France's food capital, and the grand finale of the cruise. Lyon sits where the Rhône and Saône meet. Old Lyon's Renaissance lanes and hidden traboule passageways climb to the white Fourvière basilica, and the city has more great, reasonably priced restaurants per street than almost anywhere. Viking usually moors on the Rhône at Quai Claude Bernard (7th arrondissement). Old Lyon is ~25 min on foot or 10 min by taxi. You have two full days, so plan at least one dinner ashore in a traditional bouchon.
Day 6 — Friday, October 23
Panoramic Lyon tour · Fourvière & Old Lyon · Bouchon dinner ashore
The morning is Viking's included panoramic tour (coach plus a short walk), taking in Fourvière hill and the old town. In the afternoon, go back to Vieux Lyon on your own to explore the traboules, then do an early apéro and a proper Lyonnaise dinner.
✅ Viking included
- Panoramic Lyon: coach tour with Fourvière basilica and an Old Lyon walk.
💳 Viking optional (extra cost)
- Lyonnaise Cooking Class: hands-on, and you eat what you make. Great for food lovers.
- Trek Vieux Lyon: a more active walking version.
- Timeless Town of Pérouges: perfectly preserved medieval hilltop village 40 min away. Try the galette de Pérouges sugar tart.
🧭 Do it yourself
- Take the funicular up to Fourvière (metro ticket) and walk down through the Roman theatre.
- Hunt for traboules in Rue Saint-Jean and Rue du Bœuf (many open daily, marked with plaques).
- Pre-dinner wine at La Cave des Voyageurs, then dinner at Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean.
Viking tour names come from the published itinerary for this sailing. Confirm times, prices and availability in MyViking Journey. Optional tours can sell out, so reserve early.
Dinner ashore (recommended): Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean, 7:30pm. The chef is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, and it's open Tue–Sat. Book 1–2 weeks ahead. Taxi back to the ship (~€12–15).
Day 7 — Saturday, October 24
Beaujolais wine country · Les Halles Paul Bocuse · Farewell evening
Viking's included excursion heads north into the golden-stone villages and vineyards of Beaujolais for a tasting. It's a highlight for wine lovers. Back in the afternoon, head to Les Halles food hall, which is at its busiest on Saturday.
✅ Viking included
- Beaujolais Wine Country: vineyard villages and a tasting.
💳 Viking optional (extra cost)
- Beaujolais & Truffles: truffle hunt with a dog, plus wine.
- Flavors of Lyon: guided food tasting walk.
- Lyon Evening Cruise: river views of the lit-up city.
🧭 Do it yourself
- Saint-Antoine market along the Saône (Sat morning is the big one).
- Les Halles Paul Bocuse: oysters, cheese, charcuterie and a glass of white standing at a counter.
- Voisin chocolate shop for coussins de Lyon, the city's signature sweet.
Viking tour names come from the published itinerary for this sailing. Confirm times, prices and availability in MyViking Journey. Optional tours can sell out, so reserve early.
Evening: Viking's farewell dinner is typically on the last night, so check the Viking Daily. If you're free to dine ashore, try Le Bouchon des Filles (book ahead). Pack tonight. Bags usually go out the night before disembarkation.
Day 8 — Sunday, October 25
Disembark · TGV to Paris (~2 hrs)
⏰ Clocks go back one hour at 3am tonight (end of European summer time), so you get an extra hour's sleep. Double-check the ship's clocks and your phones.
Disembark after breakfast (typically 8–9am). Taxi to Lyon Part-Dieu station (~15 min, ~€15–20). TGV INOUI or OUIGO trains to Paris Gare de Lyon run roughly every 30–60 min on Sundays and take about 2 hrs. Suggested: a ~10:30–11:30am departure, arriving Paris ~12:30–1:30pm. Allow 30 min at the station before departure (TGV boarding closes 2 min before). Paris plan continues on the Paris page.
💡 Book 1st class (often only €15–30 more) for bigger seats and luggage space. Four people with cruise suitcases fill the racks fast.
Booking Status
| Item | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Panoramic Lyon | ✅ Booked | Fri Oct 23 · morning · included Viking tour |
| Optional: Cooking class / Pérouges | ⬜ Not booked | Fri Oct 23 · Book in MyViking Journey |
| Dinner: Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean | ⬜ Not booked | Fri Oct 23 · 7:30pm · Book 1–2 weeks ahead (table for 4) |
| Beaujolais Wine Country | ✅ Booked | Sat Oct 24 · included Viking tour |
| Farewell dinner onboard | ⚠️ Check | Sat Oct 24 · usually last night; confirm in the Viking Daily before booking ashore |
| Disembark ship | ✅ Booked | Sun Oct 25 · after breakfast · ⏰ clocks go back 1 hr overnight |
| TGV Lyon Part-Dieu → Paris Gare de Lyon | ⬜ Not booked | Sun Oct 25 · ~10:30–11:30am · ~2 hrs · Book now on SNCF Connect |
Attractions
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.7The white 19th-century basilica crowning Lyon, with a dazzling mosaic-and-gold interior. The terrace beside it gives the classic panorama over red rooftops, both rivers and, on clear days, Mont Blanc.
Tickets & tours: Viator · TripAdvisor
Vieux Lyon & the traboules
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.7One of Europe's largest Renaissance quarters (UNESCO). Behind ordinary doors on Rue Saint-Jean and Rue du Bœuf, traboules cut through buildings and courtyards. Silk workers used them to carry fabric dry, and the Resistance used them in WWII.
Only Lyon: traboules · Wikipedia
Tickets & tours: Viator · TripAdvisor
Roman Theatres of Fourvière
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.6Two Roman theatres cut into the hillside below the basilica. The larger dates from 15 BC. Free to wander, with great views, on the way down from Fourvière.
Tickets & tours: Viator · TripAdvisor
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.4Lyon's legendary indoor food hall, named for its most famous chef. Oysters with white wine, cheese from Mère Richard, pâté en croûte, Pralines and more. Many stalls have counters for a stand-up lunch.
Tickets & tours: Viator · TripAdvisor
Beaujolais villages
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.6Rolling vineyard hills north of Lyon dotted with golden-stone villages (the Pierres Dorées). Taste the ten Beaujolais crus: Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent.
Beaujolais tourism · Wikipedia
Tickets & tours: Viator · TripAdvisor
Pérouges
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.6A tiny, perfectly preserved medieval walled village used as a film set. Cobbles, timbered houses, and the famous sugar-and-butter galette tart with cider.
Tickets & tours: Viator · TripAdvisor
Hotels
🚢 Viking Longship: your floating hotel ✅ BOOKED
Seven nights aboard, Sun Oct 18 to Sun Oct 25. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, with beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. The ship moves between ports, so you never repack. The last night aboard is Sat Oct 24.
Restaurants
Daniel et Denise Saint-Jean
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.6Chef Joseph Viola's bouchon in Old Lyon, near the cathedral. His pâté en croûte won the world championship in 2009. Classic dishes done beautifully at fair prices; Michelin Bib-Gourmand style value rather than starred formality.
Le Bouchon des Filles
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.5Cosy, all-women-run bouchon on the Croix-Rousse slopes with a set menu of Lyonnaise classics served family-style. Relaxed and fun for a group of four.
Brasserie Georges
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.2A grand 1836 Art Deco brasserie near Perrache, serving huge portions of choucroute, onion soup and house beer in a buzzing room. Great fallback, open daily.
Counters at Les Halles Paul Bocuse
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.4For a lighter lunch: oysters at Chez Sibilia or Maison Rousseau, cheese and wine at the counters. Very Lyon.
Opera & Events
Opéra National de Lyon
Jean Nouvel's striking glass-domed opera house at Place de la Comédie. Check the programme for Fri Oct 23 or Sat Oct 24, though Viking evenings may clash.
Programme · Check closer to travel date for program updates.
Paul Bocuse centenary (2026)
2026 marks 100 years since Paul Bocuse's birth, and Lyon has events throughout the year. Ask the ship's program director whether anything is on your dates.
Wine & Cocktail Bars
Small Shops & Museums
Maison des Canuts
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.5Small silk-weaving workshop museum in Croix-Rousse with live demonstrations on a Jacquard loom. The shop sells beautiful Lyon silk scarves and ties.
Voisin chocolatier
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.5Lyon's historic chocolatier, famous for the green, pillow-shaped coussin de Lyon. A classic gift.
Saint-Antoine market
📍 ★★★★★ ~4.6Long riverside open-air market on the Saône quay, packed on Saturday mornings with produce, cheese, rotisserie chickens and flowers.
Extras
⚽ Olympique Lyonnais
If OL have a home Ligue 1 match on Fri Oct 23 or Sat Oct 24, it's a big night out at Groupama Stadium (30 min by tram). Fixtures are confirmed a few weeks ahead. Only worth it if you're keen, since it clashes with dinners.
Further Reading
🎧 Listen before you go
🎧 Join Us in France: Lyon Travel Guide: Secret Passageways and Food Specialties
Recorded in 2026. Annie spent six days in Lyon with a local, covering the traboules, Fourvière and its Roman ruins, Croix-Rousse silk history, where to eat, and the city pass. The most up-to-date pick.
🎧 Join Us in France: Top Attractions in Lyon
A classic overview of Lyon's history, sights and food culture. Older (2016), but a good primer.
🎧 Join Us in France: Mother-Daughter Trip to Lyon and Provence
A trip report covering Lyon and Provence: favourite spots, food finds, tips and a few funny mishaps. Nicely matches this route.
🎧 Real Food Traveler: What's the Lyon & Provence Viking River Cruise Really Like
Courtney and Jimmy sailed this exact Viking itinerary in summer 2025. They cover the ship and sailing experience, what each port is like, and practical tips.
Transport
Getting around Lyon
Taxis and Uber are easy and cheap for four (~€10–15 across town). Metro line D serves Vieux Lyon; the funicular to Fourvière uses a normal TCL ticket (~€2.10). The TCL app sells tickets.
Lyon → Paris by TGV (Sun Oct 25)
| Route | Date | Time | Duration | Fare (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon Part-Dieu → Paris Gare de Lyon (TGV INOUI / OUIGO) | Sun Oct 25 | ~10:30–11:30am departure suggested | ~2h | 2nd ~€30–90 · 1st ~€50–120 |
Book on SNCF Connect · Trainline · Rome2Rio: Lyon → Paris
OUIGO is the low-cost TGV with strict luggage limits (1 cabin bag + 1 small bag, extras paid). With cruise luggage, TGV INOUI is simpler.