Hotel Residence Les Palatines

A 2 days stop should be enough...

by Baron

A 2 days stop should be enough to get a feel for the city. One thing to do: EAT. The market on la Croix-Rousse boulevard (every morning except on mondays).
Stop at a bar, sit at the terrasse and get a beer or coffee, watch the people. Buy good local products.

Bikes for rent

by iNorv9

Over 2000 bicycles are available at 200 stations around Lyon and Villeurbanne. After aquiring a card from Le Grand Lyon, you can rent 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Especially helpful for those situations where you need a bike at 3 in the morning.

Theatres Romains

by aliante1981

Surprisingly, lyon has not a single Roman theatre, but two of them! The Grand Theatre is the oldest of its kind in France and is still used during summer festivals. The Odeon (the smaller one) is more famous for its floor.

The Tour Metallique on the Hill of Fourviere

by hquittner

Almost at the summit of the hill just north of the Basilica stand the quasi copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However this truncated one is only like the third level of the original and was built between 1892-4. With the addition of television antennae the structures is 372 m above sea level and until the Alps this is the highest point in the region.

A Life Less Ordinary

by sedky118

"Student Life"

I came to Lyon as an exchange student, at Université Lyon III Jean Moulin. I found it disorganised and frustrating at first, but it was just a matter of getting used to the french culture and way of doing things. Once I had that under control I started to really enjoy the student life in Lyon.

The university is pretty good, with enough resources to keep me on my toes, and professors at each end of the scale.

There are 130,000 students in Lyon - and 700 exchange students at Lyon I, II and III, which means there are plenty of new people to meet.

There are also student deals everywhere - cheaper train rides, metro tickets, haircuts, drinks and meals.

And the nightlife has something for everyone! It's just a matter of getting up the next morning for classes...

"Au Pair Life"

At the same time, I am a 'jeune fille au pair' which means I live with a host family, who are fantastic, and look after the kids - an eight year old girl and a nine year old boy. They're full of life and keep me on my toes, plus they're wonderful french teachers, full of patience when I don't understand a word or a phrase, and love teaching me new things.

It means that I prepare some of the meals, pick the kids up from school, help them with homework, baths and games. I've been away on holiday with them a couple of times, and looked after the kids while the parents go away by themselves at other times.

Some days are stressful, some days are full of yelling and tantrums. But most days are interesting, full of life and love and drama. And when it came time to leave after five months, I just didn't want to...

"Love Life"

Added to the fact that I got so attached to the kids, I happened to meet a frenchman one day, a month before my planned departure. One thing led to another (frenchmen are known to be charming, after all) and two days before I was supposed to leave Lyon I had a change of heart, called my travel agent and my university and extended my stay.

Afterwards I wondered what had come over me, but now I know it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I'm head-over-heels in love and couldn't be happier.

Nico is a PhD student and plays basketball, so between his commitments and mine, it's hard to find time to see each other during the week, but we manage. Meanwhile, we have the weekends pretty much to ourselves, and make the most of them, exploring Lyon, going out with friends, lying in the park talking... and our conversations are something a little different, with a mixture of french and english and frenglish all coming out at once. We understand each other perfectly, but it must make for interesting listening for people around us.