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Old Dec 1, 2002, 11:27 am
  #13  
swise
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Austin TX
Programs: Mr Swise: AAdvantage LifetimePlt/3MM, HH Dmnd, SPG Plt
Posts: 1,451
I lived in Lyon one summer to study...

Don't know anything about the Hilton there, but did want to comment on transportation.

The Metro in Lyon is one of the best anywhere. Unless you plan to go outside of the city a lot, you shouldn't need to rent a car. In fact, a car may be more time consuming than riding the Metro or bus, once you account for parking and traffic. For the occasional trips where a Metro/bus won't get you where you need to go, you can use a taxi rather reasonably and efficiently.

Tickets and passes for the Metro also work on the buses. They range from carnets (packs of multiple tickets) to day passes and more. It's worth taking a moment to study what is the most economical option for you.

From what I have read, the Hilton is near the Parc de la Tête d'or. You can get to the center of town in about 10-15 minutes by Metro.

My favorite restaurant is Leon de Lyon. I can't remember the name of the bouchon I liked so much. It's the bouchon for La Tour Rose, I believe. It is on the southwest corner of a square in Vieux Lyon that is lined with bouchons. Across the square from it is an excellent crêperie. I believe it's on La Rue du boeuf. It sounds like most of your meals will be taken care of, though...

Definitely go see the Cathedral and Bascilica (sp) while there. In the Cathedral, there's a 12th or 13th century clock that chimes at noon and 1. Very cool! Since you're so close to the Parc de la Tête d'or, go see it! It's lovely. Also check out the Roman theatres. there's three in the city. Another interesting site is the Musée de la Résistance. It's a museum that tells all about the French Resisitance and deportation of French Jews during WWII.

I could go on, but I better stop here. In my opinion, Lyon is a much more pleasant city to visit than Paris. It actually reminds me a lot of Austin: laid back, friendly, smallish (for a city), with a fondness for food. yum!

Have a wonderful time!
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