France · TOURS IN LYON
Lyon eats better than it sightsees and it knows it. These 15 cover the traboules of the old town, the Croix-Rousse silk hill and the bouchon tables, priced by length with the ones that run after dark marked.
Use Lyon’s open-top double-decker bus to reach Fourvière, Vieux Lyon, the Confluence Museum, Roman theaters, and Bellecour. A one-day ticket costs $29, while two consecutive days cost $34. Download the multilingual REWIND app before boarding and bring your own headphones.
“We had a fantastic time on this trip. There are so many beautiful sights to see in this wonderful city. Loved every moment.”
At Lyon’s Musée de l’illusion, you explore sensory tricks, holograms, puzzles, and visual rooms at your own pace. Bring a charged phone for photos that make you look upside down, tiny, or suspended in mid-air. The visit is self-guided, wheelchair accessible, and designed for families and friends.
“NOUS AVONS PASSE UN TRES BON MOMENT EN FAMILLE”
Walk from Saint-Jean to Hôtel Dieu with guide Paul, tracing Lyon from medieval cathedral to WW2 Resistance history. You’ll see traboules, the Tour Rose, silk-making traditions, the Klaus Barbie courthouse, Théâtre des Célestins, and the restored hospital complex. The tour is in English, costs $6.05, and welcomes up to 18 people.
“Fantastic walking tour, we learned so much about the old town and the hidden passageways. Definitely book this tour!”
Walk through Vieux Lyon with local guide Yannick, or Yan, for 150 minutes of stories, architecture, silk trade history, and French Resistance tales. You’ll enter some of the city’s lesser-known traboules, narrow passageways often easy to miss, in a group limited to 10 people. Expect stairs, quiet voices, and comfortable shoes.
“This tour is an incredible resource for Lyon. You learn a lot — and Yannick is an incredible guide.”
Join Aidan or his father Ryan for a 90-minute or 2-hour walking tour of Lyon. Choose a short route through Vieux Lyon, Bellecour, the Saône, and Hôtel Dieu, or a longer small-group route with Fourvière Basilica, Roman theatres, Terreaux, and the traboules. Tours run in English and French.
“Great tour to start any trip to Lyon! Aidan was wonderful!”
Join Toni or another M&T Lyon Tours guide for a three-hour English walking tour of Lyon. Visit Place des Terreaux, Vieux Lyon, and Fourvière Hill, ride the funicular, enter a traboule, and hear lively stories about the city’s past and present. The group is limited to 10 people.
“Toni was a great guide: he was full of interesting stories and helped us understand the Lyonnaise history and what we were seeing. I learned so much and really enjoyed the tour.”
Start at the Museum of Fine Arts and walk through Place des Terreaux, Croix-Rousse, Lyon’s secret traboules, and Vieux Lyon. The two-hour English tour mixes silk history, Roman sites, courtyards, food tips, and local stories. Guide Paul is praised for his clear delivery, humor, and practical advice. Expect stairs and a brisk walking pace.
“Our tour guide was amazing brought the city and his history engaging , entertaining, encyclopedic knowledge”
Walk Lyon’s Old Town and Presqu’île with an English-speaking local guide, tasting charcuterie, wine, quenelle, sweets, praluline, and chocolate at five stops. Guides such as Elisabetta, Anna, Nathalie, and Marion add food lore and city history. The small group has no more than 12 people, and the 3.5-hour route ends where it begins.
“Food, wine, walking and excellent conversation - thoroughly recommend this tour as a great introduction to Lyon and its cuisine.”
Walk through Vieux Lyon and across Place Bellecour while tasting six French specialties, local wine, praline brioche, chocolates, cheese, charcuterie, a bouchon main course, and Mokxa coffee. Guides such as Nathalie, Oliver, Charlotte, Anna, and Ash add history and practical food tips. Choose a group of up to 12 or a private outing.
“Friendly and knowledgeable guide (thank you Natalie!) We learned a lot about local food and the history of Lyon Wouid highly recommend!”
Ride through Lyon with a local guide such as Bruno, Nate, Pierre, or Cherine, covering Bellecour, the Rhône, Tête d'Or Park, Terreaux, and the Fresque des Lyonnais. The electric bikes make the route easy, while the guide adds local stories, practical tips, and lesser-known stops. English and French tours are available.
“Tour was good. Informative, good guide. 10 in our group was a few too many. Missed a lot of what the guide said.”
Walk Vieux Lyon with a French or English-speaking guide such as Nathalie, Shirine, Nico, or Manu. Over four hours, visit five local food stops and sample about 14 servings of cheese, meats, pastries, ice cream, wine, beer, and other Lyon specialties. The route also includes the Cathedral of St. Jean and historic traboules.
“Nathalie was amazing! We were only 4 in our group so it was essentially a private tour. By the end of the tour, we regret not doing this at the start of our Lyon trip as it would have been so helpful to know the history and how to choose a very authentic bouchon. Would highly recommend.”
From Lyon’s Bellecour Square, join a small English-speaking group for a 258-minute trip through southern Beaujolais. Visit golden-stone Oingt, taste wines with a family winemaker, and share a traditional Lyon mâchon of cold meats and cheese. Guides such as Rachel, François, Yann, and Vladimir bring local wine and history to life.
“Our Beaujalais wine tour was fantastic..The comfortable ride thru the Golden Stones countryside to the town of Oingt and Dominic's family winery was very scenic.Rachel our guide was delightful..Her knowledge and informtion certianly completed the tour. The wines we tasted were excellent and insight into the process and issues into running a family winery only added to this great tour..highly reommended..”
Ride through Lyon for two hours with a local English-speaking guide, using an easy electric bike to reach Old Town, Lyon Cathedral, Place Bellecour, the Rhône riverbanks, Croix-Rousse tunnel, city hall, and Tête d’Or Park. Guides such as Nate, Shirine, Alex, and Pierre bring local stories and practical tips. Minimum age is 12 and height is 1.5 meters.
“This bike tour of Lyon (with Nate) was excellent. I learnt so much and had a lot of fun cycling through the streets of Lyon and the beautiful botanic gardens. Nate gave great information, was passionate about Lyon and answered all questions. Time and money very well spent! An enjoyable experience overall. Merci beaucoup, Nate!”
Ride an electric bike from central Lyon along the Saône and Rhône, through Tête d’Or Park, past Place Bellecour and Croix-Rousse, then stop for regional cheese, cold cuts, and a drink. Finish with a guided walk through Vieux Lyon, its traboules, Renaissance streets, and cathedral views. The route is in English and limited to 10 people.
“I always like to get oriented in a new city with a guided tour. E-bikes obviously give you a wider range and this was a great choice for starting our visit to Lyon. There are two and four hour options. If you do the two you cut off the snack stop and the climb to the Notre Dame Basilica. I am glad we did the four hours but know that most of the real value is in the first two hours. The food tasting is only on the four hours and it is not a food tour: just a stop for sausages, pickles, bread and a drink. For some reason…”
Spend about two hours tasting five French wines with an English-speaking sommelier in a restored silk-weaving loft in Croix-Rousse. You’ll sample Crémant de Bourgogne, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Northern Rhône, and a surprise bottle, alongside local cheese, charcuterie, and bread. Small groups of up to 10 make this relaxed and easy to follow.
“This experience was a wonderful, fact-filled and tasty introduction to French wines. Our guide (Madeleine) was amazing and we were very thankful to get to spend this time with her. The education and the blind tasting was especially effective. We highly recommend this activity for wine lovers or those interested in learning more!”
Pick a monument, a coast or a cellar.
