Lyon, just two hours south of Paris, is hailed as the food capital of France. Photo / Supplied
Lyon, just two hours south of Paris, is hailed as the food capital of France. Photo / Supplied
What should the All Blacks do during non-game days in France? Travel writer, Victoria Trott discovers the best to-do’s in both Toulouse and Lyon for players and spectators alike.
THE ALL BLACKS’ GUIDE TO LYON
France’s third-largest city will see an influx of Kiwi rugby fans this autumn. The OL Stadium is hosting two first-round matches for the All Blacks (against Italy and Uruguay), and the squad will be based in Lyon for the duration of the tournament. Although the tourist office website has a guide specifically for the Rugby World Cup, here are some suggestions to experience the essence of Lyon, away from the fan zone and sports bars.
France’s third-largest city will see an influx of Kiwi rugby fans this autumn. Photo / Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu; Unsplash
Two hours south of Paris by train, Lyon is regarded as the food capital of France – it is surrounded by some of the country’s best vineyards and produce. Head to Les Halles Paul Bocuse, a covered market named after the local late chef known as “the father of nouvelle cuisine”, for top-quality regional products including charcuterie at Sibliia, Saint Marcellin cheese at La Mere Richard and tarte aux pralines (pink praline tart) at Seve.
In Lyon, France, try tarte aux pralines (pink praline tart) at Seve. Photo / Getty Images
Although you could eat at a stall counter in the market, Lyon is renowned for its bouchons – cosy, traditional restaurants serving regional specialties. La Merciere (56 rue Merciere; open daily) was voted “best authentic bouchon 2022″; try a quenelle (pike dumpling) in crayfish sauce. For fine dining, Michelin-star Les Terrasses at five-star Hotel Villa Florentine on Fourviere Hill, has 180-degree views across the city.
Two hours south of Paris by train, Lyon is regarded as the food capital of France. Photo / Getty Images
DRINK
With Beaujolais and Burgundy to the north, Cotes du Rhone to the south and the vineyards of Savoie and Jura to the east, it’s all about wine here. Vitis Bar (13 boulevard de la Croix Rousse; closed Sunday), with a rustic wood and stone interior, has a well-chosen selection of regional and national wines starting at €6/$11 a glass; but there’s a bottle of 2015 Romanee Conti on the menu at €9000/$16,500 for high-rollers. Craft brewery Ninkasi, named after the Mesopotamian goddess of beer and brewing, has been producing ale of all kinds since 1997; these days, they also make their own whisky. The brewery is housed in a low-rise modern office building on the southern outskirts of the city, with a bar, concert venue and burger restaurant. Slake, a cafe inspired by the owners’ time spent working in New Zealand, is the place to go for locally roasted coffee and healthy food.
Lyon sits amid prominent wine regions, including Beaujolais, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone, Savoie, and Jura. Photo / Supplied
SHOP
From the 15th to 19th century, Lyon was one of Europe’s leading producers of silk. The natural textile is still made in the city (albeit on a much smaller scale) – Brochier Soieries, founded in 1890, sells scarves and ties printed with designs by celebrated artists such as Basquiat, Klimt and Picasso. Chocolate is also one of the city’s specialities and Voisin, founded in 1897, is famous for its coussins de Lyon, cushion-shaped chocolate ganache enrobed in green marzipan. Concept store Too showcases the work of local designers – illustrations, jewellery and home deco.
Coussins de Lyon are cushion-shaped chocolate ganache enrobed in green marzipan. Photo / Getty Images
DO
Stroll along the Berges du Rhone. Lyon was founded by the Romans in 1 BC where the Rhône meets the Saone river. Over the past 20 years, almost 5km of the banks of the former have been developed to provide a place for leisure and recreation, with parks, picnic areas, a swimming pool and a couple of barges housing bar-restaurants.
Explore Vieux Lyon. Almost 500ha of the city centre have been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1998. To admire pastel-coloured silk merchants’ mansions and townhouses dating from 16th century, take a stroll along rue de Saint Jean and rue de Boeuf, ducking into the traboules – narrow, covered passageways between buildings (indicated by a bronze shield). Then hop on the funicular railway from St Jean to the top of Fourviere Hill for incredible views across the city as far as the Alps.
Duck into the traboules – narrow, covered passageways between buildings in Vieux Lyon. Photo / Getty Images
Go to the cinema. Auguste and Louis Lumiere, who lived in Lyon in the late 19th century, developed the cinematographe – a machine to record, develop and project film; as a result, the brothers were important pioneers in the early days of film-making. Their former home, now the Institut Lumiere, houses a museum, France’s largest cinema-related bookshop, regularly screens classic films and hosts the annual Festival Lumiere (October 14 to 22), which focuses on retrospectives.
For further information see en.visiterlyon.com
THE ALL BLACKS’ GUIDE TO TOULOUSE
Toulouse, capital of France’s Occitanie region, has a long association with rugby. Its club, five-time European champions Stade Toulousain, was founded in 1907 and supplies many players to the French national team. The All Blacks take on Namibia at the Stadium de Toulouse on September 15 – a great weekend to be in town, especially for history buffs. Although the tourist office website has a section dedicated to the Rugby World Cup, here’s a guide to some unique experiences that the “pink city” (so-called because of the colour of its buildings) has to offer.
The French city of Toulouse is nicknamed ‘pink city’ due to the pinkish colour of its buildings. Photo / Getty Images
EAT
The speciality in this area is cassoulet, a hearty dish made with white beans, duck and Toulouse sausages. One of the best places to try it is Le Louchebem, on the first floor of Marche Victor Hugo, France’s oldest covered market. The centre of the city is Place du Capitole, a vast square flanked by the imposing 18th-century City Hall as well as hotels, bars and restaurants including Le Bibent, a chic brasserie dating from 1843 serving refined regional dishes beneath an ornately painted ceiling. Toulouse has a distinctly Spanish vibe due to the waves of Spaniards who’ve crossed the Pyrenees and settled in the city over the years, and, as a result, there are some great tapas bars – Vasco Le Gamma (1 place de l’Estrapade; daily from 3pm) offers more than 30 tapas from €5/$9 in the hip Saint Cyprien district.
DRINK
Located in an unassuming old building in a side street near Esquirol metro, Le 5 Wine Bar was named World’s Best Wine Bar in 2017, 2018 and 2019; it has several thousand wines from France and elsewhere, with more than 40 available by the glass – try the local AOC Fronton made with negrette grapes, unique to this area. In summer, pop-up bars called guinguettes appear on the banks of the Garonne; Racines, on the southwest side of the 16th-century Pont Neuf bridge, is a lively spot for cocktails (from €10/$18). Toulouse has several good speciality coffee shops but Cafe Cerise, which roasts its coffee beans on site, has the added bonus of a view of the river.
In summer, pop-up bars called guinguettes appear on the banks of the Garonne River in Toulouse. Photo / Youssef Jounaid; Unsplash
SHOP
Violets were brought to Toulouse from Italy in the 18th century and have since become one of the city’s emblems; there’s even a festival dedicated to the little purple flower in February. La Maison de la Violette, housed on a green-and-white barge near the train station, has a great selection of violet-scented products from soap to chocolate and tea. It was the trade of another plant that was responsible for Toulouse’s prosperity during the Renaissance – pastel aka woad. The yellow flowers produce a blue dye and certain artisans are still creating products from it – AHPY makes clothes while Terre de Pastel not only concocts beauty products but also has a spa and museum.
The Canal du Midi, stretching 240 kilometers from Toulouse to the Mediterranean coast, is not only a testament to France's engineering prowess of the 17th century but also stands as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Photo / Supplied
DO
This year’s European Heritage Days, when historic buildings open their doors for free, takes place September 16-17. Visitors can take a peek inside one of the woad merchants’ mansions (hotels particuliers) or listen to some live traditional Occitan music at the Musee du Vieux Toulouse.
Cycle along the canal. Completed in 1681, the 240-kilometre Canal du Midi runs from Toulouse to Sete on France’s Mediterranean coast. It is considered one of the country’s greatest construction projects and is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Hire a mountain bike from La Maison du Velo and head southeast towards Villefranche-de-Lauragais, which takes just over two hours direct.
Cycle along the 240km Canal du Midi, completed in 1681. Photo / Getty Images
See how a plane is made. Toulouse has been involved with aviation since the industry’s earliest days, and now it’s the HQ of plane manufacturer Airbus. On a guided tour, Let’s Visit Airbus’ visitors can see how an A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, is made. Combine it with a visit to Aeroscopia, a museum tracing the history of aviation complete with actual planes.
Ride a Minotaur. La Halle de la Machine is the lair of fantastical mechanical creatures, including a 14m-high minotaur named Asterion, on whose back 50 visitors at a time can take a ride.
