Experience in Lyon, France by Eléonore

What is it like to live in Lyon? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

I was born in Lyon, i visited many cities but I have got to admit that I am proud of my city ! It's a nice place for students because it's a pretty important cities with many things to do, a lot of new projects made by young people.. But not as chic and expensive as Paris.
The city looks like a mix between south and north (you can really see the differences of the buildings by the two rivers) Lots of buildings are like in paris, "hausmannien" but it's more colourful like in the south. (of course, it depends of the neighborhood)

What is the student lifestyle like in Lyon?

It really depends of your school and if you live in a residence or not (wich is the case in general when you are a foreigner student because it's almost impossible to find an agency who accepts foreigners guarantors)

How much does it cost to live in Lyon?

Once again, it depends of the neighborood, and the building. If you live in a 9m² room and you share toilet and bathroom with other people, it can be 150€ (I think this is the cheapest you can get). Residence are a little more expensive in general, than apartments. If you have roomates, you pay around 350€ (per person) to have a nice apartment (not chic, but ok) In a residence, a studio is about 450€

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Lyon? Is there any advice you can give?

TRY RESIDENCES they are packed immediatly, take a long time in advance ask them. Agencies don't want to bother with people without any french guarantors, so it's almost impossible, and even more difficult with the distance, to find the one that could let you. Or send email to every agencies you can find and ask them, don't look for an apartment to call them once you found something, you will waste too much time.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

If you are looking for cheap thing, don't go to the mac Donald's cause you can find it everywhere in the world. You can buy Kebab (the one in france is different than in Germany or England) and Tacos.
I like a place called "best bagel"
When you cook you can go to lidl because it's the cheapest, and to make your dinner a little more french you should buy bread in actual boulangerie (and not sandwicherie where it was frozen before) BOULANGERIE they are everywhere

What places would you recommend visiting in Lyon?

At first you should get a map and go at the top of fourviere (there is a Basilic on the top of the hill) where you can see all the view
You have to go to the park. Parc de la tête d'or. It's big, there is a zoo (with adorable red pandas) there is a lake, you can go for a run, or with a bicycle...
you should walk around the old neighborhood, vieux lyon. There is the museum of cinema but it's all in french. (yes, cinema was invented in Lyon)
you can go to Confluence, wich is a brand new neighborhood with experimental architecture, so it's like being in the future

Is it good to eat out in Lyon? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

If you are looking for cheap thing, don't go to the mac Donald's cause you can find it everywhere in the world. You can buy Kebab (the one in france is different than in Germany or England) and Tacos.
I like a place called "best bagel"
When you cook you can go to lidl because it's the cheapest, and to make your dinner a little more french you should buy bread in actual boulangerie (and not sandwicherie where it was frozen before) BOULANGERIE they are everywhere

Is the nightlife good in Lyon? Where is good to go?

You can go at the riverside, but there are two rivers so go to the "rhône". Bring your 50cents beer and share with all the students who come here at night.
You can go to concerts, there is a room that has concerts and organize events (club transbo)
there is a street that is called "rue sainte catherine" that we call "rue de la soif" (thursty street) no need to explain why. There is a pub that i like that is called "la taverne du perroquet bourré" : The drunk parrot tavern

What advice would you give future students heading to Lyon?

You should take a subscritption for bicycles (Velo'v) it's 15€ per year and there are stations everywhere where you can take them, if you live not far from your school don't pay 28 per month for transportation, take your bike it will make you exerise to loose the weight you've taken after eating cheese and bread all day. If you need tickets for the subway take a pack of ten, it will make a small economy and it's really annoying to buy it everytime
And beware of pickpockets, especially in the transportation
I will personally be loonking for a roomate in january when my roomates live, so if you are interested send me an email ([email protected])
And you can also use the adress to ask me anything or if you want to meet people once you're arrived :)