Where to Stay in Vieux Lyon, Lyon

Good for

• Luxury travelers
• Couples
• Architecture lovers

Couples who want a quiet, elevated base above the old town with views rather than a room right in the middle of the action.

Why we like it

• Occupies a 17th-century building that started as a convent, one of the listed historic structures on the Fourvière hillside
• Sits above Vieux Lyon on Montée Saint-Barthélémy, so many rooms and the terrace look out over the old town and both rivers
• A genuine Relais & Châteaux property, which tends to mean more attention to food and service than a standard luxury chain hotel
• Quieter than staying down in Vieux Lyon itself, while still an easy walk or funicular ride down to the old town

What to know

• The hillside setting means a steep walk up from Vieux Lyon if you're not taking a taxi or the funicular, which is worth factoring in with luggage

Good for

• Luxury travelers
• Architecture lovers
• Couples

Travelers who want to actually sleep inside the Renaissance architecture that makes Vieux Lyon a UNESCO site, not just walk past it.

Why we like it

• Built inside four Renaissance townhouses joined by galleries and a traboule, Lyon's distinctive covered passageways, rather than a single purpose-built structure
• Right on Rue du Bœuf, one of the best-preserved streets in Vieux Lyon, with the Cathédrale Saint-Jean and the Fourvière funicular a short walk away
• An interior courtyard and covered galleries give it a genuine sense of place that's hard to replicate in a newer building

What to know

• The historic layout means corridors and stairs between the connected buildings can be a bit of a maze — not the easiest for heavy luggage

Good for

• First-time visitors
• Couples
• Architecture lovers

First-time visitors who want an old-town address right along the Saône with air-conditioned, updated rooms.

Why we like it

• Housed in a 16th-century Renaissance-Florentine building, with original fireplaces, wood paneling, and vaulted lounge spaces still in place
• Right on Quai de Bondy along the Saône, on the edge of the UNESCO-listed old town and a short walk from Place Saint-Jean and the cathedral
• Air-conditioned rooms, which isn't a given in older Vieux Lyon buildings and matters during Lyon's hot summers
• Holds Green Key certification for its environmental practices

What to know

• It's a working historic building, so a few rooms are compact — worth checking room size if that matters to you

Good for

• First-time visitors
• Budget travelers
• Architecture lovers

Travelers who want a Vieux Lyon address without paying luxury-hotel prices for it.

Why we like it

• Named after the rose-colored Renaissance tower still standing in the courtyard, one of the small architectural landmarks tucked inside Vieux Lyon
• On Rue du Bœuf, the same historic street as several of the area's grander hotels, at a noticeably lower price point
• Puts you within a few minutes' walk of the Cathédrale Saint-Jean and the traboules that run through this part of the old town

What to know

• As an older building on a narrow old-town street, some rooms are smaller and street noise can carry in the evening — worth asking about room location when booking