Lyon with kids – the best things to do

LYON with kids

For the school Autumn break we went to France. We have never been to Lyon before but talked about it many times. It is the 2nd city in France {I have the feeling many people do not know this fact} and has a very large food culture. Let’s go!

We went from Saturday to Saturday and I will show you what we did. Lyon with kids here we go:
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LYON with kids
Day one:

On the first day at destination we usually try to do some relaxing things. We do not hit the city and drag the kids from shop to shop.
We had a nice breakfast and went to Parc de la tete d’Or which was just around 10 walking minutes from our apartment. It is a huge park with a lake, a zoo {free entry}, botanical garden and even a little Kermis.

{There are not many other parks in Lyon and we knew we wanted to be close to this one when searching for an apartment. Keep this in mind if you plan on going here.}

In the parc we were also surprised by the famous Theatre de Guignol. It’s a puppet theater and it was on our to-do-list. The weather was ok and we attended a 25 min. show.

On our way back we did some grocery shopping {you gotta love French supermarkets} and picked up some little treats from Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse – an indoor food market with the best of sweets, bread, fish, meat and and and… a feast! And a great place to go with kids. There is so much to see and to choose from.

 

LYON with kids
LYON with kids
LYON with kids
Day two:

We met a friend and went in to the city center. Had lunch and got a little tour of the heart of Lyon called Presqu’île {French for Peninsula}. It was a beautiful day and we loved to stroll through the little streets. Did some stops at bookstores to add to our French collection and a did a longer stop on Place Bellecour. One of the biggest squares in Europe. There is a nice playground on the square.

LYON with kids
LYON with kids
Day three:

We took the bus and went to La Croix-Rousse – a neighborhood set on a hill. Getting up there was already a fun experience – either you take the stairs {not recommended with a stroller} or you walk and walk and walk…

It is a beautiful corner of Lyon. Very old with lots of restaurants, cafes and small shops. First thing we did was to check out Les Fresques de Lyon. {see my IG posts too – here and here – to get a better idea} So very cool and H U G E!

After that we had a pick-nick and then we went on to find Les Traboules de la Croix-Rousse. Lyon is famous for their Traboules – a kind of passageway between buildings. In Lyon, they were originally used by silk manufacturers and other merchants to transport their products. The ones in Croix-Rousses are actually indicated and you can follow the route by finding Lion signs. The kids were so excited and we, Eric & I, could hardly keep up…
It is not super easy to follow those narrow and dark passageways with a baby in a stroller but we managed and it was super fun!

 

LYON with kids
LYON with kids
Day four:

We went up again! This time to The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière! There is a little cable car taking you up the hill which was already good fun for the kids.

And then you have a great view over the city. We had a look to find the places we have already been and checked if we could find something else that looked like a great place to discover.

After that we went back into the city center, little stop at the Bellecourt playground {it was very sunny and warm that day} and did a little {French} shopping at Petit Bateau, Monoprix, FNAC etc…

 

LYON with kids
LYON with kids
LYON with kids
Day five:

More traboules today. This time in Le Vieux Lyon {the old town} – it is one of Europe’s most extensive Renaissance neighborhoods.

This time we needed a little help to find our way. Some were closed because people live in the buildings and do not like too many tourists running through their backyards – understandable. We discovered some very beautiful little yards, very old buildings and were glad that you can find maps of the passageways online – like here.

There are a few areas in Lyon with traboules {many people think they are only in the old part of the city}.

LYON with kids
LYON with kids
Day six:

On Friday we went to a new area called Confluence – at the confluence of the Saone and Rhone rivers in the heart of Lyon.To make Lyon a sustainable, green and smart city they decided to enlarge the city center. Connecting this old, very industrial part of Lyon with the rest of the city center {via public transport and walkable areas}. Making it as green as possible!

We went to Le Musée des Confluences – a science center and anthropology museum which opened at the end of 2014. It is located at the very southern tip of the Presqu’île. If you love architecture – you will need to come here. The museum shops is also very worth a visit!

 

One week is over. We enjoyed our time in France, felt often like “Little Paris” just without the stress. Enjoyed all the boulangeries and sun. {Sweden treated us with 0 C on Sunday}

It is a beautiful city and especially the old part tells so many stories by just strolling around. It was a bit tricky to find good lunch and afternoon tea spots for our big family because a lot of places are rather small. If you have been to Paris I would definitely recommend to go to Lyon next time you fancy a trip to France.

What do you think? Lyon with kids? YES!
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