A French Respite - Lyon, France
Recently, we traveled to Lyon, France. I got a lot of questions about why we chose Lyon, and, outside of being mildly obsessed with France, it was one of the larger French cities we hadn't been to. Also, it's known for its gastronomy and I'm all about that French food (which looked delicious on the Parts Unknown - Lyon show). Here's roundup of our days there!
Hotel:
Sofitel Lyon: great location, Michelin starred restaurant and lively bar on the top floor, and one of the only hotels I could find with true suites (key because we had our toddler with us). Arriving here after a long day of travel and enjoying a gourmet meal overlooking the city was a breath of fresh air
Food:
The star of this town...eat anything and everything you can!
Comptoir Abel - a traditional bouchon (which were created in Lyon), this is where you go to eat anything quintessentially Lyonnais. We had the chicken with morel sauce and it blew my mind, along with a traditional Lyonnais salad and a carafe of Provence rose - major food baby when I left here! Definitely a must do. And they have online reservations - a plus!
Daniel et Denise - Another amazing bouchon (see a theme here?) with classic red checked table cloths and the best pate and creme brulee of the trip!
Les Trois Domes - located on the top floor of the Sofitel (see above), this was our gourmet meal during our stay and it was relatively well priced for a Michelin meal (comparatively speaking)
Brasserie le Sud - one of the restaurants in the Paul Bocuse empire - I had a whole fish in an incredible butter sauce. Also, they were super child friendly, which is rare
To Do:
Hike the hills of the city to see Notre Dame de Lyon. It has an incredible ceiling and the city views as you make your way up are beautiful. Be prepared for burning calves afterwards!
On your way down from Notre Dame, check out the Roman Gallo Theatre - ruins of a Roman amphitheater!
Walk around Old Lyon and take in the quaint buildings and cobblestone streets
We gave up going to the market (Les Halles de Lyon) and the Parc Tete in order to go wine tasting. Lyon is very close to the little known Beaujolais region, so we took that opportunity to visit the small French village of Oignt and then do a wine tasting in Beaujolais village. The countryside was absolutely stunning and I'd recommend Lyon is Yours if you are interested in that type of half day trip
