Last weekend I went to Lyon, France for a friend’s wedding. I’ve expanded my French travels a lot in the past year, going past Paris to Cannes, and now Lyon!
Lyon is much more provincial than Paris, which was just fine with me. It is much smaller, more colorful and far fewer people speak English, which means plenty of opportunities to practice French!
Since I was in the city for a wedding, most of the weekend was dedicated to the happy couple, but I was able to see a few highlights before the ceremony and festivities began.
My favorite thing? It involves French food, of course.
If you’re in Lyon, try Brasserie Georges for lunch (or dinner)! All the locals were there for a boozy, long and lazy Friday afternoon spent amongst French food in really quaint surroundings.
Trying to fit in, I didn’t take too many pictures of the interior, but its pretty fabulous. Built in the mid-19th century, they have kept up with the original decor fairly well.
Glass of bubbly in hand, I felt très French.
I started with the coquilles St Jacques…
…and instead of having a main, treated myself to strawberry panna cotta.
Pretty heavenly and, I will warn you, a bit heavy, especially if you accompany it with half a bottle of local red. Obviously, it was time for a walk.
I would recommend walking around Lyon if you have the time. Not only will you work off a bit of the heavy French food you may have eaten, but you’ll get to see all the old architecture. Its a bit like walking around Paris, except you’ll more than likely come across many more residential, quiet areas. I liked this, it made me feel like I wasn’t a faceless tourist but part of the town.
As I mentioned, most of the weekend was spent celebrating un mariage outside the city, in the French countryside. It was chilly and a bit rainy, but oh so beautiful. We stayed in an old farmhouse a short drive from the venue. All around us were amazing views.
Definitely a place to go if you want a quieter French experience, and want to be amongst greenery, good food and wine! And awesome photo opps, too.