Lyon with kids: family-friendly areas and things to do
Lyon is easy with children: a huge park with a free zoo, an aquarium, a miniature world, and museums that kids actually enjoy. Choose a flat area with a park nearby and family rooms or apartments.
In short: Stay in Brotteaux next to the Parc de la Tête d'Or and its free zoo, or in Confluence, which is flat, modern and close to the Musée des Confluences and the aquarium.
Updated on October 31, 2026
Where to stay
Flat streets, green space and room for everyone:
Brotteaux & Tête d'Or
Elegant, calm, next to Lyon's great park. Families, congresses at the Cité Internationale, calm stays.
Confluence
Modern district where the Rhône meets the Saône. Families, travellers with a car, modern hotels.
Presqu'île & Bellecour
The very centre, between the two rivers. First visits, couples, solo travellers, anyone without a car.
Coming up in Lyon
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Epoqu'auto classic car show
Eurexpo Lyon, Chassieu
One of France's biggest classic car and motorbike shows, with clubs, dealers and spare parts.
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Lyon Christmas market
Place Carnot, Lyon 2
Lyon's main Christmas market, with around a hundred wooden chalets on Place Carnot, near Perrache station.
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Fête des Lumières 2026
City centre, Presqu'île
Four free evenings of light installations across the city centre. Lyon's busiest dates of the year.
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Foire de Lyon
Eurexpo Lyon, Chassieu
Lyon's big consumer fair: home, food, leisure and shopping, with around 180,000 visitors.
Things to do
Activities children love:
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Parc de la Tête d'Or & zoo
One of the largest city parks in France: a lake with boats, a botanical garden, greenhouses and a free zoo.
Ideal for a morning run along the lake.
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Musée des Confluences
A science and society museum in a spectacular building where the rivers meet: fossils, ethnography, the history of life.
Plan two hours; children love the natural history section.
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Aquarium de Lyon
Sharks, rays and tropical fish a few minutes south of Confluence, sized just right for young children.
Combine it with the Musée des Confluences on the same day.
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Mini World Lyon
Huge animated miniature worlds with trains, towns and day-night cycles, at Carré de Soie in the east of Lyon.
Reachable by metro A or tram T3, ideal on a rainy day.
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Gadagne museums & Guignol
The history of Lyon and a puppet museum in Vieux-Lyon, home of Guignol, the city's famous puppet character.
Look for a Guignol show nearby to complete the visit.
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Musée Cinéma et Miniature
Original film props and costumes, plus astonishingly detailed miniature scenes, in a Renaissance building in Vieux-Lyon.
Good in the rain and with children.
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Fourvière Basilica
The white basilica that watches over the city. Its esplanade has the best view of Lyon, the Alps on a clear day.
Take the funicular from Vieux-Lyon and walk back down through the Rosary gardens.
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Croix-Rousse & the Mur des Canuts
The silk workers' hill: steep slopes, traboules, a lively market and the Mur des Canuts, a giant trompe-l'oeil wall.
Climb by metro C and walk down the slopes to the centre.
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The Rhône riverbanks
Kilometres of car-free promenades along the Rhône, with gardens, playgrounds, barges and terraces.
Bike sharing (Vélo'v) stations are all along the river.
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Grand Parc Miribel Jonage
A vast nature park east of Lyon with lakes, a supervised swimming area in summer, cycling and outdoor activities.
Best in summer; easiest by car.
Questions
Where should families stay in Lyon?
Brotteaux, right next to the Parc de la Tête d'Or, or Confluence, which is modern, flat and close to the Musée des Confluences. Both are easier with a stroller than the cobbled old town.
Is the Lyon zoo free?
Yes, the zoo inside the Parc de la Tête d'Or is free to enter.
Hotel or apartment with children?
For more than two nights, an apartment often costs less than two hotel rooms and gives you a kitchen. In the search, add your children and their ages to see options that fit everyone.