Lyon With Kids by Age: Toddlers to Teens
Lyon With Kids by Age: Toddlers to Teens
A day that thrills a seven-year-old can bore a fifteen-year-old and exhaust a toddler. Lyon has enough variety to cover every age, and most of it costs little. Choose by age first, then by weather.
Under 5: space, animals and a train on a cliff
Parc de la Tête d’Or is the obvious start. Park and zoo are both free, and the park covers about 105 hectares of lawns and paths in the 6th arrondissement. The zoo is closed every Tuesday and keeps shorter hours in winter, so check the Lyon city site for the current times. Small children enjoy the animals, the lake and the playground space, and boat hire costs extra. The greenhouses are free and work as a warm, dry stop on a cold morning.
The Fourvière funicular is the other easy win. It leaves from the Vieux Lyon metro station, and a standard TCL ticket covers it, with a single at €2.10. Children tend to remember the steep ride more than the basilica at the top.
Ages 6 to 10: puppets and the aquarium
Guignol is Lyon’s own glove-puppet, and the theatre on montée du Gourguillon runs family shows in French with plenty of slapstick. Daytime tickets start at €10.90 for adults and €8.90 for children, with shows on Wednesday afternoon, and Saturday and Sunday through the day. Buy through the tourist office listing at visiterlyon.com .
The Aquarium de Lyon lies in La Mulatière, south of the centre, and opens daily from 10:30 to 18:30 according to aquariumlyon.fr . It makes a good wet-weather plan. Check the current ticket price on the site before you go.
Ages 11 to 15: film props and big museums
Teenagers usually respond to the Musée Cinéma et Miniature in Vieux Lyon, where film props sit beside tiny hand-built rooms. Adults pay €22.90, children aged 4 to 15 pay €17.90, and there is a family pack at about €55. Under-4s go free. The ticket is steep, so treat it as the one big-ticket stop of the trip.
The Musée des Confluences, at €12 or €7 reduced, suits curious teens with its dinosaur skeletons and the strange glass-and-steel building. Check the youth entry rules at museedesconfluences.fr . The Institut Lumière at €9.50 adds the story of early cinema, and it often pairs well with a film fan’s interest.
Getting about with children
A 24 hour TCL pass costs €7.10, and a carnet of ten tickets costs €20.50. Validate every ticket, since inspectors fine travellers without one on the spot.
Keep bags closed at Part-Dieu, Bellecour and on busy metro cars, because pickpockets target tired families. Count heads at every platform change.
A flexible plan
If you have only two days, put the park and the funicular on day one, and a museum and puppets on day two. For a broader view of the city, use the Lyon guide , and see the two-day itinerary for a ready route. You can also search family tours on Viator .
Tip: on a Tuesday the zoo is shut, so spend it on the funicular, the Confluences museum or the aquarium.