Lyon Mid- Range Hotel in the City Center
Head’s up: I had my Harry Potter invisibility cloak on. This is an unpaid review and 100% my own opinion. I paid for this stay myself.
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Location
This was a last minute booking. We had a guest who’d never been to Lyon and we wanted to show them the city for the first time. I gravitated towards the Mercure Lyon Hotel mainly for it’s location and affordable pricing. We wanted a city center of Lyon hotel that was centrally located from all the attractions.
The fact that this hotel was right next to Rue de La Republique (one of Lyon’s main shopping street) but still on a quiet street was a no-brainer.
It’s also a 10-15 minute walk from Place de Bellecour (Lyon’s main square).
To get to the old town (Vieux Lyon) you can just cross over the bridge and you’ll be there in under 10-15 minutes.
The metro to Cordelier is right at the end of Rue de la Republique and only 5 minutes away.
I ended up using this metro stop almost every day along with the buses.
I arrived from Paris Gare de Lyon to the Perrache station and took the metro straight to Cordeliers. It was pretty straight forward and only 2 stops on the same line A (no switching). You can buy tickets at the station. I recommend it if you don’t have alot of luggage.
Check-In:
I received an email the day before to do early check-in online but didn’t get to it. We arrived at 9 pm and the check-in was pretty straight forward. I forgot to mention that we would be arriving in the evening and was kind of concerned there would be no-one to greet us at the reception, but there was a staff member at the reception.
Room
We requested quiet rooms away from the elevator when booking and the staff fulfilled this request.
The room was clean and decently sized with a street view. There was a kettle and a selection of teas as well a mini fridge, tv, hair dryer and a safety box.
Fun fact: the window on the street view had a window within a window (inception much). And it’s built on another floor so it feels like you’re in a stuck elevator. Not sure what the architect’s mood board was. It’s also locked for safety reasons I can imagine.
I didn’t mind and found it comical plus because it’s a double window this means zero sound from outside so you get to sleep like a baby.
I found out my room was the biggest amongst our group (407- street view). Room 408 next-door with a street view was smaller, and 410 across the courtyard was the smallest. But it had a window you could open with the coolest mural fresco- how cute.
It could have had more closet space. There was a small wardrobe with 6 hangers to stack your clothes behind each other.
Also I feel like when you’re visiting a city you will be out all day and at the end of the day all you want is a clean room with a bed. This is what I am telling myself.
The other group also mentioned their room was very hot. In the winter they put on central heating so you can’t control your room temperature and their window is inaccessible. Note: we were in February.
I personally thought it was fine because I get cold easily but if you get hot easily then I would recommend to get a room with an accessible window (courtyard- not on the street).
For a four star there was no toiletry kit of some sort with at least cotton buds or a shower cap. There was only a soap dispenser at the sink and another shampoo dispenser in the shower.
Of course, this means slippers was out of the question.
I guess it didn’t matter for me much anyway because I was only there for 2 days. Grabbing a few cotton buds in your packing bag wouldn’t hurt.
Great Breakfast- so I was told
As a vegan I didn’t get the breakfast because I’d rather get my own vegan breakfast in the city at a local place and most places don’t cater to vegans.
Even at high end hotels- stayed at the Lyon Intercontinental (5*) a few years back- wasn’t impressed with their breakfast and vegan options for me. Learnt my lesson and now I only get breakfast at vegan places.
Top tip: For the best vegan breakfast head to Zoi café up at Croix Rousse. This is where I had breakfast everyday. Too good and entirely plant-based.
Anyhoow I still asked my group who did get breakfast for pictures.
They seemed to appreciate the selection, although small, and mentioned it was better than the Lyon Hotel Le Royal (5*) breakfast. So if you don’t have dietary requirements definitely try the breakfast.
The breakfast area was small, on the main floor, but very efficient.
No plant-based milk.
You can grab freshly pressed orange juice through the dispenser and make yourself some tea with a cool tea selection (from Palais des Thes).
What I Loved
One thing I really appreciated was the water carafe. You can go downstairs and fill up a carafe (jug) at the water dispenser to take up to your room. This meant you didn’t really need to buy water and carry it from the supermarket. It’s also more ecological.
How to Get to the Hotel
From Lyon Perrache Train Station:
- By Metro: Take Line A towards Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie and get off at Cordeliers station. It’ll then be a 5-10 minute walk.
- By Taxi: A taxi ride from Lyon Perrache to the destination is around 10 to 15 minutes.
From Lyon Part-Dieu Train Station:
- By Metro: Take Line B towards Charpennes and transfer to Line A at Charpennes. Take Line A towards Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie and get off at Cordeliers station. It’ll then be a 5-10 minute walk.
- By Taxi: A taxi ride from Lyon Part-Dieu to the destination generally takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
From Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport:
- By Rhônexpress Tram: Take the Rhônexpress tram from the airport to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie station. Transfer to Metro Line A towards Perrache and get off at Cordeliers station. It’ll then be a 5-10 minute walk.
- By Taxi: A taxi ride from Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport to the destination usually takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
Final Takeaway
Despite the room size (I would request room 407 or a room of a similar size), the hotel was clean, functional with a very good breakfast. But the most important for me was LOCATION. The pricing to be that centrally located was UNBEATABLE.
I would make sure to book in advance for an even lower price (I booked pretty last minute). The staff were very good and helpful.
Book the Mercure hotel or check out more hotels below.
