🇫🇷 Lyon | A 2-Day Itinerary to Avoid Crowds 🗺️

Before doing any research at all, I really didn’t have high expectations for this city.😁 After all, it’s not as famous as Paris or Nice. But it was precisely because of these low initial expectations that it ended up surprising me. We spent two days here, and with the attractions being compactly located, strolling around at a leisurely pace felt just right. It’s a clean, well-organized city, free from the crowds of people rushing to check in at popular spots, yet every corner is filled with stories: 💡 France’s second-largest city 💡 Hometown of the author of The Little Prince 💡 Its old town is the first medieval district in France to be listed as a World Heritage Site 🗓 Day 1 In the morning, we walked along the river to the bridge. After crossing it, we took the cable car directly to the Basilique de Fourvière (Fourvière Basilica). Tip 🔔: There are self-service ticket machines at the cable car station; you need to pay by card (around 4 euros) or you can use the Lyon City Bus Card to ride the cable car 🚡. The interior of the basilica is resplendent with gold, decorated in a Byzantine style overall. Walk out of the church, turn right, and you’ll see the "Little Eiffel Tower"—the Fourvière Signal Tower, which, like the one in Paris, was also built for the World’s Fair.👉👈 The viewing platform on the left side of the church offers a panoramic view of the entire city. A short walk further brings you to the ruins of the Ancient Roman Theatre, one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in France. Walking down the mountain path, we arrived at the lively old town, where there’s a more Gothic-style main cathedral. The old town is full of life, with various fridge magnets, souvenirs, exquisite shops, and plenty of restaurants and dessert stores.🌈🌈 🍦 We had ice cream from the Italian brand AMORINO, shaped like flowers. It’s high in consistent in taste, and highly recommended! Note ⚠: Many popular restaurants in the old town require advance reservations in the evening; otherwise, you really won’t get a table.🍐🎼🍐🎼 🗓 Day 2 We started our day’s exploration from Lyon’s northern landmark mural, the Mur des Canuts (Mural of the Canuts). The entire wall depicts the real lives of local workers and is one of the largest outdoor murals in Europe. As we walked along, murals would pop up on the streets from time to time. The most famous one, closest to the river, is 🎨 the Fresque des Lyonnais (Mural of the Lyonnais). It features 30 historical figures from Lyon (including the author of The Little Prince, the Lumière brothers, ...) all in 1:1 scale. Not far away, there’s a hidden gem of an art museum known as the "Little Louvre of France": 🏛 Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (Lyon Museum of Fine Arts) 👀👀It’s low-key but has an extremely rich collection: Egyptian artifacts, plates from the Qing Dynasty, ancient Greek sculptures, Impressionist and modern artworks (ps: it’s the second-richest art museum in France in terms of collections). Turn left outside the museum, and there’s also a super interesting "Mona Lisa Mural". 🌹 We didn’t specifically plan to visit attractions related to The Little Prince, but it was that in Lyon, you always "encounter" him—whether in wall murals, street sculptures, or souvenir shops. He’s like the spiritual symbol of the city, popping up in front of you from time to time. If you’re planning a trip to France, be sure to add this city to your list.🌸 #RelaxedTravel #Lyon