Lyon: Some Hints and Practical Information

• Getting around and going out
• Restaurants
• Eating/drinking, beside restaurants
• Books
• Medical problems

Getting around and going out

Rhônexpress is the shuttle that connects the airport to the city.

TCL is the local public transportation company.

If you like cycling, you can try the velo'v rental bike system. From ENS Lyon, there is a very nice cycling path going north, to the city center, along the Rhône river.

SNCF is the national railway company.

Going out in Lyon (Sortir à Lyon) (unfortunately, it is only available in French).

The official web site of the city (in French).

The tourism office.

A website in English dedicated to Lyon.

A site which may contain interesting information: My little Lyon.

A page presenting the street markets in Lyon. The farmer's market of the Wednesday evening Place Carnot is interesting. Le marché de la création takes place every Sunday morning on the River Saône banks.

You can also visit Les Halles de Lyon, 102 cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon (food is an important matter in Lyon!).

Restaurants

If you are interested in food and wine, Lyon is a pretty nice place for both. If you can read some French, you can have a look at Le petit paumé and more precisely at this page. RPPP means "Recommandé par le Petit Paumé" (recommended by the Petit Paumé).

I (= Nicolas B.) like (they are sorted in alphabetical order):

• Les adrets, 30 rue du Boeuf, 69005 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 38 24 30, Métro Vieux Lyon. Nice food, very nice wine offer.
• L'âme soeur, 209 rue Duguesclin, 69003 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 42 47 78. Same chef/owner as Fleurie. Open for lunch from Monday to Friday and for dinner from Tuesday to Friday. Nice wine offer.
• Balthaz'art, 7 rue des pierres plantées, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 07 08 88. Good and creative cooking.
• Le bistrot des voraces, 13, rue d'Austerlitz, 69004 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 07 71 86. Nice food for a very reasonable price, especially for dinner (23 euros for the menu).
• Café des Féderations, 10, rue du Major Martin, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 28 26 00. Good "bouchon" (traditional cooking from Lyon).
• Chez Terra, 81 rue Duguesclin, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 89 05 04 : excellent Japanese food. Japanese friends of mine told me that they feel like home when they go there.
• Le Comptoir du Vin, 2 Rue de Belfort, 69004 Lyon, +33 (0) 4 78 39 89 95. Kind of « bouchon ». Just try it!
• Daniel et Denise, 156 rue de Créqui, 69003 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 60 66 53. Good "bouchon" (traditional cooking from Lyon).
• Daniel et Denise Croix-Rousse, 8, rue de Cuire, 69004 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 28 27 44. Good "bouchon" (traditional cooking from Lyon).
• Daniel et Denise Saint Jean, 36 rue Tramassac, 69005 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 42 24 62. Métro Vieux Lyon. Good "bouchon" (traditional cooking from Lyon).
• Doma, 11 rue Lanterne, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 39 31 91. Good Japanese food that you can take away or have on site, on basic benches and tables.
• Le Garet, 7, rue du Garet, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 28 16 94. Good "bouchon" (traditional cooking from Lyon).
• Le gourmet de Sèze, 129 rue Sèze, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 24 23 42. Exquisite french cooking. Good ratio quality/price.
• Le Jean Moulin, 45, Rue de Sèze, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 37 37 97. Modern and inventive cuisine, reasonably priced.
• La Mère Jean, 5 rue des Marronniers, 69002 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 37 81 27. Good "bouchon" (traditional cooking from Lyon).
• M le bistrot de Mathieu Viannay, 47 avenue Foch, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 89 55 19. Good and creative cooking, outdoor terrace.
• La Mère Brazier, 12 rue Royale, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 23 17 20. Excellent cooking but expensive (two Michelin stars).
• Le neuvième art, 173 rue Cuvier, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0) 4 72 74 12 74. Outstanding creative French cuisine (two Michelin stars).
• PY restaurant, 16, Cours Vitton, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0) 4 78 52 71 30. Excellent cooking, pleasant atmosphere and place. An excellent ratio quality/price.
• Le Saint Vincent, 6 place Fernand Rey, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 07 70 43. Good cooking and nice outdoor terrace, located down the Croix-Rousse hill.
• Saku, 27, rue Rachais, 69007 Lyon, + 33 (0) 4 78 69 45 31. Excellent French-Japanese cooking.

Restaurants close to ENS Lyon

I recommend Bergamote 123, rue de Gerland, 69007 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 72 64 32.

Otherwise, the following ones are OK:

• Ninkasi, rue Marcel Mérieux; next to the Metro "Stade de Gerland" -- pub-like (beers, burgers, etc.), as well as a restaurant; music too on some evenings.
• Venezia, 237 rue Marcel Mérieux, 69007 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 58 64 76
• Carnegie Hall, 253 rue Marcel Mérieux, 69007 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 58 85 79 (specialized in meat)
• Tiger Wok, 8 rue Challemel Lacour, 69007 Lyon, +33 (0)4 37 28 55 11
• You might also like to visit the oysters place on place des Pavillons.

Eating/drinking, beside restaurants

If you want to have dinner late at night, a few addresses (I did not try the first three):

• Quai 31, 31 quai Gailleton, 69002 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 42 24 54. 20:00-04:00, 7/7.
• La Gratinée, 18 rue Téraille, 69001 Lyon. +33 (0)4 72 00 87 44. 23:00 - 7:00, 7/7.
• Au P'tit Zing, 56 quai Pierre Scize, 69005 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 07 90 81. 19:30-04:00, 7/7. Compared to restaurants of the same quality, the prices are higher but it is really convenient to have the opportunity of eating a decent meal after midnight. Due to its success, it is more or less compulsory to call to make a reservation.

You can have very good ice creams at:

• Terre adélice, 1 place de la Baleine, 69005 Lyon (Vieux Lyon)
• René Nardone glacier, 26 quai de Bondy, 69005 Lyon (Vieux Lyon).

Chocolate:

• Bernachon, 42 cours Franklin Roosevelt, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 24 37 98
• La Toque Blanche, 11 rue d’Austerlitz, 69004 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 07 90 52
• Richart, two shops in Lyon

Pâtisserie:

• Rolancy, 16 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69004 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 28 70 53

Bakery:

• Partisan boulanger, 2 rue du Chariot d'Or, 69004 Lyon. Really, really good bread and croissants. Nice pâtisserie as well. Highly commendable!

You can buy very good (but sometimes expensive) food products in Les Halles de Lyon, 102 cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon.

Cafés/bars:

• Kaffee Berlin, 26 cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon
• Le bistrot fait sa broc', 3 rue Dumenge 69004 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 07 93 47
• Le court-circuit, 13 rue Jangot 69007 Lyon
• L'âne sans queue, 7, Place Colbert, 69001 Lyon, +33 (0)9 87 02 04 57
• The Smoking Dog, 16, rue Lainerie, 69005 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 28 38 27
• You can have a drink on a péniche (typical boat) tied-up to a dock on the river Rhône, le Sirius for instance.

If you are interested in wines, it will be a pleasure for us to talk about it if you like. You will find fairly nice hints from Cave Valmy (either 27 pl Valmy, 69009 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 83 71 68, or 5 rue d'Austerlitz, 69004 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 30 14 60). Other nice wine shops are Antic Wine, 18 rue du Bœuf, 69005 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 37 08 96, or Maison Malleval.

You can get fine teas from Cha Yuan. Two shops in Lyon. Here and here. Very fine teas also at Damman Frères, 3, rue confort, 69002 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 37 94 56

Books

There is a big bookshop called Decitre located at Place Bellecour (you can find books in English there).

Other bookshops in the city center:

• Librairie Passages, 11 rue de Brest, 69002 Lyon, +33 (0)4 72 56 34 84.
• Librairie Descours, 31 rue Auguste Comte, 69002 Lyon, +33 (0)4 78 42 65 67.
• Two FNAC: one located at 85 Rue de la République, 69002 Lyon, +33 (0)8 25 02 00 20 and another at Centre Commercial Part-Dieu, 69003 Lyon, +33 (0)8 25 02 00 20.

There is a huge shopping mall at la Part-Dieu (next to the railway station) and another one in the "quartier Confluence" (south of Perrache railway station).

Medical problems

Richard Topenot is a nice general practitioner.

In case of a medical problem in the evening or during the week-end, one possibility is to go there.

Otherwise, of course, there are emergency services in some hospitals: see this page and this page (a page in English is available there).