I spent there a night in August of 1995. It had another name - Les Relais Perrache then. It was rather comfortable for economic class hotel and close to the centre facing the Rhone. Two minutes from Lyon Perrache station, the town centre and the tram, enjoy the comfort of a 2-star hotel with restaurant and all the necessary amenities for work and leisure.
Unique Quality: Kyriad Lyon Gare Perrache - Confluence has 160 double, twin and triple rooms all with air conditioning, sound proofing and baths and showers. Five rooms have wheelchair access. All of the rooms have hair dryers. Sit back and relax, watching Canal + or Canalsat, or get your work done efficiently thanks to a direct phone line and wireless Internet access. The hotel has a lift. We do so much to make you feel at home, you won't want to leave.
We are going to take a Rhone-Saone river cruise with stops in Lyon, Macon, Chalon sur Saone, Avignon and Arles inthe emd of March. Travel agency offers guided tours, but they are pretty expensive. Can anybody suggest – where we can walk ourselves without missing something interesting?
Our French is limited, we speak English and Russian. Thank you!
Re: Rhone-Saone river cruise
by Beausoleil
You haven't listed your Interests on your Home Page here on Virtual Tourist so it's a bit hard to give advice.
The Old Town areas of all these places would be walkable. Do you know where your ship will be docking? Public transportation is great in French cities. You could type the names of each place into the Virtual Tourist Search Window above and see what VT Members have already written about each place. Then choose the ones that interest you. There will be lots of Tips on Things to Do, Restaurants and, especially for you, Tips on Transportation.
When you've narrowed it down to things you really want to see, go to either Google Maps or Michelin Maps and get a walking route from the cruise ship port to your destination. You can print this out.
http://maps.google.com/
http://www.viamichelin.com/
With the Michelin web site you can type in your starting address, your destination address and then request "Pedestrian" route.
Language will not be a problem. There are many people in tourist areas who speak excellent English. Just be helpful by asking if they speak English before starting to talk. This gives them a chance to start thinking in English. If they don't speak English, they will find someone to help you. The French are unfailingly polite and helpful. Get a phrase book and learn please, thank you, where is, hello and goodbye. That will help.
You can also click on the name of anyone here who answers you and that will take you to their Home Page. Then click on their Travel Pages and choose the destinations that interest you. There is a tremendous amount of information already on Virtual Tourist . . . a wonderful resource, including photos, touring ideas, places to eat and many web links for further information.
Oh yes, at the end of March, take umbrellas so you can walk around even if it's raining lightly.
We usually drive but a couple friends of ours took that same cruise last year and they loved it. You should have a great time.
Re: Rhone-Saone river cruise
by pedroswift
With reference to Chalon - your ship will probably moor quite close to the Niepce Museum of Photography at 28, Quai des Messageries. You may like to look at
my Chalon page : http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/ae2c2/1ff91/ . Another area worth walking is Isle St Laurent (east of the river) for shops and restaurants. However, you may like to pay the money for the guided tour if it includes visits to the famous Burgundy vineyards west of Chalon &/or the more interesting town of Dijon to the north.
Re: Rhone-Saone river cruise
by davshkl
Thank you very much - I am first time on the site and your advices are very valuable for me. Tell you the truth - I didn't think that it will be many option for boat to dock ... I'll investigate this matter further.
Travel Tips for Lyon
The Foot-bridge that would not go away
by alza
The Passerelle du Palais de Justice has quite a fascinating history.
A first bridge with ten arches was built on that site in 1638. It reached a high state of disrepair and was destroyed in 1778. It was replaced in 1780 by a bridge made up of a chain of 12 boats, of which two were mobile. Commonly known as Pont Volant (flying bridge), it was also called Pont de Bois (wooden bridge) or Pont des Célestins. This flying bridge was partially carried away by the thawing of ice in January 1789, and then totally during the winter of 1795.
It was replaced in 1797 by a wooden bridge built on the initiative of Guillaume Niogret. The bridge was still called Pont Volant but also named Pont Neuf (new bridge.) In 1820, it was damaged by fall-outs from fireworks, then again by the river overflowing. It was finally demolished in 1833 and replaced the next year by a foot-bridge built by the Séguin Company, to serve the Palais de Justice district. The central arch, with a span of 90 m., was destroyed by the river rising again in 1840. The bridge was rebuilt in 1844 and made up of two piers anchored near the banks, with a leaning central arch of 47 m., relieved by two lateral girders of 20 m. The roadway for this new bridge was 4 m. wide and the two sidewalks were 1 m. each.
The central arch was destroyed by the German armed forces in September 1944. The bridge was re-opened in January 1945. In 1968, the Navigation Service was authorised to demolish the Pont du Change and the Passerelle du Palais de Justice, in order to replace them by the Pont Maréchal-Juin. In 1983, Gilbert Lamboley conceived a new foot-bridge: 4 m. wide, with a span of 136 m. suspended by girders planted in one mast. The mast was anchored on the left bank of the river and was still there when I crossed the Passerelle du Palais de Justice.
Miniatures Museum
by mattreider
One of the few museums we could find, the Miniatures museum is in old lyon. For a nominal fee (we don't even remember what it was!), you can walk through various rooms that hold tiny exhibits -- models of room after room made with painstaking detail of everyday life.
My wife enjoyed guessing what things were used to make tiny brooms, phones, desks, etc. Toothpicks, pieces of tin, cans; all things that are discarded are turned into living dioramas.
It was pretty cool.
Bistrôt de Lyon
by ATLC about Bistrôt de Lyon
Situated in a busy pedestrian area with many restaurants, tables and chairs lined up on the pavement. I might be looking a bit flustered here after a good meal with the greater part of 2 'pots de Lyon' (2x 46 cl) behind me.
Tip originally written Aug 26, 2002 I remember eating tripes while my friend took on an excellent steak.
Old Town
by Kuznetsov_Sergey
The old part of the city settles down on a hill of the small river Sonna, on its right coast. Some constructions of the city were kept from the Roman period, it is an ancient theatre located on a slope of a hill, turned to the river Sona. The medieval city is located on the right coast. The oldest district of the city - Vier Lyons - "Old Lyons" is kept there, it is the most beautiful city area in style of Renaissance. There is the Gothic Cathedrale Saint-Jean which construction proceeded from the XII till the XIV century. There are well-known astronomical hours of the XIX century. At midday, at 13, 14 and 15 hours, under a sound of bells shout of the cock is distributed, doors open and there are figures of the dolls playing stages of the Lady day. In the same area there is the Hotel de Gadagne - one of the most beautiful private residences of Lyons in style the Renaissance. There is the city historical museum and the collection of the dolls collected from all over the world is located there.
The Famous Puppet
by hquittner
Lyon is renowned for puppet shows. The most famous character in the shows is Guignol. The Theater is on rue Carrand just beyond r. Juiverie. Set upon the window sill in another part of the Old Town we came upon another type of figure called "une gorgouille du Gourguillon". Nearby was a fine old store fronting a modern store at the beginning of a main shopping street. We found three or more traboules on our visit to walk through.
Kyriad Lyon Gare Perrache - Confluence has 160 double, twin and triple rooms all with air conditioning, sound proofing and baths and showers. Five rooms have wheelchair access. All of the rooms have hair dryers. Sit back and relax, watching Canal + or Canalsat, or get your work done efficiently thanks to a direct phone line and wireless Internet access. The hotel has a lift. We do so much to make you feel at home, you won't want to leave.
244 members live in Lyon
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P. de Chavannes (Rodin)
Chapel of the Vierge
A Cherub Keeping Time At The Hour
Parc de la Tête d'Or
