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Lyon, France
Lyon

Where to stay in Lyon

Settle on the central Presqu'ile peninsula for a first visit, Croix-Rousse for food-led evenings, or Vieux Lyon for Renaissance cobbles.

Written by the Departly editorial team Reviewed against GOV.UK on 10 Jun 2026
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In short

Where to stay in Lyon

For a first Lyon trip, stay on the Presqu'ile, the central peninsula around Place Bellecour, unless you have a clear reason not to. It sits between the Saone and the Rhone, so you walk to both Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse without a river crossing, and it has the most metro and restaurant choice. Choose Croix-Rousse for better-value, food-led evenings away from the tour groups, Vieux Lyon for cobbled Renaissance atmosphere, and Part-Dieu only if you are arriving late by TGV and leaving early.

The short version

  • Best all-rounder: Presqu'ile, around Place Bellecour and Cordeliers.
  • Best value: Croix-Rousse, the silk-weavers' hill.
  • Best atmosphere: Vieux Lyon, the Renaissance old town below Fourviere.
  • Best for rail arrivals and a one-night stopover: around Part-Dieu station.
  • Avoid using the main Vieux Lyon bouchon strip as your hotel filter; it is a daytime tour-group lane, not a base strategy.

Best areas to book

Presqu'ile

££ mid-range

The Haussmannian peninsula between the two rivers, anchored by Place Bellecour and the Cordeliers metro. The cleanest first-timer choice: you cross no river to reach Vieux Lyon or Croix-Rousse, you have the densest run of metro stops, shops on Rue de la Republique and a real bouchon scene around Rue des Marronniers. It costs a little more than the hills, but it saves a river crossing every day.

Best for: First-timers, couples, short stays

Browse hotels Central peninsula

Vieux Lyon

££ mid-range

Cobbled Renaissance lanes at the foot of Fourviere, threaded with traboules and the heaviest bouchon traffic in the city. Photogenic and atmospheric for a short trip, and the funicular up to the basilica starts here, but expect tour-group footfall by day and choose your restaurant off the main Rue Saint-Jean strip rather than on it.

Best for: Atmosphere, history, old-town walks

Browse hotels West bank, below Fourviere

Croix-Rousse

£ value

The former silk-weaving hill just north of the Presqu'ile: leafy squares, a proper daily market on Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse, bohemian bars and the Mur des Canuts mural. More residential and a steep climb (or a metro stop on Line C), but it gives you better value and a far more local evening than the old town. The pick for a second visit or a food-led long weekend.

Best for: Value, food-led trips, repeat visitors

Browse hotels 10-15 min uphill or by metro

Part-Dieu

££ mid-range

The business and rail district on the east bank, built around Lyon Part-Dieu station and the city's largest shopping centre. It is the least atmospheric base and a tram or metro ride from the old-town sights, but it is unbeatable for a TGV arrival or a Rhonexpress airport connection, and chain hotels here are reliable and often cheaper midweek. Pick it for a one-night stopover, not a sightseeing trip.

Best for: Rail arrivals, stopovers, business

Browse hotels East bank, ~10 min by metro to Bellecour

Confluence

££ mid-range

The redeveloped southern tip where the Saone meets the Rhone, with modern architecture, the Musee des Confluences and a riverside mall. Good for design-led stays and easy parking, but it is a tram ride from Vieux Lyon and quiet after the shops close. Suits drivers and longer stays more than a two-night first trip.

Best for: Modern hotels, drivers, longer stays

Browse hotels Southern tip, ~15 min by tram

Brotteaux and the 6th

££ mid-range

An elegant residential quarter on the east bank near the Parc de la Tete d'Or, with grand apartment blocks, the old Brotteaux station facade and good neighbourhood restaurants. Calmer and a touch cheaper than the Presqu'ile, with the city's big park on the doorstep, but you cross the Rhone for the old-town sights. A good fit for families and slower trips.

Best for: Families, parks, quieter stays

Browse hotels East bank, by the Parc de la Tete d'Or

The simple choice

If you are booking in a hurry, filter for the Presqu'ile first, somewhere between Place Bellecour and Place des Terreaux, then compare Croix-Rousse if prices look high. That single rule keeps most first-timers out of the two common traps: booking on the main Vieux Lyon tourist lane and eating badly at the unlabelled bouchons there, or staying out by Part-Dieu and crossing the city for every dinner. From a Presqu'ile base you can walk to a 'Bouchons Lyonnais' labelled restaurant, climb to Fourviere by funicular and reach Croix-Rousse on one metro line.

Compare Presqu'ile hotels

Safety and noise

Lyon is generally safe, and GOV.UK's main day-to-day flag for France is pickpocketing around big sights, stations and on public transport rather than anything area-specific. For accommodation that means a quieter Presqu'ile or Croix-Rousse street usually beats a room right on Rue Saint-Jean in Vieux Lyon, where the bouchon-strip noise runs late, or one backing onto the Part-Dieu station concourse. The 8 December Fete des Lumieres is the one date when central streets are genuinely packed past midnight, so book a side-street room and expect the crowds if you come for it.

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Keep planning Lyon

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Where to stay in Lyon FAQs

Presqu'ile or Vieux Lyon for a first trip?
Presqu'ile for most people. It is more central, has more metro stops and restaurant choice, and you reach Vieux Lyon on foot across one bridge. Choose Vieux Lyon only if Renaissance cobbles and traboules are the main draw and you accept the daytime tour-group footfall and late bouchon-strip noise.
Is it worth staying near Part-Dieu station?
Only for a stopover. Part-Dieu is where the TGV and the Rhonexpress airport tram arrive, so it is convenient for a late arrival or early departure and the chain hotels are reliable. For a sightseeing trip it is the dullest base and a metro ride from the old town, so stay on the Presqu'ile instead and walk to dinner.
Where should I stay in Lyon on a budget?
Croix-Rousse. The silk-weavers' hill north of the Presqu'ile has better-value rooms, a real daily market and a local evening scene, and it is one metro stop from the centre. It is a steeper, more residential base than the peninsula, but you eat where Lyonnais actually eat rather than on the tourist strip.

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