Getting there
To make things interesting, I opted to effect the whole journey by rail; the service now provided by Eurostar and Voyages-SNCF being impressive in journey times – 4½ hours travelling in total from London.
Moreover, if you take the 10.58 Eurostar from St Pancras, you get to Lille with enough of a time gap to wander into the city for lunch for a few hours before heading for the 15.53 TGV to Lyon.
10 brilliant places to eat in Lille
All services throughout France can be arranged through Voyages-SNCF in the UK.www.voyages-sncf.com.
Rail fares from London to Lyon start at £108 standard class return
We stayed at the Hotel Mercure Saxe-Lafayette on rue du Bonnel, and found this perfect for our needs, especially with the integral restaurant, Le Garage. I made the mistake of thinking I could comfortably walk from Part-Dieu station. Don’t do that; take a taxi.
Getting around and planning a visit
The underground metro or the tram network are the best ways of getting round, and are especially adapted to the needs of tourists. Buy a 1-day Ticket for unlimited travel on all forms of transport.
A Lyon City Card gains admission to 21 museums, numerous other sights and transport, as well as reductions in theatres and VIP shopping discounts. Prices for adults: 1-day €22, 2-day €32, 3-day €42. (www.lyoncitycard.com).
Website for Lyon Tourist Office:
After two busy days patrolling the essential sights of Lyon, it was good to relax and be less organised. That’s where a visit to the Parc de la Tête d'Or played a part.
Situated on the banks of the Rhone, the Parc covers an area of 105 hectares, and was modelled on the archetypal English garden. It includes a 16-hectare lake created in an arm of the Rhône. The park also includes the Botanical Garden of Lyon, created originally in 1796 on the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, and transferred to the park in 1857; it is the largest botanical garden in France.
The name derives from folklore, which proclaims that a golden head of Christ is buried here; cynics might feel that it is simply a ruse to get everyone in to do the digging. Be that as it may, I found the park, in spite of my dislike of any form of zoo, a refreshing place, and certainly much larger than I imagined...it was only one inch on my map.
The inherent danger of a limited-time visit to a great city such as Lyon is that you spread yourselves too thinly. So from the parc, it makes sense to head across to the Rhône, and stroll along its banks back towards the centre; in summer there are plenty of barge-restaurants to experience at lunch time, or simply to wander off, back into Vieux Lyon for a leisurely recap. Whatever you decide, a three-day visit will allow you to get a real flavour of this splendid city.
Alas, three-days does breed a longing to return.
C'est la vie.
DAY 3: Parks and gardens - time to relax