France's food capital: bouchon restaurants, the Paul Bocuse food hall, UNESCO-listed Vieux Lyon and its secret passages (traboules), the Fourvière basilica and Roman theatres. Set where the Rhône and Saône meet, close to the Alps — ideal for day trips to Lake Annecy, the Beaujolais wine villages and Pérouges. The Festival of Lights in December. No direct flights from Ulaanbaatar: one connection via Frankfurt (MIAT + Lufthansa) or Istanbul (Turkish Airlines), 14–16 hours in total. Mongolian citizens need a Schengen (C) visa, applied for in person at the French Embassy in Ulaanbaatar.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 90 days✈ Flight: 13.5h☀ Best months: April, May, June, September
#food#culture#UNESCO#Festival of Lights#Annecy#Schengen visa
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: April, May, June, September, October.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Vieux Lyon and the traboules★ 4.7 (40,000)
CultureFree24 hours (traboules usually open from morning to evening)
A UNESCO-listed Renaissance quarter: Saint-Jean Cathedral, the Pink Tower, cobbled lanes and bouchon restaurants. Look for the 'traboules' — secret passages through courtyards from one street to the next; people live there, so walk quietly. The Gadagne museums host Guignol puppet shows.
Fourvière Basilica and the Roman theatres★ 4.8 (60,000)
CultureBasilica free; Lugdunum museum €4 (€7 during temporary exhibitions), free on the first Sunday of the month; theatres free
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe Schengen visa takes longest: get the visa first, then confirm flights and hotels. During December's Festival of Lights, Lyon's hotels fill months ahead.+
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Schengen visa: the French Embassy in UB
Mongolian citizens need a Schengen short-stay (C) visa, up to 90 days in any 180. If France is your main destination, fill in the form on france-visas.gouv.fr and book a slot on consulat.gouv.fr; go in person to the embassy (15 Peace Avenue) on Monday, Wednesday or Friday 9:00–11:30 to give fingerprints. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45), cash in tögrög only. Apply from 6 months and at least 10 days before travel; the passport comes back in 2–3 weeks.
Tip: Slots get scarce before the summer and winter holidays — book as soon as you know your dates.
Medical insurance of at least €30,000 covering the whole Schengen stay, recent bank statements, an employer's letter, hotel bookings for every night, a return-ticket booking and ISO-standard photos. Children under 12 give no fingerprints but must attend. Incomplete applications are not accepted.
Since 10 April 2026 the EES has been live at Schengen external borders: your face and fingerprints (over age 12) are recorded instead of a stamp. ETIAS is for visa-exempt nationals, so it does not apply to Mongolian citizens. The 2026 Festival of Lights runs 5–8 December and is free — if you plan to go then, book your hotel first of all.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityLyon–Saint-Exupéry (LYS) lies east of the city, with Terminals 1 and 2 and its own TGV station.+
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The Rhônexpress tram
The Rhônexpress express tram runs from the airport to Part-Dieu station in ~30 minutes, every 15 minutes from 4:25 to midnight (every 30 minutes early morning and late evening). 2026 fares: one way €16 online or €17.10 at the machine; return €28 online; under 12 free, reduced fares for ages 12–25. Buying online early is cheaper. Standard TCL tickets are not valid on Rhônexpress.
Tip: At Part-Dieu you change to metro B — buy a separate TCL ticket.
The taxi rank is outside the terminal exits; the fare to the centre is fixed but several times the Rhônexpress price. Worth it for a group, lots of luggage or a late-night arrival. Uber and Bolt also work — never get into an unofficial 'taxi' offered by a stranger.
On MIAT + Lufthansa via Frankfurt, the Schengen border check (EES) happens in Frankfurt and you land in Lyon as on a domestic flight. Via Istanbul, the border check is in Lyon. If you land at Paris Charles de Gaulle, the TGV from the station under the airport goes straight to Lyon Part-Dieu. Booking both flights on one ticket checks your bags through.
📶Phone and internet+
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A Europe eSIM
If your phone supports eSIM, buy a Europe plan from Orange Travel, Airalo or Ubigi before flying: Orange Travel Europe 14 days 20 GB is about $30. One plan works across the EU/Schengen — handy on a Frankfurt connection too. Turkey is not in the EU, so your plan may not work in Istanbul.
Tip: The airport and Rhônexpress have free Wi-Fi, but activate your eSIM as soon as you land.
Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom shops in the Part-Dieu mall and on Rue de la République sell tourist SIMs; a passport is required. Roaming on a Mongolian SIM is very expensive, so switch data roaming off.
🚇Getting around the city and the regionCentral Lyon is very walkable; further afield, use the metro, trams, funiculars and regional trains.+
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Metro, trams and funiculars (TCL)
A single ticket (zones 1–2) costs €2.10 and a 24-hour pass €7.10 — valid on the metro, trams, buses and the funiculars up to Fourvière and Saint-Just. Buy in the TCL app or from station machines; buying from a bus driver costs more. The Lyon City Card (from €32 for 24 hours) covers public transport and most museums.
Tip: Ride the F2 funicular from Vieux Lyon up to Fourvière and walk back down through the gardens.
TER trains from Part-Dieu reach Annecy in ~2 hours (usually changing at Aix-les-Bains), ~€20–35 one way. For Pérouges, the train to Meximieux-Pérouges takes ~30 minutes, then it's a ~20-minute walk uphill. Buy tickets on SNCF Connect.
Public transport to the Beaujolais villages and cellars is thin — book a guided minibus tour from the Lyon tourist office or rent a car. Don't drive after a tasting; France punishes drink-driving severely.
💳Money and taxes+
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Cards and cash
Euros. Cards (Visa, Mastercard, phone payments) work almost everywhere; keep a little cash for market stalls and small bouchons. Use bank ATMs and avoid private ones like Euronet and airport exchange desks. If an ATM offers to charge 'in your currency', choose euros.
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City tax (taxe de séjour)
In 2026 Lyon charges €0.88 (1-star, B&Bs) to €3.96 (5-star) per person per night depending on the hotel category, plus a 10% surcharge; under-18s are exempt. It is usually paid separately at the hotel.
Non-EU residents spending over €100 in one shop on one day can reclaim VAT: ask the shop for a tax-free form with your passport and scan it at a PABLO kiosk at the airport where you leave the Schengen area.
🍜FoodLyon is France's food capital: hearty, cheese- and cream-rich 'mothers' cooking alongside Michelin-starred restaurants.+
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Bouchons and what to eat
A bouchon is a small traditional Lyon restaurant with red-checked tablecloths: quenelles (soft fish dumplings), salade lyonnaise (with egg and bacon), saucisson brioché, cervelle de canut (herbed soft cheese) and praline tart. Look for the 'Les Bouchons Lyonnais' label. With children, market stalls, pastries and ice cream are everywhere.
Tip: Many Lyon restaurants close on Sundays and Mondays — check ahead.
A meal in a cheap restaurant is about €15 per person, a bouchon lunch 'formule' about €20–30, and a three-course dinner for two in a mid-range restaurant about €65. Service is included, so tipping is optional. You can ask for free tap water (carafe d'eau).
Buying cheese, bread and fruit at Les Halles Paul Bocuse, the Quai Saint-Antoine morning market on the Saône or the Croix-Rousse market for a picnic in the Tête d'Or park is cheap. Monoprix, Carrefour City and Franprix are all over the centre.
At Part-Dieu station, on the metro, on Rue de la République and in Vieux Lyon wear your bag in front and don't leave your phone on the table. On Festival of Lights evenings the streets are packed — hold children's hands and agree on a meeting point. Avoid walking alone around La Guillotière and Perrache at night.
Tip: Keep a copy of your passport on your phone and leave the original in the hotel safe.
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Weather and hospitals
Summer brings heatwaves — water, a hat and shade; autumn brings heavy downpours. Follow Météo-France orange and red warnings. Green-cross pharmacies are everywhere; in an emergency go to the Édouard-Herriot hospital emergency department, and the Femme-Mère-Enfant hospital for children.
Say 'Bonjour, madame/monsieur' when you enter a shop, café or bus, and 'Merci, au revoir' when you leave. Jumping straight to a question without a greeting is considered rude. A few words of French make people noticeably warmer.
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In restaurants
Lunch is served around midday and dinner starts late; kitchens often close in between. Book bouchons ahead, eat slowly, and ask for the bill with 'L'addition, s'il vous plaît'.
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Traboules and churches
Traboules are courtyards of buildings where people live — walk quietly, don't photograph letterboxes or doors, and don't push closed doors. In Fourvière Basilica cover your shoulders and don't take photos during services.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport
TCL — metro, tram and funicular tickets and routes. Rhônexpress — the airport tram. SNCF Connect — TGV and TER tickets, timetables and delays. Uber and Bolt work; rent Vélo'v city bikes through their app.
Google Translate's camera mode translates bouchon menus and signs on the spot; download the French pack for offline use. Tourist areas usually have English menus.
The Lyon tourist office shop sells the Lyon City Card, guided walks and Beaujolais day tours. Booking timed tickets for the Musée des Confluences and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in advance lets you skip the queue.
Rhônexpress from Part-Dieu takes ~30 minutes (€16 online) and runs every 15 minutes. Check whether your flight leaves from Terminal 1 or 2. Plan to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight — EES registration and security.
Scan your tax-free forms at a PABLO kiosk before passport control (green screen = approved); carry the goods unopened in your hand luggage. Returning via Frankfurt, your Schengen exit check happens there. EES records your exit — don't overstay the 90-day limit.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Basilica daily 7:00–20:00; museum Tue–Fri 11:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00; theatres 7:00–19:00 (May–Sep until 21:00)
A gilded 19th-century basilica on the hill with a viewpoint over the whole city — on clear days you can see Mont Blanc. Below are two 2,000-year-old Roman theatres and the Lugdunum Gallo-Roman museum. A few minutes by the F2 funicular from Vieux Lyon.
The city centre between the Rhône and the Saône: Place Bellecour, one of Europe's largest pedestrian squares, the Bartholdi fountain on Place des Terreaux, the City Hall, the Opera and the shops of Rue de la République. Walk along the Saône and cross a footbridge to Vieux Lyon.
Kids€12; free under 18Tue–Sun 10:30–18:30 (also Mondays in school holidays); until 22:00 on the first Thursday of the month
A natural-science and anthropology museum in a steel-and-glass 'cloud' where the two rivers meet: dinosaur skeletons, a mammoth, meteorites and world cultures. Lyon's best family stop; the Confluence shopping centre is next door.
FoodFree entry (buy cheese, oysters and sweets)Tue–Sat ~7:00–19:30 (some stalls also Mondays), Sun ~7:00–13:00
The indoor market that symbolises France's food capital: Saint-Marcellin cheese, Bresse chicken, Lyon sausages, praline tarts and oysters. Have oysters and wine for lunch right at the counter — liveliest on Sunday mornings.
KidsFree (the zoo is free too)Park 6:30–22:30 (15 Oct–14 Apr until 20:30); animals 9:30–18:30 (winter 16:30), zoo closed Tuesdays
One of France's largest city parks at 117 ha: a lake with boats, a rose garden, tropical greenhouses and a free zoo with an African plain, giraffes and lions. Ponies and playgrounds — perfect for half a day with children.
The 'hill that works', home to 19th-century silk weavers (canuts): stairways, traboules, the Mur des Canuts — one of Europe's largest murals — and the morning market on the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse. Ride metro C up and walk down the steps to Place des Terreaux.
Culture€8 (€12 with exhibition); free under 18Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00, Fridays from 10:30; closed Tuesdays
One of France's major art museums, in a former abbey on Place des Terreaux: Egyptian antiquities, Rubens, Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso and Matisse. The quiet cloister garden is a calm break in the middle of the city.
Institut Lumière — birthplace of cinema★ 4.5 (8,000)
Culture€9.50 (under 18 €7.50, under 7 free)Tue–Sun 10:00–18:30; closed Mondays
The Lumière brothers shot the world's first film here in 1895, by their father's Art Nouveau villa. See the original Cinématographe, the first colour photographs and the 'Hangar du Premier Film' cinema next door. Metro D, Monplaisir-Lumière.
CultureVillage free24 hours (shops and cafés by day)
A walled stone village 37 km north-east of Lyon, one of the 'Most Beautiful Villages of France': cobbled lanes, 15th-century houses and the Place du Tilleul. Don't miss the sugary 'galette de Pérouges'. Take the train from Part-Dieu to Meximieux-Pérouges and walk uphill.
NatureOld town and lakeshore free; train ~€20–35 one way24 hours
The 'Venice of Savoy' on one of Europe's cleanest lakes, ringed by the Alps: canals, flower-decked bridges, the château, the Palais de l'Isle and the Pont des Amours. Swim in the lake in summer and rent bikes or boats. About 2 h from Lyon by train — a day trip if you leave early, better with two days.
NatureVillages free; cellar tastings varyCellars mostly by day, often by appointment
North of Lyon: vineyard hills, golden-stone 'Pierres Dorées' villages (Oingt, Theizé) and Beaujolais wine cellars. Public transport is thin, so join a guided minibus tour or drive; Beaujolais Nouveau is celebrated on the third Thursday of November.
