picnic while you are enjoying the view.
- if you are romantically minded, take a bottle of wine with you and watch the sunset.
- for those who are interested in history: There is a museum for gallo-roman history in Lyon next to the theater. It is free on Thursdays and on other days only 2€ and something!