Where to Stay in Lyon: Areas Compared, With Verdicts by Trip Type
Stay in the Presqu'île on a first visit. Vieux Lyon for old streets, Croix-Rousse for a local feel, Part-Dieu for trains. Areas compared by trip type.
The short answer. On a first visit, stay in the Presqu’île, the strip of land between the Rhône and the Saône around place Bellecour and place des Terreaux. You can walk to most of the centre and the metro runs through it. Pick Vieux Lyon if you’d rather sleep among Renaissance streets and don’t mind cobbles and a bit of a climb, Croix-Rousse for a local, hilly neighbourhood, and Part-Dieu only if a train decides everything.
Roam Lyon read 13 guides on this question, in English and French. They lean one way. Seven name the Presqu’île for a first visit and three name Vieux Lyon, and all 13 give Vieux Lyon the history. Roam Lyon is a data platform as well as a guide, so the transport details below come from official pages and Roam’s own place data, not from those guides. No hotel is named and no price is quoted, because none has been checked against its own page. Look at rooms on the map and on a booking site for your dates.
What the guides agree on
Vieux Lyon for history. Recommended by 13 of 13 guides read. Every guide describes it the same way, a Renaissance quarter at the foot of Fourvière hill with traboules and old squares. The Vieux Lyon guide lists what’s there.
The Presqu’île is central and walkable. Recommended by 12 of 13 guides read. Place Bellecour, place des Terreaux and the shopping streets are all in it, and the two rivers are on either side. The Presqu’île guide covers the streets, and Place Bellecour is the middle of it.
Croix-Rousse for a local feel. Recommended by 10 of 13 guides read. They describe a hillside of silk-weavers’ workshops, markets and bars that feels apart from the centre. The Croix-Rousse guide has the sights and the markets.
Croix-Rousse is steep. Reported by 9 of 13 guides read. The slopes (les pentes) climb from place des Terreaux to the plateau, and the guides tell you to expect a lot of walking up. The Cour des Voraces staircase is on those slopes.
Part-Dieu for trains. Recommended by 9 of 13 guides read. It’s the main station, and the guides send you there if you arrive late, leave early or want the airport shuttle. Rhônexpress runs between Part-Dieu and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport every day from 4:25 to 0:00, about every 15 minutes, and its page gives 30 minutes for the trip. The Part-Dieu guide shows what’s around the station.
The Presqu’île is busy and loud at night. Reported by 9 of 13 guides read. Bars around Terreaux and rue de la République keep going late, and several say street-facing rooms can be noisy. Ask for a room on a courtyard or an upper floor.
Guillotière for a lower budget. Recommended by 8 of 13 guides read. It’s across the Rhône from the Presqu’île and the guides call it cosmopolitan, young and cheaper. Metro line B stops at Jean Macé and tram T2 at Centre Berthelot, per Roam’s Guillotière guide.
The Presqu’île for a first visit. Recommended by 7 of 13 guides read. Their reasons are the same as the central, walkable point above. Three of them put Vieux Lyon first instead.
Fourvière for views and calm evenings. Recommended by 7 of 13 guides read. It’s the hill above Vieux Lyon, with the basilica and the Roman theatres. The Fourvière guide says the funicular (line F2) runs from Vieux Lyon, Cathédrale Saint-Jean, which is on metro line D, up to the basilica.
Brotteaux and Tête d’Or for a calm stay. Recommended by 7 of 13 guides read. Families come up most, because the park is on the doorstep and the streets are residential. Metro line B stops at Brotteaux and line A at Foch, per the Parc de la Tête d’Or guide.
Confluence for something modern. Recommended by 6 of 13 guides read. It’s the new riverside district at the south end of the Presqu’île. The Musée des Confluences has its own tram stop, and Perrache station is the closest main interchange, per Roam’s Confluence guide.
Vieux Lyon is touristy and pricey. Reported by 5 of 13 guides read. Crowds are the complaint, along with restaurant streets that cater to visitors.
Guillotière needs care at night. Reported by 5 of 13 guides read. They say to be alert after dark around the station and the eastern side, and to stay closer to the river.
Croix-Rousse and Terreaux are lively at night. Reported by 5 of 13 guides read. Bars and venues on the slopes stay open late, and one guide says that’s why the slopes aren’t ideal with young children.
Vieux Lyon is hilly and has older buildings. Reported by 4 of 13 guides read. Cobbles, narrow streets and buildings without lifts come up.
The Presqu’île costs more. Reported by 4 of 13 guides read. The others don’t compare. Check your own dates.
Part-Dieu is for one night. Reported by 4 of 13 guides read. They call it a business district with little charm that quietens at weekends.
Take care around Perrache. Reported by 4 of 13 guides read. They say to avoid the streets around the station late at night.
Pickpockets. Reported by 3 of 13 guides read. Crowded sights, shopping streets and public transport are the places they name.
Vieux Lyon as the first-timer pick. Named by 3 of 13 guides read. One more calls it a second choice behind the Presqu’île.
Confluence winds down early. Reported by 3 of 13 guides read. Shops and bars thin out early.
Croix-Rousse is far from the sights. Reported by 2 of 13 guides read. It’s a less common view, since most guides call it well linked. Metro line C runs to the plateau, per Roam’s Croix-Rousse guide.
The areas side by side
| Presqu’île | Vieux Lyon | Croix-Rousse | Part-Dieu | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A first visit, shopping, restaurants | Old streets, history | A local feel, markets | Trains, the airport shuttle |
| Ground | Flat | Cobbled, at the foot of a hill | Steep slopes and a plateau | Flat |
| Metro | Lines A and D at Bellecour, A at Hôtel de Ville and Perrache | Line D at Vieux-Lyon | Line C at Croix-Rousse and Hénon | Metro line B and tram T1 |
| Evenings | Busy around Terreaux | Busy until the day trippers leave | Bars on the slopes | Few people about |
| Rooms | Chain and boutique hotels, apartments | Smaller hotels in old buildings, apartments | Mostly apartments and small hotels | Large business hotels |
TCL’s line pages list four metro lines. Line A runs from Perrache to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, B from Charpennes to Saint-Genis-Laval Hôpital Lyon Sud, C from Hôtel de Ville to Cuire and D from Gare de Vaise to Gare de Vénissieux. Check the timetable for your day, since TCL changes hours for events and holidays.
What’s on the doorstep
In the Presqu’île you’re on Place Bellecour and Place des Terreaux. Both are in the middle of the area, and the Opéra de Lyon and the Musée des Beaux-Arts are a short walk from Terreaux.
Vieux Lyon has the Cathédrale Saint-Jean and the Musées Gadagne, and the funicular up to Notre-Dame de Fourvière leaves from its metro station. The Roman theatres are on the same hill.
Croix-Rousse has the Cour des Voraces, the Maison des Canuts and its markets. Parc de la Tête d’Or is a short metro ride from either bank of the Rhône.
Verdicts by trip type
First trip, three or four nights. The Presqu’île. Seven of the 13 guides say so, and it’s close to everything.
Old streets and history. Vieux Lyon. Stay near place Saint-Jean for the cathedral, and expect calmer evenings once the day trippers leave.
A local, hilly neighbourhood. Croix-Rousse. Ten guides like its character and nine say the slopes are steep.
Arriving or leaving by train, or an early flight. Part-Dieu for one night, with the Rhônexpress for the airport.
Families and a calm stay. Brotteaux and the Tête d’Or side, say seven guides.
A lower budget. Guillotière, say eight guides, with the caution about the station area after dark.
Views and calm evenings. Fourvière, up the hill from Vieux Lyon.
Something modern. Confluence, for six guides, with a tram stop at the Musée des Confluences.
Heavy luggage or reduced mobility. The Presqu’île, since it’s flat. Vieux Lyon’s cobbles and older buildings come with warnings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best area to stay in Lyon?
The Presqu’île for most first visits. Seven of the 13 guides read name it, and 12 call it central and walkable. Vieux Lyon is the next most common first-timer pick.
Is Vieux Lyon a good place to stay?
Yes if you want old streets and don’t mind cobbles. All 13 guides praise its history, and five say it’s touristy and pricey. The Vieux Lyon guide shows what’s near.
Is Croix-Rousse a good area to stay in?
For a local feel, yes, and ten guides say so. Nine warn about the slopes. Metro line C serves it, per Roam’s Croix-Rousse guide.
Is Part-Dieu a good place to stay?
For train connections, yes. Nine guides say so, and four say stay one night at most. Rhônexpress goes to the airport from there, about 30 minutes by its own page.
Is Lyon safe for tourists?
The guides call it generally safe. Three mention pickpockets in crowds and on transport, and four say to take care around Perrache at night.
How do you get from the airport to central Lyon?
Rhônexpress runs to Part-Dieu from 4:25 to 0:00 every day, about every 15 minutes. From Part-Dieu you can switch to the metro or a tram.
See what’s on while you’re there on the events page, or open the map to compare the areas.
Sources: 13 guides in English and French, and 2 official pages
Guides in English
- Where to stay in Lyon [Best Places to Stay for 2026]Travelling King
- Where to Stay in LyonTravel Lemming
- Where to Stay in Lyon, FranceDestination Less Travel
- Where to stay in LyonVoyage Tips
- Where to Stay in LyonFaraway Worlds
- Where to Stay in Lyon in 2026: 6 Fab AreasMiss Tourist
- Panorama de Lyon: where to stayAvygeo
Guides in French
- Où dormir à LyonVoyage avec nous
- Où dormir à Lyon ?Partir
- Où dormir à LyonUn sac sur le dos
- Dormir à Lyon : les meilleurs quartiers où logerGénération Voyage
- Où dormir à Lyon pour la première foisEurovista Trips
- Se loger à LyonThe Wom Travel
Official pages
- Rhônexpressrhonexpress.fr
- TCL linestcl.fr
Places in this guide
Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.
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