My Best Picnic Spots in Lyon

Find out My Best Picnic Spots in Lyon! Have a lunch on a budget, in a healthy and delicious way!

It is summer and it’s the best time to enjoy eating out outdoors. I love picnics! I love to get the fresh bread and bits and pieces and be creative on the fresh air in a nice company. Its warm and nice outside, there is a lot of sun but you can find some shadow as well. You can be free and have your lunch on a budget in Lyon. You will also make sure its healthier way of eating and you will save money. I promise! So where to start when you plan your picnic? Simply, you can do it 2 ways; either prepare sandwiches, snacks and drinks at home and bring with you to your picnic spot. Or when you are in the city and you feel like eating your lunch, you can simply pop out to the Boulangerie for the fresh bread, and the local Casino to pick up the cheese, ham some fruits and drink. You can plan to have it with others or on your own reading a book or magazine.. Anyway way you will have great time either socializing with others or reading your book or news on your phone 😉

I have already tried few places for picnic here in Lyon and there are many more places to explore and I cannot wait to test them out. From what I have already done and what I do plan to do, these are My Top Picnic Spots in Lyon!

1. Parc de la Tête d’Or –  I would say…’ideal’ for a picnic! Its huge and have many areas where you can sit down and have a bite. It can be a bank or grass, it can be in therose- garden or opposite the animals which you just need to remember you cannot feed! It can be on a run when you are running after your kids on the playground…options are many. I love to sit down on the bank and look at the deers in front of me…relaxing and peaceful during the week, more busy and crowded over weekends!

   

2. Parc de Gerland – I would say …‘very good’ as it is big as well and less crowded than my beloved Parc de la Tête d’Or. There are many places to sit down or lay on the grass to rest your feet. And after eating you can explore the beautiful gardens which this park offers you. These are: the “Megaphorbiaie” gardens with 18,000 plants,  “Jardin Chromatique” where you can admire the lighting of the vegetation until 10 pm, also the 3000 m² Bird Garden where you can admire many species of birds. You can even visit the Maison des Fleurs if you wish like learning about gardening.

   

3. Le Parc des Hauteurs – I would say…’with a great view‘. Because it islocated on theFourvière Hill from where you can admire the beautiful panoramic views of Lyon and have a lunch sandwich or salad. And after you have eaten you can follow some of the interesting footbridge the Park of the Heights offers you. These are:  the“Tramway des Macchabées” route and the 600 m “Quatre Vents” (Four Winds) route on the Viaduct path.  So you can combine relaxing lunch and eating with the activity which makes you healthier. Stay fit, will you?

   

4.  Théâtre Antique de Fourvière I would say …’for its amazing atmosphere’ and many free seats! Alsolocated on theFourvière Hill so once you got up this huge hill, you really deserved a proper and relaxing lunch. HAve a bite sitting at the ancient Colosseum and enjoy the views!

   

5. Le Parc des berges du Rhône – I would say …’super’. This is an amazing place for having a lunch as its near by the river so it offers nice breeze, because it has many banks to sit  and because it has a nice and relaxing view of the Rhône river. Its spread across 5km so you have a big choice of the place!

   

6.  Rives de Saône – I would say …‘also super’! Because its another promenade next to the another river of Lyon, which has a lot of green space and offer many places to rest. Its smaller than the banks of Rhone but as beautiful as you can only imagine. When you start walking from the city center you will end up at the  Île Barbe which is even better place of for the lunch…

   

7. Île Barbe – I would say …’Jocteur‘. Let me explain! The Île Barbe is located next to the best Lyonnais bakery, one of the best  boulangerie in France – Jocteur Boulangerie. So once you got the amazing bread fromJocteur and something sweet as youwill not be able to resist, then you can sit down in the peaceful and quiet and beautifulÎle Barbe

   

8. Vieux Lyon – I would say…’ for being the best place in Lyon‘ so when you there and you want a lunch, obviously there are many restaurants and amazing bouchons which can be expensive so you cannot eat out there every day. So when you in the Old Lyon and if you want to have a picnic lunch I would recommend the lovely fountain situated in the Place Saint-Jean, sitting around it and looking at the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste. But here it can get a bit busy and you can be exposed to too many tourists so if you dont like it….I would recommend…Jardin Archéologique Saint Jean

   

9. Jardin Archéologique Saint Jean –  is located just at the back of the St Jean cathedral in theVieux Lyon. There is a small garden which presents the remains of the religious buildings and this place offers a bit of peaceful atmosphere and much more privacy!

   

10. Jardin du The Musée des Confluences –  I would say ..’a very good place’ to have a picnic as it has a very comfortable new seats! It gives you a great and relaxing view of the 2 rivers joining together and its on the back of the biggest, newest Lyonnais museum which you might have visited and felt hungry…so pop up to thenear by park and have a bite to eat!

    

11. Jardin du Musée des Beaux Arts – I would say…’peaceful, quiet, amazing’, Because it’s hidden in the busy center of Lyon, just next to theTerreaux so if you feel overwhelmed  with people, just visit and sit down at one of the banks…I am sure you will find a place and peace there and a time to admire some art….

    

12. Place Bellecour –  I would say…’its ok’…Its not the best but just ok. It’s very good cause of the central  location and because it has many banks to sit at, it also provides you with a great view of Fourviere Hill and Basilica and is next to many shops where you can grab a take away and yummy lunch. It is also next to the Free OnlyLyon toilets which is a big plus as well. So these all is very good, but you might want to avoid it when it’s very hot…as this place is really exposed to the full sun and so very hot! It can also be very busy and loud as there are many tourists passing through

I could go on with all those places where you can eat in Lyon on a budget...your lovely and healthy picnic. I hope you liked my compact collection of My Best Places For Picnic in Lyon. Obviously there are many more, I would say that each park that Lyon has, is the best place to eat your lunch at. I have shared The Comprehensive List of Lyonnais Parks on my blog, so if you run out of the picnic places ideas  just have a look up there. Or maybe you have some other suggestions for a picnic spot in Lyon? Well, please do let me know and in the meantime….bon appetite…have a healthy lunch and on a budget!

By the way, did you know you can read, safe and use on the go this article and others when visiting different places? Well, there is such an application called with GPSCityMap which you can get for free here with my article. Happy travelling!