THE OVERVIEW
Build Lyon through Roman and Renaissance trade, silk labour, resistance, migration, food systems and contemporary urban culture, using its strong transit and published accessible routes deliberately. Presqu’île: Museums, shopping, food and transit. Busy streets and event crowds Vieux Lyon and Fourvière: Renaissance history and archaeology. Cobbles, steep slopes and traboule stairs Croix-Rousse: Silk labour and neighbourhood culture. Steep hill and irregular pavements Confluence and Guillotière: Contemporary architecture and migration histories. Dispersed sites and active redevelopment
YEAR AT A GLANCE
The weather rhythm in Lyon.
Climate averages, not a forecast. Current conditions still need checking before travel.
- Jan5.9° / -1.1°62.1 mm rain
- Feb7.7° / -0.9°51.5 mm rain
- Mar12.2° / 1.7°55.2 mm rain
- Apr15.8° / 4.7°70.2 mm rain
- May19.8° / 8.9°83.8 mm rain
- Jun24.2° / 12.7°71.3 mm rain
- Jul27.4° / 15.2°68.9 mm rain
- Aug27.8° / 15.1°68.2 mm rain
- Sep23° / 11°78.8 mm rain
- Oct17.4° / 7.4°89.6 mm rain
- Nov10.5° / 2.7°89.8 mm rain
- Dec6.4° / -0.2°72.9 mm rain
Average daily high, low and rainfall: NASA POWER Daily API, Lyon destination coordinates (45.764, 4.8357), 1991 to 2020
area
Presqu’île
Museums, shopping, food and transit
Museums, shopping, food and transit
Details should be checked for your travel dates.area
Vieux Lyon and Fourvière
Renaissance history and archaeology
Renaissance history and archaeology
Details should be checked for your travel dates.area
Croix-Rousse
Silk labour and neighbourhood culture
Silk labour and neighbourhood culture
Details should be checked for your travel dates.area
Confluence and Guillotière
Contemporary architecture and migration histories
Contemporary architecture and migration histories
Details should be checked for your travel dates.experience
Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation
Planning note
Use testimony and evidence to examine occupation, collaboration, resistance, persecution and memory in Lyon.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.experience
Musée des Confluences
Planning note
Use selected anthropology and science galleries critically, including questions of collecting and representation.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.experience
Guillotière migration and food-history route
Planning note
A resident-aware guide can connect Rhône crossings, North African and Asian migration, markets and urban change.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.experience
Vieux Lyon adapted heritage circuit
Planning note
Use the official tested route to discuss printing, trade, religion and preservation without forcing stair-heavy traboules.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.station
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport
airport
Main gateway with Rhônexpress rail-tram connection to Part-Dieu.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.travel_advice
Lyon climate normals
Verified 1991 to 2020 monthly averages
NASA POWER's complete 1991 to 2020 daily series at Lyon's canonical coordinate shows average daily highs from 5.9°C to 27.8°C, lows from -1.1°C to 15.2°C and average monthly rainfall from 51.5 mm to 89.8 mm. These are historical gridded estimates, not a forecast.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.travel_advice
Choosing the time to go
Seasonal planning
April to June and September to October are comfortable. Summers can be hot; December’s light festival and major trade events create crowd and room pressure.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.travel_advice
Plan the complete route
Access and practical detail
Confirm exact room, bathroom, transport and attraction access before booking. Use qualified interpretation for war, labour, migration, collecting and regional identity. Recheck heat, snow, altitude, weather, lift or rail operation, closures and official advice.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.travel_advice
Current travel guidance
Keep official advice date-specific
Recheck entry, health, security, environmental warnings and disruption before travel.
Details should be checked for your travel dates.STAY
Hotels to consider
A considered starting point, not a statement of availability or a booking recommendation.
Villa Maïa
Considered editorial option
Lyon, France
A calm hillside base near Roman sites with full-service facilities.
Steep surroundings make vehicle or funicular planning essential.InterContinental Lyon Hotel Dieu
Considered editorial option
Lyon, France
A major adaptive-reuse option with a central, relatively level position.
Large scale and long internal distances may not suit everyone.Mob Hotel Lyon Confluence
Considered editorial option
Lyon, France
An informal contemporary base near cultural sites and tram links.
Compact rooms and a lively programme require careful matching.ORIENTATION
A sense of place
Every marker uses coordinates supplied by the published Desk guide.
AT A GLANCE
Practical notes
- Typical stay
- Shape the stay around a coherent route and the required transfer time.
- When to consider
- April to June and September to October are comfortable. Summers can be hot; December’s light festival and major trade events create crowd and room pressure.
- Climate
- NASA POWER historical data at the destination coordinates provide a complete 1991 to 2020 daily series aggregated into 12 calendar-month normals. Average daily highs range from 5.9°C to 27.8°C, lows from -1.1°C to 15.2°C and average monthly rainfall from 51.5 mm to 89.8 mm. These are historical gridded estimates, not a forecast.
- Getting around
- Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport: Main gateway with Rhônexpress rail-tram connection to Part-Dieu.
- Worth preparing for
- Confirm exact room, bathroom, transport and attraction access before booking. Use qualified interpretation for war, labour, migration, collecting and regional identity. Recheck heat, snow, altitude, weather, lift or rail operation, closures and official advice. Recheck entry, health, security, environmental warnings and disruption before travel.
Sources and credits
- Lyon official tourism · Official tourism authority
- Villa Maïa official website · Villa Maïa
- InterContinental Lyon Hotel Dieu official website · InterContinental Lyon Hotel Dieu
- Mob Hotel Lyon Confluence official website · Mob Hotel Lyon Confluence
- Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation official information · Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation
- Musée des Confluences official information · Musée des Confluences
- Vieux Lyon adapted heritage circuit official information · Vieux Lyon adapted heritage circuit
- Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport official information · Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport
- France travel advice · UK FCDO
- NASA POWER daily climate series, 1991 to 2020 · NASA POWER · NASA POWER daily gridded estimates at the destination coordinates; complete 1991 to 2020 daily maximum, minimum and corrected precipitation series aggregated into 12 calendar-month normals; raw response checksum bf84fbf2d1f843e8fe879a2e45cbab478c8bf3f92d393d37ea07f569d0eb2028 verified 2026-09-22
Guide last reviewed 22 September 2026.