tour guide in lyon

THE 10 BEST Lyon Tours & Excursions

• Wine Tours & Tastings
• Walking Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
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• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
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• Chinese (Simplified)
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• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. Secret Food Tours Lyon w/ Private Tour Option

2. Guided tour and wine tasting Northern Rhône Valley

3. Beaujolais Wine Tasting Day Tour from Lyon

4. Lyon Highlights & Secrets Walking Guided Tour (small group) including Funicular

5. Northern Rhône Valley Day Tour with Wine Tasting from Lyon

6. Beaujolais half day

7. Golden stones Beaujolais Wine Tour with Tastings from Lyon

8. Afternoon Old Town Food tour

9. Food Tour in Lyon - Do Eat Better Experience

10. Guided Day of the Beaujolais Cellars with Tasting

11. Lyon Old Town Half-Day Walking Food Tour with Local Specialties Tasting & Lunch

12. Northern Rhône Valley Wine Half Day Tour from Lyon

13. Lyon UNESCO: Private walking tour

14. Lyon Electric Bike Tour including Food Tasting with a Local Guide

15. Make French Pastries with Professional Chef in Private Atelier

16. Private Guided Walking Tour of Lyon Traboules

17. Pérouges & Annecy Private Day Trip with Food Tasting from Lyon

18. Vieux Lyon Cultural & Historical Walking Guided Tour (English)

19. Wine Tasting & Meal Cheese Pairings in Lyon with French Sommelier

20. Market Tour, Cooking Class & Lunch with Chef in a Private Atelier

21. Guided Day Tour and Wine Tasting Northern Rhône Valley

22. Beaujolais & Pérouges Wine & Food Tasting Private Day Tour from Lyon

23. Lyon Small-Group Guided Electric Bike Tour with a Local Guide

24. Cote Rotie Wine Half-Day Tour with Tasting from Lyon

25. Wines of Lyon Tasting in the Heart of Lyon with Wine Expert

26. Half-Day Guided Tour with Tasting of Beaujolais Wines

27. Lyon Small Group Guided Electric Bike Tour with Food Tasting

28. Cotes du Rhone Wine Tour (9:00 am to 5:15 pm) - Small Group Tour from Lyon

29. Beaujolais Half Day Wine Tasting Tour

30. Lyon City Historic Neighborhoods Guided Walking Tour (English)

What travelers are saying.

• Vieux Lyon Cultural & Historical Walking Guided Tour (English)
• Lyon Highlights & Secrets Walking Guided Tour (small group) including Funicular
• Guided tour and wine tasting Northern Rhône Valley
• Secret Food Tours Lyon w/ Private Tour Option
• Food Tour in Lyon - Do Eat Better Experience
• La scapade Lyon
• World City Trail - Lyon
• Escape Tours – Lyon
• City Game Lyon
• Free Tour Lyon
• Praline et Rosette
• LyonExplorer
• Lyon Tuk Tour
• Vivre A La Lyonnaise
• Lyon Food Tour
• Lyon Bike Tour
• Kanpai Tourisme
• Lyon-Winetours

LyonExplorer

Free tour and private guide – visit lyon with us.

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Are you looking for the best way to discover the beautiful city of Lyon? You’ve found the right place! Don’t take the risk to miss anything, be sure to catch the best and the most interesting of Lyon. Bring monuments and streets to life through history and fun fact,

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Here are all your options to discover the best of Lyon and to create outstanding memories during your stay in the best city in the world!

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Why lyonexplorer is one of the best option to visit lyon.

Our success comes from our philosophy. From the free walking tours to the thematic private tours , we always adapt as best as possible our tours to our public in order to create  the best experience possible!

We will bring you through the heart of the city of Lyon, and you will learn about the two thousand years of history that has taken place in this dynamic city. We’ll give you advice on the best things to do and to see in Lyon. And our job is particularly easy in Lyon because, according to us, it’s the most beautiful city in France !

Roman history , gastronomy , murals, workers revolts of the canuts . The “Capital des Gaules” is a must see in France, full of secrets, hidden places and unknown history. So take time to enjoy and visit Lyon with us !

Since always, LyonExplorer put all its efforts in giving you the best, but if you still have doubts, take a look at the comments on TripAdvisor:

– Is booking mandatory to participate in a free walking tour?

Yes, it is. In order to give you the best experience, we limit the size of the group. Especially in winter, if nobody booked, the tour won’t happened, so it’s really important to book. But if you forgot to book, don’t hesitate to come anyway, we never know!

– Are tours family friendly?

Our tours are family friendly. Nonetheless, if you have a stroller, you have to be aware that we’ll be climbing some steps. So, be prepared for it!

– In which languages are you offering your freetour?

Our tours are in French, English and Spanish.

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Like a montage of films and a medley of movie sets, Lyon is as dynamically beautiful and alluringly energetic as any of the movies made possible by its most revered sons, the Lumières. With a kaleidoscopic array of wonders it enthrals visitors between crumbling Roman amphitheatres, the exquisite cathedrals of Fourvière and St Jean, webs of winding traboules , and one of the largest Renaissance centres in the world.

This is also a city of lights and illumination, and the illustrious glow of the architecture bordered by squares bedecked with fountains delivers an altogether magnificent after dark aesthetic to the town; bolstered to dizzying heights once every year with the onset of the iconic Festival of Lights. Of course there are interesting museums and galleries too, with many Lyon tour guides pointing visitors to the acclaimed exhibitions of the Musee Miniature et Cinema, or the grand Musee des Beaux-Arts.

And when the city gets just a little too much, the wonders of high-perched Rhône-Alpes are just on the doorstep, complete with all their concomitant ski fields and the soaring glaciers of Chamonix against the silhouettes of the snow-tipped French mountains.

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Your Trip to Lyon: The Complete Guide

Lyon Travel Guide: Planning Your Trip

Lyon, the capital of the Rhône-Alpes region in southeast France, is the country's third-largest city after Paris and Marseille. With a history stretching to the Gallo-Roman period, Lyon is now an important hub for art, culture, gastronomy, winemaking, and commerce. Keep reading to learn how to plan your trip to Lyon, with info on getting there, where to stay, what to eat, and the best things to do.

Planning Your Trip

• Best Time to Visit:  Lyon is generally most pleasant from mid-spring to fall, when warmer weather makes activities such as wine tasting, strolls, cycling, and day trips ideal. However, you should also consider visiting in early December, when holiday lights, Christmas markets, and other festivities awaken the city from its winter lull.
• Language:  French is the official language in Lyon.
• Currency:  The Euro has been France's official currency since 2002.  
• Getting Around:  Central Lyon and the main areas of interest for tourists are fairly compact and easy to navigate by foot; make sure you're equipped with either a good navigation app on your phone or a print map. If you decide to take public transportation, the city has an inexpensive Metro, bus, and tram network. Tickets can be purchased in stations or onboard buses, but be aware that single tickets purchased on buses cost significantly more than ones purchased in advance. There are also two funicular lines bringing you up the city's two steep hills; you can use regular metro/tram tickets or travel passes on these lines. Meanwhile, if you wish to take a day trip to nearby vineyards or surrounding towns, local trains run regularly and efficiently from central Lyon.
• Travel Tip: You won't feel you're in a huge city if you find a hotel somewhere close to the major tourist attractions—and you'll save money on transportation, too.

Things to Do

Built up on a hilly site around the Rhône and Saône rivers  , Lyon offers plenty to see and do, whether it's your first visit or third. Especially on a first trip, you'll want to explore the winding streets of Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon); the St-Jean Cathedral at its western edge is a stunning example of medieval Gothic architecture, while warm Italian-style buildings in ochre and warm pink mostly date to the Renaissance period. Be sure to walk along the banks and poetic bridges of the two rivers, and perhaps enjoy a picnic somewhere along the way. Finally, have lunch or dinner at one of Lyon's iconic bouchons : traditional, mostly family-owned eateries famous for their simple but delicious local fare.

Here are more of the top things to see and do during your stay:

• To the west of Old Lyon is Fourvière hill, dominated by Notre-Dame de Fourvière; you can enjoy stunning panoramic views over the city from the lookout point outside the basilica. The ruins of two Roman arenas, along with Lyon's fascinating Gallo-Roman archaeological museum ( Musée Lugdunum ), are located here as well. Fourvière is reached by a funicular that departs from the base of the hill in Vieux Lyon.
• By the 18th century, Lyon was renowned throughout Europe for its silk production. Tour the silk weavers' district on the high slopes of the area known as La Croix Rousse; wander through the old passageways, or traboules, that permitted silk workers to transport goods to the city center below.   The Croix-Rousse neighborhood itself is also worth exploring, and is full of interesting street art, quirky boutiques, cafés, and restaurants.
• Lyon is an important historic site for film and cinema. Visit the Lumière Institute and the Museum of Miniatures and Cinema to learn more about the city's key role in the development of moving pictures.

Explore more local sights and attractions in our full guide to the top things to see and do in Lyon , and our photographic tour of the city's highlights .

What to Eat and Drink

Lyon is widely considered the gastronomic capital of France, and boasts more than 1,000 restaurants. You won't have trouble finding a good meal in Lyon. The city is awash with traditional, inexpensive tables—including the previously mentioned bouchons, with their intimate dining rooms and authentic vibe. Local specialties include a soft, herbed "silkweaver's" cheese called cervelles de canuts; tripes; quenelles de brochet (pike fish in a rich, creamy sauce); and Lyonnais-style salad. If you want to learn how to cook with the region's traditional ingredients, consider signing up for a single-day class with Plum Teaching Kitchen Lyon .

While you're in town, check out the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, a covered market and food hall named after the renowned and late French chef. Wander through 48 bustling market stalls to taste and/or buy some excellent cheeses, produce, wines, pastries, and typical Lyonnais treats. Some of the city's better restaurants, both informal and formal, are situated in and around the market.

Located in the heart of the Rhône winemaking region, Lyon is also an excellent place to taste superb French wines, whether by visiting a local wine bar, or by taking a day trip to a regional winery or tasting cellar. Learn more about wine tours in and around Lyon on the city's Tourist Office and Convention Bureau website .

For more on where to eat in the city, explore our guide to the best restaurants in Lyon.

Where to Stay  

As the capital of the Rhône-Alpes region and one of France's largest cities, Lyon counts plenty of hotels—from familiar global chains to quirky boutique accommodations and B&B-style lodgings. Many in the three- and two-star categories offer excellent value for money and above-average amenities. If you're traveling during peak season (mid-spring through early fall), make sure to book well ahead to secure the best rates.

If you don't mind preparing some of your meals, staying in a furnished vacation rental equipped with a kitchen can be an excellent way to save money on eating out. And with the number of high-quality markets and bakeries available in Lyon, you might find yourself in the mood to experiment with the fresh ingredients you get your hands on anyway.

In terms of where to stay within the city, expect hotels in Vieux Lyon and the Presque-île area to charge more per night. Areas a bit outside of the city center—such as Perrache (near the train station) or in Croix-Rousse—are often less expensive. Before booking any accommodations, consider factors such as access to the city center by public transport.

Getting There

Lyon Saint Exupéry International Airport (LYS) is located 15 miles from the city center and features excellent links with France's high-speed rail (TGV) network. There is also a shuttle bus connection, called the Navette Lyon, that links the airport to the city center.

Air France, Austrian Air, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Easyjet, Ryanair, KLM, Emirates, and Lufthansa are among the national and low-cost carriers to offer both domestic and international flights to and from LYS. Several airlines, including Air France, offer direct service from Paris and other major cities around France; if you're flying from North America, you will generally need to connect through Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).

If you're taking the train from another city in France or elsewhere in Europe, you'll arrive at one of Lyon's main rail stations: Part-Dieu or Perrache. There's a third rail station at LYS, which can be useful for continuing onward to cities and towns near Lyon, if you decide to explore the region further. TGV trains arrive and depart several times daily to and from Paris, and serve the Part-Dieu station. There are also direct Eurostar trains from London to Lyon ; it takes around 4 hours and 45 minutes in total, and brings you from one city center to the next.

See more about getting to and from Lyon by train by visiting France's National Rail network, SNCF (in English) .

Money-Saving Tips  

• The Lyon City Card gives you free access to all bus, metro, tramway, and funicular lines in the city; free and discounted admission to many museums and shows; and some shopping discounts. The Lyon Card is available as a 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour pass; there are separate rates for adults and children.
• Consider visiting Lyon in low season (roughly late October to early April). In addition to enjoying more of the city to yourself and benefiting from shorter lines at popular attractions, flights and hotel rooms are often less expensive at this time.
• Lyon has a number of annual festivals and events that are free, including the Fête de la Musique (June 21), which allows you to enjoy free music performances throughout the city.
• You can travel around cheaply on two wheels by using Lyon's city bike scheme . The first 30 minutes are free, and the hourly and daily rates after that are budget-friendly.
• In the spring and summer, Lyon's many riverbanks and parks can be perfect for enjoying a picnic. Stock up on inexpensive but delicious pastries, bread, fruit, and French cheeses from one of Lyon's neighborhood bakeries or farmers' markets.
• If you want to take advantage of Lyon's world-famous cuisine while watching your bank account, opt for eating out during lunch. Pre-set lunch menus are generally much more affordable than dinner à la carte.

European Commission. " France and the Euro ." Web. Consulted December 11, 2020.

Encyclopædia Britannica. " Lyon, France ". July 6, 2018.

Only Lyon Tourisme. " Courtyards and Traboules of Croix-Rousse ." Updated August 8, 2019.

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LYON 100% ENGLISH

Top Tours to Visit Lyon in 2023

Lyon is the perfect city to visit on foot with only a map, a smart phone and a good pair of walking shoes.

But if you’re not up for walking there are tons of other ways to discover the city : bicycle, Segway, bus, boat, Solex and scooter. The only way you can’t see it is by hang glider, yet…

Lyon’s Self-guided Walking Tours

Lyon Sightseeing Tours: Hop on Off Buses

Visit Lyon on two wheels: Bike or Segway tours?

Lyon Boat Tours: Sightseeing cruises

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Things To Do In Lyon, France: 12 Ways to Explore Like A Local

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We have finally made it to Lyon – the food capital of France and the “world capital of gastronomy!” Every food enthusiast should plan a trip to Lyon. Even if you think you already adore French food, the traditional Lyonnaise cuisine will make you fall in love even more!

Where exactly is Lyon and what is there to see and do? In this Lyon travel guide, we cover all the essentials to ensure your next vacation to France goes as smoothly as possible — even if you only have 24 hours in Lyon! Read on to find our best Lyon travel tips and favourite places to visit in Lyon.

Where is Lyon in France?

Let’s start with geography: Lyon is located in the central eastern part of France , about 2 hours by train south of Paris. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , Lyon is considered the third largest city in France  after Paris and Marseille.

The Saône river and the Rhône river wend their way through the city of Lyon. Two picturesque hills, La Croix-Rousse and Fourvière, are iconic features of the city’s skyline.

Is Lyon Worth Visiting?

We love Lyon for many reasons. Nouvelle French cuisine originates in Lyon, and as such the city draws some of the best international chefs. The city boasts 21 Michelin star restaurants (in 2021), a remarkable feat for the city’s size.

Lyon doesn’t just attract foodies, though. The city has a rich history spanning more than 2000 years. Walking through the Vieux Lyon (Old Town), you will notice many historical buildings and landmarks from the Renaissance era, when the city thrived on silk production and trade.

Outside the Old Town you will find a completely different world: stunning contemporary architecture fills the city landscape, drawing the attention of photographers.

So, whether you’re into food, history and culture, or art, there are plenty of things to do in Lyon to fill your itinerary!

Getting to Lyon

Taking a train is the most popular way to get to Lyon from other cities in France. Direct trains from Paris to Lyon are operated by SNCF. Trains depart every day (except Sundays) from Paris’ Gare de Lyon train station and take about 2 hours to arrive at Lyon’s Part-Dieu train station.

Flying is the quickest way to get to Lyon if you’re short on time. Both HOP! and Air France fly directly from Paris to Lyon. The only difference is that HOP! flights depart from Paris-Orly airport whereas Air France flights depart from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

From Lyon Airport to City Centre

To get to Lyon by air, the closest airport to fly into is Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS) , the main international airport serving Lyon. The tram shuttle Rhônexpress runs every 15 minutes and will get you from Lyon airport to the city centre in just 30 minutes. Tickets cost €16,30 (one way) / €28,30 (return).

If you’re carrying large suitcases, we recommend taking a cab. A taxi ride from Lyon airport to city centre costs €50-€100, depending on where you get off. Taxi can be requested at the airport taxi stand or by Uber.

Getting Around Lyon

The first thing you should do when planning your trip to Lyon is buy a Lyon City Card .

This exclusive Lyon city pass helps you save on public transport, activities, and entertainment by giving you:

• free admissions to 23 museums and other Lyon tourist attractions
• unlimited access to Lyon public transport (with the option to include Lyon airport train service via Rhônexpress)
• one guided tour (chosen among many others offered by Lyon Tourism)
• a river cruise tour from the city centre to the Confluence shopping centre (available from April to October)
• VIP shopping offers in Galeries Lafayette Part-Dieu, Printemps, Confluence Shopping Centre and Hard Rock Cafe
• 50% off on Hippocketwifi
• Bike rental with Vélo’v for €5 for 72 hours
• …and more!

With all these benefits, you are sure to discover the best of Lyon sightseeing during your stay! Cards are available in 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-day options, and can be purchased online or at the Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.

By TCL Network

Lyon’s public transport network is run by TCL. With 4 metro lines, 2 funicular railways, 5 tramways and numerous bus routes, the TCL transport network will get you to all corners of Lyon! 

Pro tip: Don’t rely on Google Maps to plan your trip in Lyon as it won’t give you directions for public transportation. Download this Lyon metro map to help you get around Lyon city centre. Or download the TCL mobile app for your iPhone or Android phones!

For those looking for a luxurious stay, consider hotels in Vieux Lyon (5e arrondissement). This neighborhood is set on a hill and is home to a few luxury hotels in Lyon like Villa Maïa and Villa Florentine. Be prepared for the steep slopes, but the views are definitely worth it!

By Bike or E-Scooter

Sometimes it is too far to walk to a metro station. But that’s okay, Lyon offers many other modes of transportation to help you explore the city!

The city of Lyon has designated bike lanes to help cyclists feel safe. For bike rentals, look into Vélo’v . This bike sharing system is available 24/7 and gives you the flexibility to pick up and return a bicycle at any of the 349 Vélo’v stations across the city!

Pro tip: with Lyon City Card, you can rent a Vélo’v bike for just €5 euro for 72 hours!!

Our favourite way to see Lyon is by e-scooter, which has become widely popular in France. It is fun, fast, and super addicting!

Renting an electric scooter is easy , all you need is a credit card and a mobile phone with internet connection. Download the app from one of the operating companies ( wind , voi or lime ), scan the QR code of an available scooter, and you’re ready to go! Unlike Vélo’v, you can park your scooter anywhere you like, as long as you stay within the city limits!

Travel Restrictions (as of 2021)

Masks are mandatory for indoor public spaces and on public transport.

In addition, Health Pass ( pass sanitaire ) is required to get  into bars, restaurants, and malls, as well as leisure events and venues with a capacity of more than 50 people, which includes museums, theatres, and most tourist attractions.

• If you are a non-EU tourist, you can apply for a health pass using this online system . Make sure you have your vaccination certificate, a valid passport and return airline tickets ready in digital format.
• For those travelling from the EU, you can present your EU digital COVID certificate.

For more details and the latest updates, please refer to the government’s official site .

12 Non-Touristy Things to Do in Lyon, France

1| eating your way through bouchon lyonnais.

With more than 4000 restaurants in the city, you will never run out of places to eat in Lyon. But bouchons are uniquely Lyon and were a favourite place for silk workers to go to grab a bite. Today, people specifically go to bouchons to taste traditional Lyonnaise cuisine .

Some of the Lyonnaise specialties you must try include Salade Lyonnaise , Cervelle de Canut, Andouillette , and Coq au Vin .

Pro tip: For an authentic, high-quality culinary experience, select a restaurant with the “Les Bouchons Lyonnais” label on the window. Or go to the Les Bouchons Lyonnais website to search for the best bouchons in Lyon!

2| Make a trip to Paul Bocuse Restaurant

A visit to the world-renown Paul Bocuse Restaurant in Lyon is every foodie’s dream.

Also known as L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges , the Paul Bocuse Restaurant is located just outside Lyon in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or. The luxury restaurant is where the culinary giant Paul Bocuse built his reputation and has maintained three Michelin stars since 1965 for a record-breaking number of years! In 2020, it has been demoted to a two-star rating.

There are many Michelin star restaurants in Lyon, France, but if you only have the time or budget for one, save it for the Paul Bocuse Restaurant. The exceptional food and service are worth a special journey!

Another spot worth visiting is the Lyon food market, Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. It sells the finest produce in the region and has several bars and restaurants on-site. Make sure to go hungry so you can try everything in sight!

3| Explore Les Traboules

Wondering what to see in Lyon? Put traboules on your list!

The traboules are secret passageways found only in the city of Lyon. Built between buildings are weaving through courtyards, these secret alleyways and staircases were used in the 19th century by silk workers to transport their products quickly between places without getting them wet or damaged in poor weather.

There are as many as 400 traboules in Lyon, mainly found in the Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse areas, but only 40 of them are open to the public today .

Join a guided tour if you want to visit traboules as they can be quite difficult to find (well, they were supposed to be *secret* afterall…). 

But if you are adventurous like us andare determined to explore on your own, we recommend checking out Cour des Voraces , located at 9 Place Colbert / 14 bis montee Saint Sebastion. If there is any doubt where the entrance is, look for the lion sign! It is one of the most unusual things to do in Lyon, and it will earn you bragging rights! 

Pro tip: Only visit the traboules during daytime and remember to keep your voice as low as possible (these passages connect through residential buildings).

4| Stroll through Croix-Rousse

Located up on a hill in the north of Lyon, Croix-Rousse was once the heart of Lyon’s silk industry. Today, it has become the hub of creativity for young designers and artists , exploding with eclectic shops, hip cafes, and modern bistros.

We recommend taking the metro line C to Hénon station first and make your way down the hill. Take the stairs down Montée de la Grande-Côte and finish at Passage Thiaffait , a former traboule that has been converted into shops and boutiques.

Most shops open quite late in Croix-Rousse. It is best to visit in the afternoon!

5| Go on a Winery Tour at Rhône Valley and Beaujolais

Interested in a wine tasting tour? No problem! Rhône Valley and Beaujolais are popular day trips from Lyon.

As the second largest wine region in France , Rhône Valley stands among the top destinations for wine tourism. It offers as many as 14 wine routes for you to explore – either by car, on foot, by bike, on horseback, or in the air!

Beaujolais vineyards , spread across the hills and village, are known for its fruity, red, Gamay-based wines. The best way to discover the magnificent Beaujolais wine is by driving along the 140-km long Beaujolais Wine Route –we guarantee it will  awaken your taste buds!

6| Spend a day museum hopping in Vieux Lyon

The Old Town is packed with many popular Lyon attractions. Traboules are one, another are the museums!

In fact, Lyon is home to some of the best museums in France. Musée Gadagne and Musée Cinéma et Miniature are particularly interesting!

Musée Gadagne houses two museums, the Lyon History Museum and the Puppetry Museum. It is Lyon’s largest Renaissance building dating back to the end of the 15th century. Your admission gives you access to 4 levels (there’s a hillside hanging garden on the top floor) and to the inner courtyard.

Musée Cinéma et Miniature is another 2-in-1 museum. It introduces you to the magic of special effects in films, and the poetic world of miniature artists.

7| Climb up to Fourvière Hill for the best views in Lyon

Looking for the best place to photograph Lyon’s city skyline? Head to the top of the hill of Fourvière! It is accessible by stairs (around 120 m) or by funicular from Vieux Lyon.

Crowning the hill is the iconic Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière , built in Romanesque and Byzantine style. The panoramic view from the esplanade is breathtaking. If you don’t mind a bit of a workout (i.e. climbing 345 stairs), join the guided rooftop tour to get an ultra-exceptional view (€10 / free with Lyon City Card; in French only).

8| See the modern side of Lyon at La Confluence

Lyon doesn’t just preserve historic buildings. We were most surprised by the wealth of modern architecture you can find throughout the city.

Stroll around the Confluence district and you’ll find eye-popping, futuristic structures all over the neighbourhood. Formerly an industrial wasteland, La Confluence is Europe’s biggest urban renewal project to rejuvenate the area.

The Musée des Confluences , resembling a floating crystal cloud, is an absolute must-see in Lyon. Other great photo spots you shouldn’t miss include the vibrant green cuboid building of Euronews headquarters, the orange cube following the same concept, and stacked modular housings on Quai Antoine Riboud .

9| Shop till you drop at Presqu’île

So where should you go shopping in Lyon, France? The best place in Lyon is Presqu’île , the narrow peninsula in between the Saône and Rhône rivers.

From large department stores to quirky boutiques, the Presqu’île area offers a wide variety of shopping experiences to get your retail fix. Most shops are located on rue Victor Hugo , rue du Président Edouard Herriot , rue de la République as well as around Place Bellecour . Whether you’re searching for the latest designer handbag or a stylish vintage dress, Presqu’île has the perfect shop for you!

10| Visit the local markets

Marché Saint-Antoine by the Saône River is the perfect place to start your mornings in Lyon. This outdoor food market is the largest in Lyon and is where the locals go to buy fresh produce and meat. Cooked items (e.g., rotisserie chickens), cheese, bread and even regional wines can be found there!

The market stretches from Pont Bonaparte to Pont Alphonse Juin, and is open daily (except Mondays) from 6 am to 1 pm.

11| Celebrate La Fête des Lumières

Each year, Lyon hosts La Fête des Lumières (the Festival of Lights) on December 8th. For four consecutive nights, bewitching light displays will illuminate the city with dazzling colours and transform the city’s historic landmarks in magical and surprising new ways.

This Lyon tradition dates back to 1852 when the city’s residents lit up candles to inaugurate the statue of the Virgin Mary to thank her for saving the city from the plague.

Today, this annual festival has become the world’s biggest light show, attracting millions of visitors from near and far!

12| Go mural hunting

This one is for art lovers and instagrammers: Lyon is basically a massive outdoor art gallery, with more than 150 murals across the city!

See if you can find the following:

• Fresque des Lyonnais : painted on a seven story building where 30 well-known Lyonnais peer out of the shop windows and on the faux balconies. 
• Le Mur des Canuts: the largest public art in Europe extending over 1200 m², paying tribute to the silk workers in the 19th century.
• Bibliothèque de la Cité: a huge bookshelf referencing work by writers from Lyon and the Rhône-Alpes region.
• Fresque Lumière: a futuristic image of Lyon, a vision of what the city could be.
• Parcours des Roses: Did you know Lyon was once the international capital of old roses and had bred more than 3000 roses in the 19th century? This mural reminds visitors of just that!

Map of Lyon, France

Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t be. We have marked all the Lyon attractions mentioned in this article in the map below so it is easier for you to plan out your route!

Where to Stay in Lyon, France?

Lyon is divided into nine arrondissements. Hotel rates vary depending on which Lyon district you stay in.

In our opinion, the best district to stay in is Part-Dieu (3e Lyon arrondissement) , located on the east bank of the Rhône river. It is less touristy than other districts yet very conveniently located. Right by the river is a charming designer hotel called OKKO Hotels Lyon Pont Lafayette . Offering a magnificent view of the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, this boutique hotel in Lyon promises a truly memorable stay.

For those looking for a luxurious stay, consider hotels in Vieux Lyon (5e arrondissement). This neighbourhood is set on a hill and is home to a few luxury hotels in Lyon like Villa Maïa and Villa Florentine . Be prepared for the steep slopes, but the views are definitely worth it!

With so many things to see and do, it is impossible to visit Lyon in one day. We recommend spending at least 3 days in Lyon to get a snapshot of what this enchanting city has to offer!

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15 comments leave a comment ».

This all seems so interesting. Lovely place to be during vacations!!

It’s really nice that they have E-scooters and bikes for rent. It can be quite fun to explore Lyon like that. Not only that it helps the environment by not consuming fuels, but we could also always use a great exercise.

I’ve wanted to visit Lyon for a long time!! Thanks for the trip inspiration

I’m planning to do a long weekend off in Southern France and of course I’m planning to head to Lyon too. So thanks for this awesome post. Special thanks for the tip about not using Google Maps. Lyon Card sounds very useful. Les Troubles would definitely be my top priority. It’s just fascinating.

I would love to explore France beyond Paris and this world heritage site is perfect start. Nice to know that the transportation is do easily accessible. I love the vineyards

Oh Lyon, I love it, such a fabulously foodie French city! I really like the look of Part-Dieu, I think we’d take your advice and stay there next time we go, I love modern boutique hotels, Okko looks wonderful. We hit some of the bouchons but didn’t eat at Paul Bocuse, that looks epic! Another miss for us was the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood, looks like it’s a modern day creative hub. We had our car with us, so we continued on from Lyon to explore some of the wine region of the Rhone valley, so beautiful.

I have heard a lot about Lyon lately, and I am surely including this to my France itinerary. Thanks for sharing important tips like how to get there, how to get around, and what to see. It really helps a traveler if such information is handy. I can actually travel like a local and stroll around the beautiful places of Lyon with a guide like this in mind.

Somehow I haven’t made it to Lyon yet, but it’s always popping up as a great place in France to visit. This is a great guide with lots of interesting local looking things to do. I’d definitely be up for the tour of the Rhône Valley and Beaujolais – some of my favourite wines are from that area. Thanks for sharing.

I have always relied on the tips and recommendations of the locals whenever I travel. It gives us a more genuine experience plus it actually saves us money when we follow their recommendations. Thank you so much for sharing these secrets. Keeping them in mind should we be in Lyon in the next couple of months.

I’m going to be cycling through France in a few weeks – including Lyon – so will definitely be doing some of these ideas! I’ve heard time and time again how great it is for food so I’m excited to eat everything ?

This post is timely as I have been looking at visiting Southern France. With the gorgeous pictures , this certainly bumps up my urge to visit. Definitely thanks for the detailed tips especially on transportation. I love vineyards and also hills over cities – so this covers just what Im looking forward to.

This post really timely as we have been looking for. Thumbs up!!!!

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Having visited Lyon myself, I can wholeheartedly agree with your recommendations! This city is a paradise for foodies, with an outstanding culinary scene. I was particularly impressed with the vibrant atmosphere at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse – a must-visit for any food enthusiast. I also loved exploring the traboules, hidden passageways in Vieux Lyon. It felt like stepping back in time! For those who enjoy panoramic views, I recommend taking the funicular to Fourvière hill – the vista over the city is simply breathtaking. Lyon truly is a city with something for everyone, a blend of history, gastronomy, and culture that will leave a lasting impression.

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Lyon   Travel Guide

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Why Go To Lyon

France's third-largest city, after Paris and Marseille , is in no way third-best. In fact, many say Lyon gives travelers a taste of authentic French culture, not to mention some of the most masterful cooking in the world, which is why the city is often hailed as the gastronomic capital of France.

Founded in 43 B.C. on the convergence of the gleaming Rhône and Saône rivers, Lyon's long history is still on view today, from its Ancient Theatre of Fourvière to its Renaissance-era district Vieux Lyon. But Lyon is a city moving forward, too: Up-and-coming neighborhoods like Confluence are evidence, as are the wide array of jampacked music clubs. And if you needed even more reason to travel here, Lyon is also the gateway to the Rhône Valley – and the hundreds of wineries that spill out across the rolling hills.

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• # 12 in Best Places to Visit in France
• # 13 in Best Cheap Honeymoon Destinations for 2024
• # 13 in Best Places to Visit in October 2024

See All 4 Rankings

Best of Lyon

Best hotels in lyon.

• # 1 in Cour des Loges
• # 2 in Villa Florentine
• # 3 in Hôtel de l'Abbaye

Best Things to Do in Lyon

• # 1 in Theatres Romains de Fourvière
• # 2 in Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière
• # 3 in Vieux Lyon

Popular Tours

Guided tour and wine tasting Northern Rhône Valley

(74 reviews)

from $ 107.90

Beaujolais half day

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Food Tour in Lyon - Do Eat Better Experience

(175 reviews)

from $ 103.54

Lyon Travel Tips

Best months to visit.

The best time to visit Lyon is in September and October when the city empties of its summertime tourists, leaving behind crisp, cool autumn weather and colorful foliage. The months between November and April, while the coldest and darkest, are the best times to find deals on airfare or accommodations. May is another excellent month to visit, thanks to comfortable temperatures, while summertime's June, July and August are peak season in Lyon.

Weather in Lyon

Data sourced from the National Climatic Data Center

What You Need to Know

• It's a city of arrondissements Lyon is broken up by a numbered set of arrondissements or neighborhoods. Some of the more popular ones include Vieux Lyon (5th), Presqu’île (1st and 2nd) and Confluence (2nd).
• It's got a big nightlife scene Travelers will find an array of dance and music clubs, especially in Lyon's new or up-and-coming neighborhoods. For instance, Confluence features Marche Gare and Le Sucre , among others.
• It's a Renaissance city Outside of Venice , Lyon contains Europe's largest Renaissance area. A wander around Vieux Lyon will prove it.

How to Save Money in Lyon

• Buy the Lyon City Card Purchase a one-, two-, three- or four-day Lyon City Card , and you'll get access to 23 museums, unlimited travel on public transport, a guided tour and many other activities for an affordable price.
• Visit the free attractions There are quite a few Lyon attractions that don't cost a thing, such as wandering Vieux Lyon, perusing the stalls of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse and experiencing the large urban Parc de la Tête d'or, among others.
• Make a picnic While you're strolling Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, pick up some cured sausage, Lyonnaise cheese and a baguette, and you'll enjoy a delicious and affordable meal.

Culture & Customs

More and more, Lyon's cultural cachet rivals that of Paris . Not only is Vieux Lyon a UNESCO World Heritage site, it's also Europe's largest Renaissance site after Venice . What's more, the southern city hosts more than 21,000 events a year, welcoming about 3 million tourists during its Festival of Lights event alone. 

As is the case throughout France, locals in Lyon speak French, but those in tourist-facing businesses will speak English, too. The French are proud of their language, and travelers would do well to learn a few pleasantries, such as " bonjour" (hello); " au revoir" (goodbye); " s'il vous pla î t" (please); and " merci" (thank you).

The euro is the official currency of Lyon. One euro is equal to about $1.20, but since the exchange rate can fluctuate daily, it's best to check it before your trip . Travelers can exchange their dollars for euros at the airport or at various booths throughout Lyon. When it comes to tipping, travelers should note that restaurant or bar bills usually contain a service charge; though it's customary to round out the bill with a small tip. In addition, tipping hotel staff a few euros for their services is also customary.

What to Eat

Lyon has more than 2,000 restaurants – nearly 1,000 of which show off its local cuisine. Cochonaille (or pork) features heavily into the menus of Lyonnais local establishments, so travelers should order charcuterie and try sausages, such as Rosette, Jésus de Lyon and saucisson chaud. The salade Lyonnaise, a green leafy salad of poached eggs, croutons and fried potatoes, is also served with pork lardons (small strips of bacon). Potatoes also feature into Lyonnais cooking, and travelers can try them in gratins or in the paillasson Lyonnais (which translates literally to "doormat;" it's a grated potato and butter pancake). 

For a fine dining experience, travelers have an array to choose from, including the inventive Café Sillon and Le Kitchen Café , or Michelin-starred Auberge du Pont de Collonges and Auberge de L'Ile Barbe. For cafes – because cafe culture is alive and well in Lyon – try Jeannine et Suzanne or Kaova Café.

Any foodie will appreciate a wander around Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, a gourmet market with dozens of stalls selling everything from cheese and charcuterie to spices and flowers. While here, make sure you pick up some Lyonnais cheeses, such as the soft Saint-Marcellin and Saint-Felicien cheeses, as well as the Rigotte de Condrieu goat cheese. You can also enjoy a sit-down dejeuner (meal) of shellfish and white wine – the market boasts a handful of restaurants alongside its vendors.

Getting Around Lyon

The best way to get around Lyon is through a combination of walking and using Lyon's public transportation system. Getting around Lyon by car, especially during summer's peak season, can be challenging (traffic jams and parking issues abound). Taxis and the ride-hailing app Uber are an option too, though they aren't the most affordable means of getting around. 

Most travelers fly into the Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS), an international hub. There are several options to traverse the 20-some miles from the airport to the city. There is a tram station connected to the airport that stops at Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu, the city's main train station. Taxis are also plentiful and convenient; rides from the airport to the city center cost between 50 euros (around $60) and 70 euros (or about $84), depending on the time of day. Uber also operates in Lyon. Rental cars are available at the airport and within the city. 

If you're not flying in to Lyon, you're likely arriving by high-speed train from one of several nearby cities, including Paris , Marseille , Nice or Brussels . If you're planning a daytrip to or from one of these vacation hot spots, hopping on a train (operated by TGV ) is the most convenient option.

Entry & Exit Requirements

To travel to France, you'll need a passport that's valid for at least three months beyond your departure date (though six months is recommended). To stay longer than three months, you'll need to obtain a tourist visa before you arrive in France. For more information on entry and exit requirements, visit the U.S. Department of State's website .

Head to the  Fourvière  district for spectacular city views.

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Things To Do

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A unique gastronomy experience!

Lyon FOOD Tour offers a unique gastronomy experience. Accompanied by a passionate local guide you will discover the capital of gastronomy during a rhythmic guided visit full of unusual anecdotes and exceptional culinary tastings. Explore must see places, meet local artisans and taste products that identify with the reputation of Lyon’s heritage. Make your choice between four types of our gastronomic tours and immerse yourself in the heart of a trip that will delight the gourmet who resides inside of you.

Included in our formulas

Small groups.

Our visits are limited at 12 persons in order to guarantee a convivial moment

Accessible to all

2.5 km of walk at the maximum

Passionate local guide

They will share with you their love for Lyon and its gastronomy

Combine visit and culinary taste

Unusual anecdotes

An original and funny way to discover Lyon

Advices and good addresses

All the tips you need for a successful stay in Lyon !

Local passionate artisans

La Crèmerie Lyonnaise – Cheeses shop

I took over this cheese dairy, which had been open for 8 years, in the Saint Georges district 6 years ago. Having previously worked in catering and food distribution, I wanted to devote myself to my passion for good local products. In collaboration with several regional artisans such as Christian Janier (MOF 2000), I take great pleasure in selecting various and varied quality cheeses for everyone’s enjoyment.

BMD – Wine bar

Passionate about wine since always, I decided to open this establishment 6 years ago. Making myself happy by working with quality products is a priority for me! I select and offer wines from producers in the region but also French and international wines. Having grown up in Old Lyon, this new adventure is a homecoming.

Luminarium – Praline pie and drinks

Alexandre is captain of the Luminarium, a charming establishment with a cozy atmosphere. The Luminarium offers you a wide selection of teas developed by them, but coffee lovers will also be combined. Alexandre has chosen a Mokxa roaster from Lyon and he will be delighted to introduce you to their selection according to the rules of the art, espresso, ristretto or cappuccino, it’s like being in Italy! Sweet tooths will not be left out and could enjoy cheesecake, cookies and other sweets!

Les Fines Gueules –  Bouchon Lyonnais

Here we have two quality requirements: Serving a real Lyonnais food and using fresh local products.

First of all, he studied at the Hotel School of Chamalières and after several experiences in Lyon, Paris and London he had a job at the Paul Bocuse Institute and finally worked 11 years with Paul Bocuse in Collonges as Deputy Director. As a result he is back to the fundamentals of Lyon’s kitchen: Here we peel, we bone, we simmer, in a word we cook “… Enjoy your meal and let you be parched in our beautiful district of Old Lyon!

La chope de Lug – Beer cellar

For 14 years Frédéric has been the master of the place, a real AliBaba cave for those looking for quality Lyonnaise specialties. Here, only good food, artisanal cured meats, Lyonnaise sweets and above all a sense of welcome and unparalleled generosity. Frédéric is a real gone and he will be happy to introduce you to the spirit of Lyon’s ripailleur. “Bon appetit and thirsty”!

La Fabrique Givrée – Artisanal ice creams

The adventure of Fabrique Givrée, is that of three childhood friends: Jérémie, Martin, et Hugues. Jérémie, a young expert and offbeat chef spent his early years in the saucepans. But when he was adolescent he chose to be a pastry chef! After 15 years in prestigious houses (Fauchon, le Bristol, Valrhona), in 2012 Jérémie chooses to leave with his sidekicks in search of the ultimate ice cream, putting his mastery of tastes and textures at the service of his unbridled imagination and his love for sharing.

Etienne (MOF)

Mons – cheeses.

In 1964, Hubert Mons and his wife decided to sell cheeses on the markets of the Roannaise region. In 1983, Hervé, the eldest son, after a career with the greatest Parisian cheese maker, established the first point of sale at the Halles Diderot. He continues to travel around France in search of the best products, producers who still produce in a traditional way respecting the ancestral know-how. Products which then he refines in his cellars.

This is why Maison MONS is now the official supplier of the best restaurants around the world and the reference in terms of cheese specialties.

“Girls”

Bobosse – charcuteries  (cold cuts).

Since the 1960s, René Besson a.k.a Bobosse created a cold cuts shop whose foundations were fresh products, quality and friendliness. From Lyon’s bouchons to the great Parisian restaurants, to the inns of France and Navarre, this ambassador of St Antoine – patron of the charcutiers – has made known his products, thereby developing the image of the whole Beaujolais region. Of course, the years have passed away, but stringed titled andouillettes, baked sausages and other dishes are the best proof of the well-preserved know-how.

“Boys”

Merle – oysters.

In 1938, Alphonse Merle bought the Maison Forte “Oysters and Shellfish” to set up at Les Halles des Cordeliers. With the help of his son Alain, champion of France’s oyster sellers in 1971, he made possible that the house Merle become the reference for the tasting of oysters in Lyon. In 2005, Alain Merle sold his house to the Lameloise family, owner of the Brasserie Georges. Today, the director Philippe Allard and his Chef, Oyster seller, Romain Masse continue this beautiful story with passion and talent.

Groups or Companies

Contact us for each particular request.

Lyon Food Tour provides personal custom-made formulas for a unique gastronomy moment!

Any question ? You want to book? Contact us !

Phone : +(33)6 50 98 39 49

Mail : [email protected]

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My niece and I attended this terrific workshop. We learned a lot and had tons of fun. The bread and pastries were amazing. It was great to get behind the s...

Viewed from the Autoroute du Soleil, the first impression of Lyon is of a major confluence of rivers and roads, around which only petrochemical industries thrive. In fact, from the sixteenth century right up until the postwar dominance of metalworks and chemicals, silk was the city’s main industry, generating the wealth that left behind a multitude of Renaissance buildings. But what has stamped its character most on Lyon is the commerce and banking that grew up with its industrial expansion. Today, with its eco-friendly tram system, high-tech industrial parks home to international companies, Lyon is a modern city par excellence ; moreover, with the new Eurostar link to London, Lyon is more accessible than ever.

The bouchon

Eating and drinking, la croix-rousse, lyon’s murals, modern lyon, nightlife and entertainment, the mères lyonnaises, the presqu’île, top traboules.

Most French people find themselves here for business rather than for recreation: it’s a get-up-and-go place, with an almost Swiss sense of cleanliness, order and efficiency. But as a manageable slice of urban France, Lyon certainly has its charms. Foremost among these is gastronomy ; there are more restaurants per Gothic and Renaissance square metre of the old town than anywhere else on earth, and the city could form a football team with its superstars of the international chef circuit.

Lyon offers superb cultural attractions, too, from a raft of fine churches, notably the mighty Basilica Notre Dame up on Fourvière, to half a dozen exceptional museums, chief among them the stunning new Musèe des Confluences , the constantly absorbing Musée Gallo-Romain , and the wonderful Musée Gadagne , with its marvellous puppetry displays. Urban explorers, meanwhile, will enjoy staking out Lyon’s distinctive older quarters and its winding, secret traboules . As if that weren’t enough, Lyon’s nightlife, cinema and theatre, its antique markets, music and other cultural festivities might tempt you to stay just that little bit longer.

Lyon is organized into nine arrondissements. Of most interest to visitors is the Presqu’île (1er and 2e arrondissements), the tongue of land between the rivers Saône and Rhône, and Vieux Lyon (5e) on the west bank of the Saône, where the Romans built their capital of Gaul, Lugdunum. To the north of the Presqu’île is the old silk-weavers’ district of La Croix-Rousse (4e). Other well-touristed areas include modern Lyon on the east bank of the Rhône (3e), at the heart of which is the bustling commercial area around Part-Dieu, and, north of here, Parc de la Tête d’Or , the city’s main green space.

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Southern France – Walks in the Alpilles and Lavender fields

Start your tour in the coastal city of Marseille, exploring Cassis on the way. Around the Alpilles in Provence, you will be provided with detailed walking materials to explore the area on foot, from both Les Baux and St Remy. End your tour in famous Avignon.

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Tasting Eastern France

A delicious yet active journey through Eastern France. Start your trip in Lyon with some unique food tours before setting off on a 4-day walk across the Beaujolais region. Almost every day ends with a wine tasting in your guesthouse, soothing for body and soul.

Lyon has an abundance of accommodation, with a liberal sprinkling of terrific hotels throughout the city, though the greatest concentration is in the Presqu’île and Vieux Lyon. You’ll find, too, an increasing number of chambres d’hôtes .

No visit to Lyon is complete without a visit to a bouchon , the traditional Lyonnais eating establishment. Its provenance most likely comes from the time when inns serving wine would attach small bundles of straw to their signs, indicating that horses could be cared for ( bouchonnés ) while the coachmen went inside to have a drink. The food may not be to everyone’s taste – andouillette (hot cooked tripe sausage) and pieds de veau (calves’ feet) are typical staples – but the dishes are usually beautifully cooked and they’re wonderfully convivial places. While many bouchons claim to be authentic, only 22 are certified, the best of which are found in the Presqu’ile.

Few cities anywhere in Europe, let alone France, can rival Lyon for the quality of its food , and at any given time there are typically more than a dozen restaurants with one or more Michelin stars. However, while these temples of gastronomy continue to raise standards, the humble bouchon remains as popular as ever, and really is an experience not to be missed – note that some of the more upscale restaurants are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, with others closing on Mondays. While decent coffee remains hard to source, Lyon’s café culture is slowly improving, and it’s now possible to find some terrific spots to sip an espresso (or tea), particularly up in the Croix-Rousse district. Otherwise, you can join the masses on place des Terreaux and the streets of Vieux Lyon.

La Croix-Rousse is the old silk-weavers’ district and spreads up the steep slopes of the hill above the northern end of the Presqu’île. Although increasingly gentrified, it’s still predominantly a working-class area, but barely a couple of dozen people operate the modern high-speed computerized looms that are kept in business by the restoration and maintenance of France’s palaces and châteaux.

Along with Vieux Lyon, it was in this district that the traboules flourished. Officially the traboules are public thoroughfares during daylight hours, but you may find some closed for security reasons. The long climb up the part-pedestrianized Montée de la Grande Côte , however, still gives an idea of what the quartier was like in the sixteenth century, when the traboules were first built. One of the original traboules , Passage Thiaffait on rue Réné-Leynaud, has been refurbished to provide premises for young couturiers.

The silk strike of 1831

Though the introduction of the Jacquard loom of 1804 made it possible for one person to produce 25cm of silk in a day instead of taking four people four days, silk workers , or canuts – whether masters or apprentices, and especially women and child workers – were badly paid whatever their output. As the price paid for a length of silk fell by over fifty percent, attempts to regulate the price were ignored by the dealers, even though hundreds of skilled workers were languishing in debtors’ jails.

On November 21, 1831, the canuts called an all-out strike . As they processed down the Montée de la Grande Côte with their black flags and the slogan “Live working or die fighting”, they were shot at and three people died. After a rapid retreat uphill they built barricades, assisted by half the National Guard, who refused to fire cannon at their “comrades of Croix-Rousse”. Following three days of battle, and with the bourgeoisie running scared, the canuts ’ employers called upon outside aid, and 30,000 extra troops arrived to quash the rebellion. Some 600 people were killed or wounded, and in the end the silk industrialists were free to pay whatever pitiful fee they chose, but the uprising was one of the first instances of organized labour taking to the streets during the most revolutionary fifty years of French history.

Lyon’s fascination with mural art can be traced back to the 1970s, when a group of students thought it a good idea to introduce some colour to the city’s grimescape, while simultaneously bringing art to the masses. The easiest ones to track down are the Mur des Canuts in Croix-Rousse, a brilliant, illusory piece depicting everyday life of the district’s inhabitants, including, of course, the old silk-weavers; La Fresque des Lyonnais on the corner of rue de la Martinière and Quai St Vincent, which honours Lyon’s most famous citizens, such as the Lumiére brothers, Garnier and Bocuse; and La bibliothéque (The City Library), just down the road on the corner of rue de la Platiére and Quai de la Pecherie. Check out cite-creation.com for more information.

On the skyline from Fourvière, you can’t miss the gleaming pencil-like skyscraper that belongs to Lyon’s home-grown Crédit Lyonnais bank. This is the centrepiece of Part-Dieu , a business-culture-commerce hub which includes one of the biggest public libraries outside Paris, a mammoth concert hall and a busy shopping centre. While it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing area, you don’t have to go far to enjoy some culture.

Film buffs won’t want to miss the enlightening Institut Lumière , housed within the grandiose Art Nouveau villa that was, for a period, the home of Antoine Lumière, father of Auguste and Louis, two of the earliest pioneers of film. The emphasis here is very much on the earliest forms of photographic techniques, which subsequently paved the way for film. Prize exhibits include early magic lanterns, the first cinematograph (1885), and the first ever autochromes, or colour plates, one of which is a picture of Antoine’s third daughter relaxing in the Winter Garden.

Housed within the former military medical school used by the Gestapo during World War II, the Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation makes for a sobering but worthwhile visit. In addition to a library of books, videos, memoirs and other documents recording experiences of resistance, occupation and deportation to the camps, there’s an exhibition space housed over the very cellars and cells in which Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo boss of Lyon, tortured and murdered his victims. After living in Bolivia for years under a false identity, Barbie was extradited to France in 1987, aged 74, and tried in Lyon for crimes against humanity, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment; the centrepiece of the exhibition is a moving and unsettling 45-minute video of the trial in which some of his victims recount their terrible ordeal – it’s in French but ask to have it subtitled.

Lyon packs a pretty mean punch when it comes to nightlife and entertainment, with a wide range of bars and clubs, alongside some great live music, opera and theatre. The best places to wander if you are looking for a bar are rue Mercière, the area around place des Terreaux and the Opéra and the streets of Vieux Lyon, though the riverboat bars along the banks of the Rhône are popular too.

Lyon’s cinematic history is also extremely rich, thanks largely to the pioneering work of the Lumière brothers. For avant-garde, classic and obscure films, usually in their original language, check the listings for the cinemas CNP Terreaux, Bellecour, Fourmi Lafayette, Opéra and Ambiance.

Thirty-four kilometres northeast of Lyon, on the N84 is Pérouges , a lovely village of cobbled alleyways and ancient houses. Its charm has not gone unnoticed by the French film industry either – historical dramas such as The Three Musketeers were filmed within its fortifications – nor by some of the residents, who have fought long and hard for preservation orders on its most interesting buildings. The result is an immaculate work of conservation. Local traditional life is also thriving in the hands of a hundred or so workers who still weave locally grown hemp

Lyon’s standing as one of the world’s finest gastronomic destinations is in no small part down to the Mères Lyonnaises , or “Mothers of Lyon”. Originally house cooks for the middle and upper classes, many of these women ultimately became surplus to requirements, so instead opened up their own businesses, serving food that combined grand bourgeoisie cuisine with more humble fare of the kind you might find in a bouchon, hence dishes such as pullet hen with black truffles, and pike quenelle casserole. Leading the way were women like Mère Fillioux and Mère Eugene Brazier, the latter establishing her eponymous restaurant (see The Mères Lyonnaises) on rue Royale, which is also where Paul Bocuse completed his apprenticeship.

The Presqu’île , or peninsula, is most visitors’ first port of call. Its dominant feature is place Bellecour , whose pink gravelly acres were first laid out in 1617, and which offer fabulous views up to the looming bulk of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. The southern portion of the peninsula starts around Perrache station, beyond which lies the Confluence district , whose regeneration continues apace.

To the north of place Bellecour at the top of quai St-Antoine is the quartier Mercière , the old commercial centre of the town, with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century houses lining rue Mercière, and the church of St-Nizier , whose bells used to announce the nightly closing of the city’s gates. In the silk-weavers’ uprising of 1831, workers fleeing the soldiers took refuge in the church, only to be massacred. Today, traces of this working-class life are almost gone, edged out by bars, restaurants and designer shops, the latter along rue du Président Edouard-Herriot and the long pedestrian rue de la République in particular.

Occupying the thinnest wedge of land at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers, the sparkling new Musée des Confluences is an extraordinary glass-and-steel structure that could have been plucked from the set of the newest Star Wars film. Its permanent exhibition is arranged thematically into four sections, the first of which, “Eternity”, gets to grips with life and death; the most notable, and spooky, exhibit is a Peruvian mummy, in the seated position with arms and legs clasped to its chest. In Egyptian society, animals were mummified too (being considered incarnations of gods), as evidenced by the crocodiles, rams, eagles and suchlike on display in the “Species” exhibition, which also contains a stunning collection of butterflies and bugs. “Societies”, meanwhile, ponders upon man’s ability to create – look out for the superb Berliet motor car from 1908 and Cockcroft and Walton’s particle accelerator – while, finally, “Origins” traces the various theories of evolution; the (literally) unmissable highlight here is a skeleton of the Camarasaurus, which roamed North America in the late Jurassic period.

Housed in a former Benedictine abbey on place des Terreaux, the collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts are second in France only to those in the Louvre. The museum is organized roughly by genre, with nineteenth- and twentieth-century sculpture in the ex-chapel on the ground floor. The first floor houses a particularly interesting collection of Egyptian artefacts including coffins, amulets and stone tablets, in addition to a selection of medieval French, Dutch, German and Italian woodcarving and antiquities, coins and objets d’art . Upstairs, twentieth-century painting is represented by Picasso and Matisse, and there are also works by Braques, a brace of Bonnards and a gory Francis Bacon. The nineteenth century is covered by the Impressionists and their forerunners, Corot and Courbet; there are works by the Lyonnais artists Antoine Berjon and Fleury Richard, and from there you can work your way back through Rubens, Zurbarán, El Greco, Tintoretto and more. Keep an eye out for Rembrant’s earliest known work from 1625, The Stoning of St Steven .

All around Lyon lurk traboules , alleyways and tunnelled passages originally built to provide shelter from the weather for the silk-weavers as they moved their delicate pieces of work from one part of the manufacturing process to another. The streets running down from boulevard de la Croix-Rousse, as well as many in Vieux Lyon, are intersected by these traboules . Usually hidden by plain doors, they are impossible to distinguish from normal entryways, proving an indispensable escape network for prewar gangsters and wartime Resistance fighters. Keep a look out for subtle signs on the walls indicating the presence of a traboule .

In Vieux Lyon there's the aptly named longue traboule , a dark winding passage connecting 27 rue de Boeuf with 54 rue St-Jean. Also in Vieux Lyon, a traboule lies behind the door of 28 rue St-Jean, leading to the serene courtyard of a fifteenth-century palace. In La Croix-Rousse , go up rue Réné-Leynaud, passing St-Polycarpe on your right, then take rue Pouteau via a passage. Turn right into rue des Tables Claudiennes, and enter no. 55 emerging opposite 29 rue Imbert-Colomes. Climb the stairs into 14bis, cross three courtyards and climb the steps, where you finally arrive at place Colbert.

Reached by one of the three passerelles (footbridges) crossing the Saône from Terreaux and the Presqu’île, Vieux Lyon is made up of the three villages of St-Jean, St-Georges and St-Paul at the base of the hill overlooking the Presqu’île. South of place St-Paul, the cobbled streets of Vieux Lyon, pressed close together beneath the hill of Fourvière , form a backdrop of Renaissance and medieval facades, bright night-time illumination and a swelling chorus of well-dressed Lyonnais in search of supper or a midday splurge.

Housed in a splendid fifteenth-century Renaissance mansion on place du Petit Collège, the Musée Gadagne comprises two very fine museums. Two floors are given over to the Musée d’Histoire de Lyon , which offers a comprehensive chronological overview of the city’s development, from antiquity to the modern day. Better still is the Musée des Marionnettes du Monde , showcasing the many different forms of puppetry from both France and around the world, including Venetian glove puppets, Javanese rod puppets, and Chinese shadow puppets.

Well worth the short trek up to Fourvière, the underground Musée Gallo-Romain showcases exhibits from prehistoric times to 7 AD, the sheer number and splendour of which serve to underline Roman Lyon’s importance. Among the many highlights is a fragment of the so-called “Claudian Table”, a fine bronze engraving of a speech by the Lyon-born Emperor Claudius, discovered in 1528 by a Lyonnais cloth-maker. Elsewhere look out for a superb Bronze Age processional chariot, and some remarkably well-preserved mosaics – “In The Circus”, for example, recalls the city’s standing as one of Roman Gaul’s most popular centres of entertainment. Alongside the museum, dug into the hillside, stand the substantial remains of two ruined theatres – the larger of which was built by Augustus in 15 BC and extended in the second century by Hadrian to seat 10,000 spectators. Nowadays, they are the focal point for the Nuits de Fourvière music and film festival each summer.

A hulking, incredibly ornate wedding cake of a church, the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière was built, like the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, in the aftermath of the 1871 Commune to emphasize the defeat of the godless socialists. And like the Sacré-Coeur, its hilltop position has become a defining element in the city’s skyline. Overblown it may be, but the interior is utterly dazzling, from the marble statues and stained glass to the gold and turquoise mosaic wall panels, depicting events such as Joan of Arc in Orleans and The Battle of Lepanto. Take a look, too, down in the crypt, where there’s some beautifully executed stonework, plus an ornate turquoise mosaic ceiling in the apse.

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The Rick Steves guide to life

Travel mogul. philanthropist. legal weed champion. the real rick steves is so much more complex than who you see on tv..

EDMONDS, Wash. — At first glance, it is hard to tell that Rick Steves is protesting.

In the center of his hometown, America’s favorite travel host is perched on the edge of a fountain roundabout engaging in some friendly civil disobedience. As cars circle the intersection, Steves smiles and waves, looking more like an Elf on a Shelf than an angry picketer. This is his way of reminding people he wishes they’d stop driving here.

Steves’s family moved to Edmonds when he was 12, and the 68-year-old is still happy to call it home. Rather than relocate to his beloved Europe, he dreams of bringing some European sensibilities to the edge of the Puget Sound, less than 20 miles north of Seattle.

When he’s not traveling around Europe, writing about Europe or running his multimillion dollar European tour company, the prolific TV host and author likes to squeeze in some local activism. The roundabout routine is his push to block off Edmonds’s very American Main Street for pedestrians. If you squint at it, you can see what Steves sees: this would be the perfect place for a lively town square.

“I like a lot of things about Europe but I love the urban energy of Europe. I love the piazza,” Steves said in a wistful tone you might recognize from PBS. “We don’t have a piazza.”

Unfortunately for Steves, the voting majority of the city does not love the idea of parking their SUVs farther away to shop. So despite his Boy Scout enthusiasm, the most famous man in Edmonds must keep up the perch-and-wave. This is not his only crusade.

Spend any amount of time with Steves, and you’ll encounter a total ham who loves a zany bit. But if you ask him about serious issues like car-free zones, he’ll bring up other causes that are dear to him: affordable housing, supporting the arts, creating senior centers for the elderly to age with dignity.

He’s anti-Trump and pro-cannabis. He does not care if that is bad for business.

The average Rick Steves fan has likely missed this side of him. On TV they see an always-sunny history lover who makes going abroad feel approachable for the average American. That’s an incomplete picture, like thinking you know Paris because you’ve seen the Eiffel Tower on YouTube.

Meet him in Edmonds, and he’ll fill in the rest.

It may look like a lot of gallivanting, but being Rick Steves takes a lot of work.

He spends three months of the year overseas, researching, writing, recording, refining tours, updating guidebooks. If he’s not planning or producing content, he’s often doing promotional events across the United States. This year Steves is celebrating the 40th edition of his first book, “Europe Through the Back Door.” Over the course of his career, he’s built a privately held company that generates $120 million in revenue a year, published 110 books, filmed 12 seasons of “Rick Steves’ Europe” and produced more than 750 podcast episodes.

“It’s just like coordinating a three-ring circus,” Steves said.

That is: really fun, sort of exhilarating and extremely complicated. To pull this off, Steves does not observe the French 35-hour workweek. He’s a workhorse with a reputation for keeping a frenetic pace year-round.

“It’s more of an American work culture,” Amy Duncan, Steves’s communications director, told me. “He’s an unapologetic capitalist but he is also a socialist.”

He makes enough money to fly first class, but he only sits in economy, claiming he doesn’t mind being cramped.

“It never occurred to me that I’m suffering,” he said. “As long as I’ve got an aisle and a seat that reclines, I’m happy.”

Actually, Steves believes airlines should only have one class. It’s part of his egalitarian worldview. He’s also anti-points and anti-miles, refusing to sign up for airline loyalty programs because he believes they bully us into complicating our lives.

Steves also enforces a self-imposed “ carbon tax ” on his tour company, which takes more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. For every customer, Steves invests $30 to atone for emissions created by their flights between the United States and Europe. Last year, that added up to $1 million donated to a portfolio of organizations, Steves said.

“I don’t need to be a slave to the quarterly profit statement. I want to be around and profitable in 10 years from now in a world that you can travel in that’s stable,” Steves said. “This is a smart investment and it’s an ethical expense that I should pay for.”

Rick Steves will tell you he’s motivated by making money; the more he can earn, the more good he can do with it.

“Vicarious consumption, that’s one of my things,” Steves said.

After amassing a windfall from the 2001 George W. Bush tax cuts for high earners, Rick Steves donated $1 million to support the local symphony and performing arts center. In 2005, he used retirement savings to buy a 24-unit apartment complex for the local YWCA’s use as transitional housing for women and children. He figured he’d eventually sell the complex and live on the earnings. About a decade later, he changed his mind and donated the complex valued at $4 million.

He also gave more than $4 million to help build the Edmonds Waterfront Center, a vibrant gathering place for seniors where his daughter had her wedding in 2021. And he gave another $2 million for a similar center in the nearby city of Lynnwood, which broke ground in mid-April .

“Rick puts his money where his mouth is,” said Nancy Leson, a former Seattle Times food critic who used to let Steves’s daughter babysit her son. She’s appreciated his regular presence in the community, like hosting events for local politics at his house and shopping at the farmers market .

“He changed travel,” local resident Karen Howe said on her way into the Waterfront Center with a friend. She’s used Steves’s guidebooks for years. “He’s introduced us to places that most of us would never think of going.”

Rick Steves hasn’t won his piazza battle, but he has brought European touches to Edmonds. At the Rick Steves’ Europe headquarters, there’s an E.U. flag hanging from the mocha brick facade. And gargoyles that drain rainwater, just like at the Notre Dame cathedral.

“Gargoyles scare away evil spirits,” Steve points out, unable to suppress his inner tour guide.

Here Steves employs more than 100 people: editors, audio producers, tour specialists and cartographers such as Dave Hoerlein, his first employee. That’s excluding the fleet of guides and drivers he contracts across the pond to shepherd tour customers.

Inside, he bounds through a maze of cubicles, his neck craned forward, always at an eager pace. His 6-foot frame appears leaner than previous seasons of his life, but his signature look is familiar. No, not khakis and a button-down. That’s vintage Rick. These days, he wears dark jeans and a button-down, plus a thin scarf and leather sneakers.

During a day of meetings, Steves’s fjord-blue eyes lit up at the minutia of the business. He went over new maps with Hoerlein. He and longtime co-author Cameron Hewitt addressed problems like finding a “less glitzy” stop on the Amalfi Coast that’s not Sorrento. They discussed whether a place is worth visiting after it’s gotten too popular, and Steves indulged in some gallows humor.

“It’s going to be like holding the corpse of a loved one who just died,” he said.

His critics argue the “Rick Steves Effect” can turn a charming village, restaurant or museum into a tourist magnet. Matthew Kepnes, the travel writer behind the blog Nomadic Matt , points to the Swiss town Zermatt, which he says Steves put on the map, and has since dealt with overtourism . You’re bound to bump into groups with Rick Steves guidebooks in Italy’s increasingly crowded Cinque Terre.

Whether Steves is actually to blame for changing a place is up for debate. There are plenty of destinations he’s covered that haven’t been inundated with swarms of Americans (see also: Gdańsk).

Steves says he assesses whether a place wants tourism, if it can handle it gracefully. If they don’t or can’t, he may mention it but not promote it.

He has faith — maybe too much — that his clients share his values.

“Does [my work] change the personality of a town? It can. Am I a dramatic impact on Europe? No,” he said.

“There’s a handful of places I really promote aggressively that I’ve had a serious impact on, but otherwise ... my travelers are the kind of people that take only pictures and leave only footprints ... they’re good travelers.”

You don’t have to spend much time in Edmonds to see why Rick Steves never considered leaving.

The city — population roughly 42,000 — sits on a majestic inlet. You can get to a major international airport in about an hour. The community is so courteous, it has an “umbrella share” program in case people forget their own on a rainy day. As Steves walks around town, he greets people by name. He lives within walking distance to both his favorite diner and a pétanque court, the French answer to Italian bocce. He plays bongos at his church on Sundays.

In 1967, Richard “Dick” Steves moved the family here because he was worried about Rick Junior.

“I was hanging out with dangerous kids and going down the wrong trail,” Steves said. Seriously.

His dad, an Army veteran, got by in the upscale suburb as a piano technician and importer. When Steves was 14, his parents dragged him on a work trip to Europe to visit piano factories; it was a radical experience that sparked his lifelong passion for travel.

Back in Edmonds, Steves started teaching piano, eventually turning his savings into trips abroad of his own — not only to Europe, but Turkey, Nepal, Afghanistan. He went to college nearby, earning degrees in European history and business from the University of Washington, where he played in the Husky Marching Band.

After graduation, Steves figured he could keep up his routine: give piano lessons during the school year, then travel during the summer. He started teaching travel classes in the same recital hall where his piano students performed. This was back when there was no internet and few guidebooks to consult for trip planning.

The classes were a hit. At 25, Steves turned his lecture materials into a 180-page book, and self-published “Europe Through the Back Door,” in 1980.

Four years later, he hosted his first European minibus tour group, serving as both bus driver and guide.

His businesses have evolved — his bus tours now take up to 28 travelers, a number Steves says is a sweet spot between making the tour more affordable yet enjoyable for customers and profitable for the company. But his mission has remained the same: to be the best resource for European travel and help Americans travel better.

“I just focus on that and I love it,” he said. “It takes my life out of balance — which is not good — but it lets me do a lot of stuff that I believe in and that’s good.”

Steves has been open about the challenges of being a travel mogul. As built his empire, he was also raising a family. Being “married” to both took a toll. In 2010, Steves and his wife, Anne, divorced after 25 years of marriage.

Up the hill from his junior high, Rick Steves’s modest beige home offers a window into his many lives. There are family photos on the walls, from older relatives to his baby grandson, Atlas. He hosts political fundraisers on the sprawling deck. A painting of Kerala, India, nods to one of his favorite countries (people forget Steves did four editions of “Asia Through the Back Door”).

Next to his grand piano, there’s a stuffed creature that Steves calls his “Silver Fox” baring its teeth and wearing novelty sunglasses with cannabis leaves on the lenses — a nod to two of his interests: taxidermy and marijuana activism.

“It’s the civil liberties … it’s the racism … everything about it is wrong,” he said of keeping weed illegal.

As for the toothy fox, Steves doesn’t do typical souvenirs anymore, but he makes an exception for stuffed animals.

“The wooden shoes and the pewter Viking ships are so obvious,” he said. “I like to do something a little more organic and a little more striking and it takes me back there — I like it.”

He’s a very good piano player. He can also play the sousaphone and the trumpet — which he did regularly during the pandemic, performing taps for his neighbors at sunset.

Covid-19 was a nightmare for the travel business, but a miracle for Rick Steves’s love life.

After running in the same social circles for years, he and Shelley Bryan Wee, a prominent local bishop, started dating at the end of 2019. They had a lot in common. Both are progressive Lutherans. Both are divorced with adult children. But neither worked a typical 9-to-5, and one of them spent three months of the year in Europe.

Then lockdown happened. Steves, who couldn’t remember if he’d ever had dinner in the same place 10 nights in a row, spent 100 nights at the same table with Wee. It solidified their relationship.

“Shelley is a constant,” Steves said. He still struggles with the balancing act between work and love.

When the stars align and they’re both in Edmonds, Wee cooks, and Steves plays sous chef. They walk Jackson, Wee’s labradoodle, creating their own version of the passeggiata, Italy’s traditional evening stroll. They play table tennis before dinner.

When the world reopened, they started traveling together. They’ve made time for a few big vacations: a trip to Morocco, where they were caught in a windstorm that blew the windows out of their car; a luxury barge cruise through Burgundy, France, “that was embarrassingly expensive,” Steves confessed, followed by a week hiking in the Swiss Alps; and another hiking trip between remote lodges on Mont Blanc.

Before their first trip, Steves edited the contents of Wee’s suitcase, because packing light is part of his philosophy.

“What do you say?” she asked. “You’re talking to Rick Steves.”

Editing by Gabe Hiatt. Additional editing by Amanda Finnegan. Design editing by Christine Ashack. Photo editing by Lauren Bulbin. Videos by Monica Rodman. Senior video producer: Nicki DeMarco. Design by Katty Huertas. Copy editing by Jamie Zega.

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Tour de France

Tour de france stage 4: back to france and into the high alps, the first major exam for the tour general classification contenders as the race visits two legendary climbs..

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Stage 4 — Tuesday, July 2 Pinerolo to Valloire Distance: 139.6km (87 miles) Profile: Mountain stage

Stage 4: The first major exam for the Tour general classification contenders

The shortest stage outside of the two individual time trials will be a testing one, with the route from Pinerolo in Italy to Valloire in the Alps crossing three major climbs, and ensuring hardly a kilometer of level ground during the 139.6 kilometers of racing.

The road rises as soon as the flag drops in Pinerolo, with the summit of Sestrières located 50.4km after the start. Fausto Coppi took a famous victory here in the 1952 Tour, having earlier triumphed in Pinerolo during the 1949 Giro. He also won both races overall.

The 39.9km climb, which also saw a defiant victory by Claudio Chiappucci ahead of Miguel Indurain in the 1992 Tour, is the first over 2,000 meters in this year’s race. It is followed 21km later by the summit of the Col de Montgenèvre, with this Tour’s second-highest peak in turn located 49km later.

The Col du Galibier is one of the most famous climbs in cycling. It first featured in the 1911 Tour de France and has featured no less than 31 times since 1947. In 2011 it was used for the first time as a stage finish, with Andy Schleck triumphing there after a 60km solo break.

At 23km in length and 2,642 meters above sea level, it is one of the most ferocious climbs in this year’s race. While 19km of descent remains after the summit, those first over the top have a huge chance of the stage win and, potentially, the yellow jersey.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “The race leaves Italy after a long climb to the resort of Sestrières, where Coppi triumphed in 1952, the border subsequently reached at the Col de Montgenèvre. Then, after ascending the Lautaret pass, the riders will tackle the 2,642-metre Galibier. This will be the first opportunity for the favorites to test themselves in the high mountains.”

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9 Places to See the Summer Olympics Without Setting Foot in Paris

You may have trouble finding accommodations or tickets to events in Paris, but other destinations around France are hosting sports like soccer, sailing, basketball and surfing.

By Sophie Stuber

For sports fans, Paris will be the center of the universe this summer — and with 15 million Olympic and Paralympic visitors expected, it will feel like it, with crowds and high prices. But Paris isn’t the only Olympic site in France: Nine destinations outside the metro region are also hosting events, giving travelers a way to catch some action without getting caught up in the crush.

In places like Bordeaux, Marseille and even Tahiti, you can watch top athletes compete in soccer, basketball, sailing and surfing. (Tickets have been added in batches, so if the ones you want aren’t available, keep checking the ticketing site, tickets.Paris2024.org . If all else fails, the official resale platform opens on May 15 .)

And when you’re not watching sports, you can take advantage of museums, parks, design centers, and fresh food and wine options. In Nantes, you can even ride a mechanical elephant.

Here are some ideas for planning your own alternative Olympic trip.

Basketball: July 27 to Aug. 4; tickets from 50 euros ($54).

Handball: Aug. 6 to 11, tickets from €45.

Start with a stroll around Vieux-Lille and a coffee in the Grande Place, taking in the colorful facades of this city near the Belgian border. Head over to the St.-Sauveur area to see the Art Deco belfry and exhibitions at Gare St.-Sauveur , a former train station. On Sundays, at the rambling Wazemmes market , about 400 vendors offer produce, fish, plants, fabrics, textiles and leather goods. Head out to Parc du Héron , east of the city, to see the LaM museum (€7), with works by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani and Joan Miró. Lille is better known for beer than for wine, and the Brasserie Gobrecht offers brewery tours every Saturday (reservations recommended).

Where to stay: Hotel de la Paix (€354 per night); Hotel Carlton (€406).

Soccer: July 24 to Aug. 2; tickets from €24.

Capital of a region best known for its wine, this small southwestern city sells local wine-walk maps at its tourist office. Stop by the Marché des Capucins , a local indoor market that also houses Bistro Poulette , a slightly chaotic and very delicious spot serving moules-frites, or mussels with fries. In the afternoon, check out the Bassins des Lumières (€15), the largest digital art center in the world, and the Cité du Vin (€21), which offers wine-tasting experiences. To wind down in a quiet wine bar, try Yarra , or for a cocktail, Symbiose . If you have time for side trips, spend a day in St.-Emilion, about 27 miles away, where you can sample great wines. Or check out the nearly 340-foot-high Dune du Pilat , the tallest sand dune in Europe — about 37 miles southwest of Bordeaux, near the beach town of Arcachon.

To stay: Les Chambres de Marie (€170); La Maison Galiène (€259); Yndo Hotel (€355); Le Palais Gallien Hôtel & Spa (€419).

Soccer: July 24 to Aug. 8; tickets from €24.

The street signs in Nantes are in both Breton and French, reflecting the city’s historical ties to Brittany. Start at Talensac Market for picnic supplies, especially radishes, local cheeses and strawberries. Pick up local delicacies like Gâteau Nantais (almond poundcake) and Far Breton (flan with Armanac-soaked prunes). Take your picnic lunch to the courtyard of the Château des Ducs de Bretagne , a medieval castle and museum (courtyard is free; museum is €9). On the Île de Nantes, a former shipyard has been transformed into a wild mechanical theme park. The Machines de l’Île mixes Jules Verne’s stories with Leonardo da Vinci’s designs in the form of a ridable mechanical elephant and sea creatures (€9.50 for the elephant ride or gallery visit). The Mémorial de l’Abolition de l’Esclavage (free) covers Nantes’s history as the most active slave-trading port in 18th-century France. The artists behind the glass-and-concrete memorial, Krzysztof Wodiczko and Julian Bonder , aimed to create “a metaphorical and emotional reminder of the primarily historical, but also very current, struggle for the abolition of slavery.”

To stay: Hotel Voltaire Opéra (€103); Hotel de la Cité (€120).

Châteauroux

Shooting: July 27 to Aug. 5; tickets from €24.

The small city not far from the Loire Valley is named for Château Raoul , the 10th-century castle that’s now part of a local official’s private residence. The best view of the château is from the Gütersloh Bridge. Follow the “coulée verte” — or green corridor — along the banks of the Indre River, stopping by Parc de Belle-Isle , which has a lake for swimming, with kayaks and stand-up paddle boards to rent, as well as a beach, playgrounds and camping. The Franciscan Cordeliers Convent (free), which dates to the 13th century, today offers contemporary art exhibits and miles of gardens, and the Bertrand Museum (free), a former 18th-century townhouse, showcases diverse collections in each of its 26 rooms, including the plaster original of the Camille Claudel sculpture “Sakuntala.”

To stay: Au Lys Blanc (€138); Les Rives du Château (€210 for a two-bedroom apartment).

Lyon and St.-Étienne

Soccer: Lyon, July 24 to Aug. 9; tickets from €24. St.-Étienne, July 24 to 31; tickets from €24.

It will be easy to catch soccer matches in either Lyon or St.-Étienne, only an hour apart by train or car in east-central France. In Lyon, often called the gastronomic capital of France, visit the majestic Notre-Dame de Fourvière Basilica , then savor an ice cream at La Fabrique Givrée . Explore the city’s network of covered passageways, called traboules — originally for workers to transport textiles and later used during World War II by the French Resistance for clandestine meetings. Then climb up to the Pentes de la Croix-Rousse neighborhood, with its tiny streets, shops and views of Lyon below. On a clear day, you can even see Mont Blanc. The Lugdunum museum (€7) and the nearby Roman theater (€4) take visitors back to 43 B.C., when Lyon was known as Lugdunum, and La Maison des Canuts (€9.50), covers the city’s history as a capital of silk.

Between Lyon and St.-Étienne, Pilat Regional Natural Park offers more than 900 miles of rocky terrain for hiking and biking, culminating at the summit of 4,700-foot Crêt de la Perdrix , with views of the Alps and Massif Central range.

St.-Étienne, about 40 miles southwest of Lyon, is transforming its historical industrial identity into one of design and innovation. At the heart is the Cité du Design (€4.50), the former site of a weapons factory, which has served as a center for art and research since 2010. The complex, now a key economic force in the city, is open to the public year-round and hosts art and design exhibitions.

To stay in Lyon: Fourvière Hotel (€189); Hôtel du Théâtre (€323).

To stay in St.-Étienne: Le Parc 42 (€113); Le Golf Sauna (€269).

Sailing (including windsurfing, kitesurfing and more): July 28 to Aug. 8; tickets from €24.

Soccer: July 24 to Aug. 6; tickets from €24.

This Mediterranean port city mixes urban grit and natural beauty. Start by visiting Le Panier, the village-like oldest part of the city. Try navettes , a traditional orange flower biscuit, and sample some sardines or panisses , traditional chickpea fries, on a sunny terrace. Detour through the touristy but pleasant Old Port on the way to Mucem (€11), the first major museum dedicated to Mediterranean civilization and cultures. Have a pick-me-up at Deep Coffee Roasters , a specialty roaster tucked away between touristy shops. At sunset, climb up to Cours Julien , a hip neighborhood with beautiful views for your apéro. Don’t miss the Cité Radieuse , a UNESCO-listed apartment complex that shows off the architect Le Corbusier’s Modernist mastery (you can stay at the hotel in it). And just southeast of the city, the Calanques , a series of small, narrow coves , offer miles of oceanside trails and rocky scrambles along turquoise water.

To stay: Hotel Le Corbusier (€229); Maison Juste (€300).

Soccer: July 24 to 31; tickets from €24.

Summer is peak season in Nice, the queen city of the French Riviera, where the mountains meet the Mediterranean. Run, bike or in-line skate along the Promenade des Anglais , a four-mile seaside path. Then climb up to the Colline du Château , a rocky hill east of the promenade with views of Nice and even as far as the Alps. For a longer walk, follow the trails from Coco Beach to the Cap de Nice along the coves. Then head to Cours Saleya , a pedestrian section of the Old Town, with flower stands, antiques and local food like the socca , a chickpea pancake. The Musée de Préhistoire Terra Amata (€5), constructed on top of an excavation site, reveals what Nice was like up to 400,000 years ago. Or just enjoy one of Nice’s pebbled beaches in a lounge chair.

To stay: Hôtel Rossetti (€186); Yelo Mozart (€238).

Teahupo’o, Tahiti

Surfing: July 27 to 31 ( events could shift through Aug. 4, depending on surf conditions); fan zones free.

For surfing’s second Olympics since its debut in Tokyo, the competition takes place far from mainland France in Tahiti, part of French Polynesia. Since the wave is offshore, there will be two ticket-free fan zones — Taharu’u Beach and Paofai Gardens — to watch the events on large screens. A third fan zone at PK0 beach in Teahupo’o will have free tickets but limited access. Tahiti offers white sands and turquoise lagoons in addition to near-perfect waves. For snorkeling, try the lagoon near Maui Beach , five miles from Teahupo’o. For black volcanic sands, head to Taharu’u Beach, about 20 miles northwest of Teahupo’o. About 45 miles from Teahupo’o, Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, with a population of about 26,000, offers a variety of local delicacies like poisson cru: raw fish with lime juice and coconut milk, served with rice. Sample local fare, including steak frites and skewered veal heart, from food trucks, called roulettes, at Place Vai’ete, on the waterfront, near the Papeete Market.

To stay: Kia Ora Lodge (€265, seven miles from Teahupo’o); Punatea Village (€73, six miles from Teahupo’o).

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

A first-timer's guide to Napa Valley

Apr 28, 2024 • 11 min read

Get to know Napa Valley with our first-timer's guide © Cassiohabib / Shutterstock

Napa Valley is synonymous with luxury. Posh hotels, chef-driven restaurants and extravagant tasting fees cemented that reputation decades ago.

But at its core, Napa is farm country— a place where people dig in the dirt and make a living from the land. Despite all odds, this gives Napa a grounded feeling, even in its swankiest spaces. At the end of the day, visitors come to Napa Valley because they love food, wine and beautiful scenery. It’s a passion shared by the community of this incredible locale. 

The five towns of Napa Valley (St Helena, Yountville, the city of Napa , Calistoga  and American Canyon) are home to 16 wine appellations and more than 400 wineries. The options can be daunting to first-time visitors but we’re here to help. From mud baths in Calistoga to tips for visiting wineries, our first-timer’s guide to Napa Valley will give you everything you need to know to plan a trip here, including the best hotels, wineries, restaurants and activities.

When is the best time to visit Napa? 

It’s always a good time to visit Napa in our book, however, the timing of your trip will impact your experience. Peak tourist season is in summer when the average high temperature is 82°F. If you plan to visit this time of year, you’re unlikely to find any bargains. Make your reservations for lodging, restaurants and wineries as far in advance as you can.

Spring and fall are the next busiest times of the year. Spring brings average high temperatures of 68°F while in fall, high temperatures average 78°F. The lower, but still pleasant, temps are especially appealing for visitors who plan to hike, bike or engage in other outdoor activities. 

Winter temperatures reach an average high of 60°F. This season gets the most rain (although this is California so there will still be plenty of dry, beautiful days). Since winter is the least crowded, it is the most affordable time to visit Napa with many hotels, resorts and spas advertising special packages and discounts off their regular rates.

How much time should I spend in Napa? 

Set aside three to four days for your Napa Valley itinerary. This allows enough time to visit your top wineries and restaurants, plus time for other activities like spa treatments, hiking, lounging by the pool or riding the wine train.

What are the top things to do in Napa Valley? 

Most people come to Napa to visit wineries – more on that later – but don’t overlook Napa’s exceptional culinary, wellness and recreation opportunities.

You can get filthy (in the best possible way) at the north end of the county in Calistoga. Calistoga is recognized around the world for mud made with a mixture of mineral-packed volcanic soil and water drawn from local hot springs. The two most common treatments involve painting it on your body or soaking in a tub of warm, nurturing mud. At least seven spas offer Calistoga mud experiences including the luxurious Spa Talisa at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences and the do-it-yourself mud bar at MoonAcre Spa and Baths . 

Calistoga is also home to two of Napa Valley’s most unique natural attractions. The Old Faithful Geyser is a smaller, but still impressive version of Yellowstone’s most famous jet spout . In Calistoga, Old Faithful shoots hot water 30–80ft towards the sky every 10 to 20 minutes. Just outside of Calistoga at the Napa/Sonoma border, a three million-year-old petrified forest with 1.5 miles of hiking trails provides a fascinating glimpse at geological history. 

No trip to the valley would be complete without a trip to downtown Napa’s Oxbow Public Market ,  a 40,000-sq-ft marketplace packed with locally sourced culinary delights. From California-grown olive oil at the Olive Press to artisan cheeses at the Oxbow Cheese and Wine Merchant , this is the place to stock up for a picnic or edible souvenirs. You’ll also find a bookstore, distillery, bakeries and restaurants. After you’ve finished browsing, find a seat on the riverfront deck out back to sample fresh oysters on the half shell from Hog Island Oyster Bar .  

With menus centered around locally-grown ingredients, Napa is almost as famous for fine dining as it is for wine. Food this fresh is revelatory. A dish, such as fermented soy dip served with raw vegetables pulled from the ground at the Charter Oak , will ruin you forever for grocery store veggies. Other bucket-list dining experiences include the six-course prix-fixe chef’s tasting menu at La Toque , the daily tasting menu at the French Laundry , and Kenzo Napa , where seafood is flown in daily from the finest fish market in Japan. Please note that reservations at these restaurants are coveted, and should be made as far as possible in advance. 

Don’t let these vaunted names fool you into thinking you need to spend a fortune to get a good meal in Napa. The valley is filled with scores of reasonably-priced restaurants including Heritage Eats in Napa where you can feast on comfort foods like a smoked ham bowl or white cheddar mac and cheese for less than $15 a person. For tasting menus, Thomas Keller’s ad hoc offers a daily tasting menu currently priced at $56 a person for lunch or $69 a person at dinner. The  Gate House Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America offers three courses prepared by student chefs for $35 at lunch or four courses for $45 at dinner (please note that restaurant prices are always subject to change). 

For nightlife, the Blue Note Napa Jazz Club hosts an exciting mix of live performances ranging from household names to rising stars and tribute bands. It also holds the Summer Sessions outdoor concert series and the Black Radio Experience at the Meritage Resort and Spa . If you’re on the hunt for a good dive bar, Ana’s Cantina in downtown St Helena is the place for a game of pool, tunes from the jukebox and a stiff drink.

Other top activities in Napa Valley include hiking or biking the 12.5-mile  Napa Valley Vine Trail , which will eventually extend 47 miles from Vallejo to Calistoga.

Tips for visiting wineries in Napa 

Gone are the days when you can walk into virtually any Napa Valley winery and ask for a tasting without an appointment (or even a fee). Although there are a few wineries like Hall Wines in St Helena, where walk-ins are welcome, reservations are required at most wineries in Napa Valley. This helps ensure the wineries have adequate time to guide you through your tasting. From the guest's perspective, appointments are helpful when it comes to budgeting, arranging transportation and planning your Napa itinerary.

The average wine tasting fee in Napa Valley is $40 per person but it isn’t unusual for prices to climb to $200 or even more. Most wineries have a menu of tasting options, with standard tastings at the low end and premium experiences with food pairings, library wines, or guided tours commanding a higher price. Please note that the tip is not included in the tasting price so it will need to be factored into your budget. 

Expect to spend at least 90 minutes at each winery (often longer for premium experiences). For this reason, it’s best to stick to no more than two or three tasting room visits a day. We recommend clustering each day’s reservations in the same area so you won’t have to rush between wineries. For instance, in the Stag’s Leap District, Cliff Lede Vineyards and Baldacci Family Vineyards are only a mile apart. Cliff Lede’s Backstage Lounge Tasting Room Experience offers an elevated tasting with premium wines in a room filled with rotating art and rare rock memorabilia. At Baldacci, the Cave Tour and Tasting Experience includes a cave tour and barrel tasting followed by a seated tasting paired with seasonal appetizers. 

In the Rutherford area, Sullivan Winery is only half a mile from the Prisoner Wine Company . At Sullivan, the Merlot Mastery Tasting starts with a tour of the gardens and grounds before moving on to a seated tasting with two flights of its prized merlot accompanied by light bites. At Prisoner, you’ll find many culinary pairings including the Wine and Dim Sum Experience. 

Attire is wine country casual. A pair of nice jeans, golf shirts, sundresses or casual blouses are the norm in Napa Valley. Do wear comfortable shoes, especially if you plan to walk through the vineyards or participate in a tour.

Expert tip: The Covet Pass offers complimentary tastings at seven Napa wineries and seven Sonoma wineries, plus additional discounts for a one-time fee of $150. 

How to get around in Napa without a car

Napa Valley is 30 miles long and stretches at most 5 miles wide. In this sense, Napa is small and easy to navigate, but driving can be tricky in a destination centered around wine. Luckily, if you don’t have a designated driver there are several ways to get around Napa without a car. 

The Napa Valley Wine Train offers several tasting journeys including a 36-mile roundtrip through gorgeous scenery to disembark for seated tastings at Charles Krug Winery and V. Sattui Winery . A four-course lunch is served onboard. You can also hitch a ride to three tasting rooms in an open-air San Francisco cable car on the Napa Valley Wine Trolley . 

Many tour operators provide transportation to Napa wineries. Several, like Napa Valley Wine Country Tours , offer a choice between public group tours, which are less expensive, or private tours with a customized itinerary. 

If you prefer to get around by foot, base yourself in the cities of Napa or Yountville. Napa has more than 50 downtown tasting rooms and there are 14 walkable tasting rooms in downtown Yountville. 

Where to stay

If there was ever a place to treat yourself to a nice hotel, it’s Napa Valley. The region is home to some of the best hotels in the country, with grounds and accommodations so astonishingly beautiful you might not want to leave to go wine tasting (but definitely leave to go wine tasting). If you’re in the position to splurge our top picks are: 

The Poetry Inn is an exclusive property with only five guest rooms and a small, on-site spa. The all-suite hotel is the epitome of privacy and luxury with huge guest rooms featuring private sitting areas, outdoor patios, and indoor and outdoor showers with stunning hillside or vineyard views. A gourmet multicourse breakfast is included with each stay. Poetry Inn is the only hotel in the Stag Leap district. 

Meadowood Napa Valley in St Helena is set on a magnificent 250-acre estate with mature, oaks and native plants surrounding 36 suites and guest rooms with soaking tubs and private outdoor sitting areas. Hiking trails, tennis courts, swimming pools, a Wine Center and a tranquil spa ensure you’ll never lack activities during your stay. 

Carneros Resort and Spa offers standalone cottages and homes surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards in Napa. Amenities include a luxurious onsite spa, two swimming pools, pickle ball courts with an adjacent Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar and Lounge, a complimentary buffet breakfast, and access to Cadillac Luxury Vehicles during your stay. 

If a mid-range hotel is better suited for your budget we recommend the Meritage Resort and Spa or Silverado Resort . The Meritage offers perks like a complimentary shuttle service to downtown Napa and a verdant lawn surrounded by tasting rooms and an upscale market. At the Silverado Resort, amenities include golf courses, bocce ball courts, a pool and a fitness center.

The most affordable lodging options in Napa Valley are generally found in American Canyon, which offers several reliable, reasonably-priced chains such as the DoubleTree by Hilton Napa Valley American Canyon and Holiday Inn Express and Suites Napa Valley American Canyon .

My favorite thing to do in Napa 

When I come to Napa I love to take a class to enhance my appreciation of food and wine or learn a fun, new skill. I’ve never been anywhere else where classes are so varied and accessible, so I take advantage whenever I can. Often, these classes are offered directly through my hotel. The Wine Center at Meadowood Napa Valley runs classes ranging from introductory tutorials on Napa wine to advanced courses on subjects like the history of the wine label. Carneros Resort and Spa has a dazzling array of daily classes focusing on everything from sabering champagne bottles to pickleball. 

The Culinary Institute of America is my hands-down choice for cooking classes with options for group or private instruction. I’ve also found classes offered at Napa Valley wineries. Bouchaine Vineyards regularly hosts an exciting roster of sessions on topics like pairing wine and cheese, blending wine and even falconry. 

How much do you need to budget for a trip to Napa?

The amount you’ll need to spend on a trip to Napa is highly variable depending on your itinerary and even the season you choose to visit. Although it is generally considered a luxury destination, you can still plan an affordable trip to Napa with the tips and tricks in this first-timer’s guide. The numbers below are not definitive but will provide a general idea of how much it costs for budget-conscious, midrange, and luxury travelers to visit Napa.

• Hotel room for two: $100–1200 a night 
• Rental home/Airbnb for two: $200–1000 a night 
• Wine tasting fees: $25–250 per person at each winery (not including tip) 
• Lunch for two: $30–100 per person
• Dinner for two: $100–300 per person (or more)
• Glass of wine: $13–50 
• Bottle of wine: $108 average
• Group shuttle to wineries: $125 per person
• Private transportation to wineries: $600 (and up) 
• Spa treatment: $100–400 per person (and up)

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Bon Jovi docuseries 'Thank You, Goodnight' is an argument for respect

Eric Deggans

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013. David Bergman/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013.

Hulu's docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story , spends a lot of time building up the Bon Jovi legend — exploring the band's almost unbelievable 40-plus-year run from playing hardscrabble rock clubs in New Jersey to earning platinum albums and entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But what moved me most in the four-part series was something more revealing: its close look at the struggle by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi to overcome vocal problems which nearly led him to quit the band.

Footage of the singer croaking through vocal exercises, undergoing laser treatments, enduring acupuncture and finally turning to surgery is sprinkled throughout the series, which toggles back and forth between his problems in 2022 and a chronological story of the band's triumphs and tragedies from its earliest days.

Refusing to be Fat Elvis

Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank You, Goodnight . Disney/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank You, Goodnight .

Through it all, a question hangs: Will Bon Jovi ever recover enough vocal strength to lead a 40th anniversary tour?

"If I can't be the very best I can be, I'm out," he tells the cameras, still looking a bit boyish despite his voluminous gray hair at age 62. "I'm not here to drag down the legacy, I'm not here for the 'Where are they now?' tour ... I'm not ever gonna be the Fat Elvis ... That ain't happening."

Filmmaker Gotham Chopra — who has also directed docuseries about his father, spiritualist Deepak Chopra, and star quarterback Tom Brady — digs deeply into the band's history, aided by boatloads of pictures, video footage and early recordings provided by the group.

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank You, Goodnight Disney/Hulu hide caption

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank You, Goodnight

Chopra gets folks from the group's tight inner circle to speak up, including former manager Doc McGhee and guitarist Richie Sambora, who quit the band in 2013. ("Are we telling the truth, or are we going to lie, what are we going to do?" Sambora cracks to his offscreen interviewer. "Let's figure it out.")

But anyone expecting gossipy dish will walk away disappointed. Even major scandals in the band's history are handled with care, including the firing of founding bassist Alec John Such in 1994 (and the admission that his replacement, Hugh McDonald, already had been secretly playing bass parts on their albums for years), drummer Tico Torres' stint in addiction treatment and Sambora's decision to quit midway through a tour in 2013, with no notice to bandmates he had performed alongside for 30 years.

Alec John Such, a founding member of Bon Jovi, dies at 70

Sambora's explanation: When issues with substance use and family problems led him to miss recording sessions, Bon Jovi got producer John Shanks to play more guitar on their 2013 record What About Now . And Sambora was hurt.

"[Bon Jovi] had the whole thing kinda planned out," Sambora says, "which basically was telling me, um, 'I can do it without you.'"

Building a band on rock anthems

Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil X. Disney/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil X.

The docuseries shows how young New Jersey native John Bongiovi turned a job as a gofer at legendary recording studio The Power Station – owned by a cousin — into a recording of his first hit in the early 1980s, Runaway . His song eventually caught the ear of another little-known artist from New Jersey called Bruce Springsteen.

"The first demo I got of Jon's was a good song," says Springsteen, a longtime friend of Bon Jovi. "I mean, Jon's great talent is these big, powerful pop rock choruses that just demand to be sung by, you know, 20,000 people in an arena."

Music Interviews

Rock star jon bon jovi comes full 'circle'.

Thank You, Goodnight shows the band really took off by honing those rock anthems with songwriter Desmond Child, while simultaneously developing videos that showcased their status as a fun, rollicking live band. Hits like You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted: Dead or Alive made them MTV darlings and rock superstars.

Through it all, the singer and bandleader is shown as the group's visionary and spark plug, open about how strategically he pushed the band to write hit songs and positioned them for commercial success.

"It wasn't as though I woke up one morning and was the best singer in the school, or on the block, or in my house," he tells the camera, laughing. "I just had a desire and a work ethic that was always the driving force."

I saw that dynamic up close in the mid-1990s when I worked as a music critic in New Jersey, spending time with Jon Bon Jovi and the band. Back then, his mother ran the group's fan club and was always trying to convince the local rock critic to write about her superstar son – I was fascinated by how the band shrugged off criticisms of being uncool and survived changing musical trends, led by a frontman who worked hard to stay grounded.

Bon Jovi was always gracious and willing to talk; he even introduced me to then-New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman at one of his legendary Christmas charity concerts. (And in a crazy coincidence, the band's backup singer Everett Bradley is an old friend from college.)

I think the docuseries captures Bon Jovi's skill at leading the group through challenges musical and otherwise — from metal's slow fade off the pop charts to the rise of grunge rock — something the singer rarely gets credit for achieving.

Still, much of Thank You, Goodnight feels like an extended celebration of the band and its charismatic frontman, leavened by his earnest effort to regain control of his voice. If you're not a Bon Jovi fan, four episodes of this story may feel like a bit much (I'd recommend at least watching the first and last episodes.)

More than anything, the docuseries feels like an extended argument for something Bon Jovi has struggled to achieve, even amid million selling records and top-grossing concert tours – respect as a legendary rock band.

The audio and digital versions of this story were edited by Jennifer Vanasco .

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Mother's day gift guide 2024: the best running shoes for women.

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You'll need a pair of great shoes for your next run.

There’s much to consider when selecting a running shoe. Will you be running on the pavement, a treadmill, or a crushed-gravel trail? Is it more important for a shoe to be lightweight for competing or cushioned for comfort and knee relief? Is your gate neutral or does over pronation occur?

Shoes are also designed with women’s feet and bodies in mind, differentiating from men’s styles. Women tend to have a wider forefront and narrower heel, for example, as well as larger hips, which can lead to variances in where feet tend to strike the ground. If your mom loves to jog around the neighborhood or crush marathons, here are the best running shoes for women.

HOKA: Mach 6

HOKA Mach 6

The first thing you’ll notice about the HOKA Mach 6 is how sprightly it is. There’s an upgraded midsole and rubber outsole for topnotch traction and durability. The upper has such great breathability that even when you’re wearing your thick running socks, your feet can still get some aeration. Just like the Mach X and Mach 5, the Mach 6 is designed for not only everyday runs and speed, but also, a responsive ride. The biggest difference, however, is that the Mach 6 is lighter than the others.

Where to Buy: hoka.com.

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Apple id password resets are hitting iphone ipad mac users, new ios 18 ai security move changes the game for all iphone users, brooks: trace 3.

Just because you’re concerned about a high performing running shoe for race day, doesn’t mean you can’t also put your dollars toward a good cause. The Trace 3, part of the Run Proud Collection, has a new shoe for the Brooks Artist Series, which spotlights underrepresented running communities through limited-edition custom art. Queer illustrator and contemporary designer, Adam Dalton Blake has designed a multi-hued fun shoe that not only looks great, but also, performs well. Everyday road runners will love this shoe, which is responsive and designed with a breathable upper.

Where to Buy: brooksrunning.com.

Craft Sportswear: Pacer

The grippy women’s Craft Pacer running shoe is great for toes that need a bit more wiggle room. Built for stability and speed, these high performing kicks are lightweight and super responsive. You’ll be able to feel your feet as they run around the track or hit the pavement and the foam midsole will help you spring into action to accomplish your training goals. Choose from three different colors and pair with a stylish matching running kit.

Where to Buy: craftsports.us.

Saucony: Endorphin Pro 4

Endorphin Pro 4

Whether your mom is training for the Life Time Chicago Spring Half Marathon or the 10K this spring, she’ll need a shoe that can go the distance. The women’s Endorphin Pro 4 is a stellar race day shoe. Made specifically for speed training and racing, this neutral shoe has a full carbon plate; unique speedroll technology, which helps propel you forward; and a heel liner for an ideal fit. If the Endorphin Elite and Endorphin Speed 4 had a baby, you’d get the lightweight Endorphin Pro 4.

Where to Buy: saucony.com.

HOKA: Skyward X

If you like the Gaviota 5 or the Bondi 8 for your everyday runs, then you’re going to be really excited about the new Skyward X from HOKA. This shoe has the same great cushioning that you know and love from the Bondi and Gaviota, however, there’s a carbon fiber plate that bows in the middle for a springy and smooth ride. The best part: the American Podiatric Medical Association, which determines which products are beneficial to foot health, has given the Skyward X its seal of acceptance.

Altra: Escalante 4

Escalante 4

For road running, track running, or speed work, the Altra Escalante 4 is a high performing shoe with all of the bells and whistles. Choose from five different colors—the mint is a standout—and a variety of sizes. Designed to fit the real shape of your foot, with ample space in the toe box, these shoes also have a comfortable knit tongue, which are ideal details for long-term comfort while working out. Lightweight, these shoes have neutral support and will surely be your go-to kicks on your daily runs.

Where to Buy: altrarunning.com.

For runners who need to rest their feet, yet still aim to get outside to get their steps in, look no further than the KLAW 528, a shoe that is perfectly designed for slower movement. The arch support, wide toe box, and deep heel cup have restorative benefits on your down days when you want to log walking miles and light workouts, giving your gams a break from the more intense training. The American Podiatric Medical Association awarded these shoes their seal of acceptance.

Where to Buy: Klawfootwear.com.

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• Key Street: Michigan Ave. Leads to 7 Key Hotels in Chicago

A brief guide to all the MICHELIN Key hotels in Chicago.

Travel Hotels Chicago MICHELIN Keys

On April 24, 2024, the MICHELIN Guide announced its very first Key hotels in the United States — a brand new distinction recognizing the most outstanding hotels in the country. We're thrilled to report that in Chicago, eight hotels earned at least One Key. Of those, half make their home in the kinds of historic buildings that give this city its well-earned reputation as one of the most architecturally distinguished cities in the country. Follow Michigan Avenue north from the heart of the Loop to the Gold Coast and you’ll pass within two blocks of all but one of them. The Chicago Athletic Association sits within a Venetian Gothic landmark. The Gwen makes its home in a storied 1929 Art Deco skyscraper. The Pendry sets up shop in the masterpiece that is the 1929 Art Deco Carbide & Carbon Building. And the lower floors of the Viceroy make use of the meticulously-preserved, 1920s-vintage Cedar Hotel. There are Key hotels too in newer builds, among them the Peninsula (with uniformed bellboys and staffers who seem to know the name of each individual guest) and the Waldorf Astoria , its lobby a marble marvel. Below, explore the map and scroll down for more about each of the MICHELIN Guide’s eight hotels in Chicago.

The Eight KEY Hotels in Chicago:

Chicago Athletic Association — One Key

Pendry Chicago — Two Keys

The Langham Chicago — Two Keys

The Gwen — One Key

The Peninsula Chicago — Two Keys

Waldorf Astoria Chicago — One Key

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Nobu Hotel Chicago — One Key

Top image: Pendry Chicago

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