Romantic Lyon: Fourvière Evenings and Wine Villages Lyon’s best romantic moves are free, and the paid ones are optional. Arrange a weekend by spend: first the free evenings, then a mid-priced supper, then one proper splurge. The free evenings Take the funicular up from Vieux Lyon to the Fourvière esplanade near dusk. The funicular uses a standard TCL ticket, €2.10 for a single. The esplanade is free, and the basilica opens later in summer.

Family Days in Lyon: Sunny and Rainy Options Pack the children’s plans into two lists, one for dry days and one for wet ones, and Lyon works well. The dry list is mostly free, and the wet list is mostly short. Sunny day: Parc de la Tête d’Or The park covers about 105 hectares in the 6th arrondissement and costs nothing to enter. Arrive by metro A to Masséna or tram T1 or T4, then head for the lake, the lawns and the greenhouses, which are free and open 09:00 to 16:30 from October to March.

Lyon Museum and Attraction Tickets by Day of the Week In Lyon the day of the week decides your museum list. The Musée des Beaux-Arts closes on Tuesday, most others close on Monday, and a few prices have two tiers. Here is what to book for each. If it is Monday The Musée des Beaux-Arts on place des Terreaux is open Wednesday to Monday, with entry at €8 for the collections and €12 when temporary exhibitions are included.

Lyon Activities for Morning, Afternoon and Evening A Lyon day has three natural beats: a market before lunch, something to see or make after it, and a long table in the evening. Pick one from each column and the city does the rest. Morning: the covered market Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, at 102 cours Lafayette, is the obvious first stop. It is free to enter and holds 56 merchants selling cheese, charcuterie, pastry and shellfish.

Lyon Sightseeing Planner: Free Sights and Passes Most of what makes Lyon worth seeing costs nothing. The hills, the cathedral, the Roman theatres and the great squares are all free, so the real planning question is which paid museums deserve your money. The free list The Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière is free every day, with seasonal hours that run later in summer. See fourviere.org . Below it, the Roman theatres are free from 07:00 to 19:00 between 1 October and 30 April, and until 21:00 from 2 May to 30 September.

Two days, two day trips, both from a single Lyon base. Day 1 is Vienne, the cheapest and fastest of the bunch at EUR 6 to 9 and 30 minutes each way. Day 2 is a full Beaujolais wine day, EUR 60 to 100 for a half-day tour, since public transport into the actual vineyards barely exists. No hotel math here, just the day trips and what they cost. Prefer more time?

Three days, three day trips, one Lyon base. Day 1 is Vienne (EUR 6 to 9, 30 minutes each way), Day 2 is a full Beaujolais wine day (EUR 60 to 100), and Day 3 adds Perouges, a free medieval village reachable in about 40 minutes. This extends the 2-day plan rather than replacing it; the same Day 1 and Day 2 apply. Need more time? The 5-day , 6-day and 7-day versions add Annecy and Grenoble on top of this route.

Five day trips from one Lyon base, running cheapest to priciest. Days 1 to 3 are the same Vienne, Beaujolais and Perouges route : EUR 6 to 9, EUR 60 to 100, and EUR 7 to 9. Day 4 adds Annecy, the one trip that costs a genuine half day of travel (about 2 hours each way by TER). Day 5 adds Grenoble, a single day of the Alps for EUR 15 to 27.

Six days built around the same 5-day day-trip route : Vienne, Beaujolais, Perouges, Annecy and Grenoble, in that order, plus one flex day at the end. That extra day costs nothing to build in and covers a rain day, a missed connection, or a rest day back in the Presqu’ile before you fly out. Only need five days, or want a full week? See the 5-day and 7-day versions. Book these before you go:

A full week built on the same 6-day route : Vienne, Beaujolais, Perouges, Annecy, Grenoble and a flex day, plus one more day back in the Beaujolais region, this time by rental car instead of a tour. Seven days is also where a shared rental car starts to genuinely undercut individual tour prices if there are three or four of you. Prefer a shorter trip? Step back to the 5-day or 6-day version.

Lyon’s real edge over Paris or Nice as a French base is what sits within two hours of it by train. Vienne’s Roman ruins cost under EUR 10 round trip and 30 minutes each way. Perouges costs nothing to walk into. The Beaujolais vineyards need a tour or a car, since public transport thins out fast past the last TER stop, and Annecy is the one trip worth the full four hours round trip, not the quick add-on some guides promise.

Two days in Lyon covers the free spine that matters most: Vieux Lyon, the traboules, and the free Fourviere basilica, plus one proper bouchon dinner. Skip Croix-Rousse and the Confluence for now; see the 3-day version if you can add a day. Book these before you go Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon availability on Booking.com A traboules walking tour: browse times on GetYourGuide A bouchon food tour: reserve through Viator Day Focus Est.

Three days in Lyon adds the free Croix-Rousse murals and traboules to the Vieux Lyon and Fourviere basics from the 2-day version , still mostly free sightseeing. Longer trip? Step up to the 4-day or 7-day itinerary instead. Book these before you go Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon availability on Booking.com A traboules walking tour: browse times on GetYourGuide A bouchon food tour: reserve through Viator Day Focus Est. cost (EUR) Day 1 Vieux Lyon, the traboules, Fourviere basilica 30 to 40 Day 2 Presqu’ile murals, Croix-Rousse, La Guillotiere dinner 25 to 35 Day 3 Parc de la Tete d’Or, Musee des Confluences 35 to 45 Day 1: Vieux Lyon and Fourviere, the free start

Four days in Lyon adds the paid Lugdunum Museum and a second Croix-Rousse pass to the free 3-day spine, still built around free sights and one museum ticket. Tighter on time? Drop to 3 days ; have longer, add 5 or 7 . Book these before you go Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon availability on Booking.com A traboules walking tour: browse times on GetYourGuide A bouchon food tour: reserve through Viator Day Focus Est.

Five days in Lyon adds a slow riverside day and a second bouchon lunch formule to the 4-day free-and-cheap spine. Shorter on time? Drop to 4 days . Have a full week? See the 7-day itinerary instead. Book these before you go Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon availability on Booking.com A traboules walking tour: browse times on GetYourGuide A bouchon food tour: reserve through Viator Day Focus Est. cost (EUR) Day 1 Vieux Lyon, the traboules, Fourviere basilica 30 to 40 Day 2 Presqu’ile murals, Croix-Rousse, La Guillotiere dinner 25 to 35 Day 3 Parc de la Tete d’Or, Musee des Confluences 35 to 45 Day 4 Croix-Rousse market, Lugdunum Museum 30 to 40 Day 5 River quays, second bouchon lunch 30 to 40 Day 1: Vieux Lyon and Fourviere, the free start

Six days in Lyon adds a flex day and the Lyon City Card math to the 5-day free-and-cheap spine, useful once you’ve already covered the essentials once through. Tighter on time? Drop to 5 days or the 4-day version . Book these before you go Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon availability on Booking.com A traboules walking tour: browse times on GetYourGuide A bouchon food tour: reserve through Viator Day Focus Est.

Seven days in Lyon is the full free-and-cheap spine plus a market-and-airport wrap-up day, built for travelers who want every free sight at least twice. Shorter trip? See our 3-day or 5-day itinerary instead. Book these before you go Hotel: check Presqu’ile or Vieux Lyon availability on Booking.com A traboules walking tour: browse times on GetYourGuide A bouchon food tour: reserve through Viator Day Focus Est. cost (EUR) Day 1 Vieux Lyon, the traboules, Fourviere basilica 30 to 40 Day 2 Presqu’ile murals, Croix-Rousse, La Guillotiere dinner 25 to 35 Day 3 Parc de la Tete d’Or, Musee des Confluences 35 to 45 Day 4 Croix-Rousse market, Lugdunum Museum 30 to 40 Day 5 River quays, second bouchon lunch 30 to 40 Day 6 Flex day, Lyon City Card math 25 to 30 Day 7 Market breakfast, Rhonexpress to LYS 15 to 20 Day 1: Vieux Lyon and Fourviere, the free start

Nine of Lyon’s best sights cost nothing at all, and the practical budget math is simple: spend on one bouchon meal, one museum, and a TCL transport ticket, skip everything else that tries to charge you. Vieux Lyon, the traboules, the Fourviere basilica, the outdoor Roman theatres, two giant murals, and a full city park with a free zoo add up to a genuine multi-day trip before you’ve spent a euro on admission.