Quai Claude Bernard Berth → Place Bellecour
Cross Pont de la Guillotière from the pier and continue straight toward the Presqu'île peninsula to reach Place Bellecour.
Cruise port in France
Lyon
Allow about 10 min each way from the terminal to the city center. Average time in port: 12 hours. 23 places to explore.
- Ships calling here
- 4 ships
- Upcoming sailings
- 189 sailings
- Average time in port
- About 12 hours
- Lowest fare
- From USD 3,128
Photo: Brice Robert www.b-rob.com ©Only Lyon
After disembarking
Cruise ships dock at Lyon cruise terminals. Allow about 10 min each way from the terminal to the city center.
- 2 cruise terminals
The assigned dock is one of Quai Claude Bernard Rhône River cruise pier, Quai Rambaud Saône Pier and varies by sailing.
- Check for the Official Certification Mark for an Authentic Lyon Bouchon
When visiting a traditional Lyon restaurant known as a bouchon, check for the official yellow 'Les Bouchons Lyonnais' plaque at the entrance, showing the wooden Gnafron puppet. It certifies authentic quality and service.
- Contactless Credit Card Boarding on TCL Public Transport
On Lyon's metro, tram, buses, and the funicular (cable car) up Fourvière Hill, you can tap an international credit card or smartphone on the reader (TCL Carte Bancaire) and ride at the single-journey fare without buying a separate ticket.
About 12 hours in port: where can you go?
Time available at the destination after subtracting return travel.
Return travel Time at destination
Calculated from the average time in port. Return deadlines vary by sailing; check the daily programme on board.
Between the terminal, city and airport
Travel between the terminal, city center, railway station and airport.
Place Bellecour → Vieux Lyon (Saint-Jean)
Walk west from Place Bellecour and cross Pont Bonaparte to reach Vieux Lyon and the street by Saint-Jean Cathedral.
Vieux Lyon Metro Station → Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Inside Vieux Lyon metro station, transfer to the F2 funicular (cable car to Fourvière) and get off at Fourvière station at the summit, right in front of the basilica.
Quai Claude Bernard → Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
At Quai Claude Bernard stop in front of the pier, take tram T1 toward Servient - Moncey or Part-Dieu, then walk 4 minutes to the indoor market.
Lyon places to explore
Explore 23 checked places. Select a pin to see its card, or choose View on map from a card.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
France's second-largest art museum, in a former 17th-century Benedictine convent. Its collections range from ancient artifacts to paintings and sculptures by Rembrandt, Rodin, and Monet, rivaling those of the Louvre.
- Visit
- about 1 hr 30 min
- Admission
- EUR 12
Tuesday is the regular closing day.
Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Lyon's cathedral, built from the 12th to the 15th century, combining Romanesque and Gothic styles. Its precise 14th-century astronomical clock still operates on the hour.
- Visit
- about 45 min
- Admission
- Free
Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière
A Byzantine-Romanesque pilgrimage basilica built atop Fourvière Hill in the late 19th century, known for its ornate golden mosaics and panoramic views across Lyon.
- Visit
- about 1 hr 15 min
- Admission
- Free
Place Bellecour
Europe's largest pedestrian-only square, paved with red sandstone. It features a bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIV and a memorial to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince.
- Visit
- about 30 min
- Admission
- Free
Parc de la Tête d'Or
A 117-hectare urban park opened in 1857, the largest in France. It has a large lake, botanical garden greenhouses, a free-admission zoo, and a rose garden.
- Visit
- about 1 hr 30 min
- Admission
- Free
Fresque des Lyonnais
An 800 m² trompe-l'œil mural covering an entire building façade, depicting 30 historical figures from Lyon, including Saint-Exupéry, the Lumière brothers, and Paul Bocuse, standing in windows and on balconies.
- Visit
- about 25 min
- Admission
- Free
Cruises calling at Lyon
189 sailings are grouped into 42 cruises by ship and route.
Emerald Cruises9 departure dates4 sailings available to book
Sailing 2026.11 ~ 2028.12Europe cruises · 7 nights
Festive Sensations of Lyon & Provence
Lyon → Nice
Lowest departure fareFrom USD 3,128
Emerald CruisesSailing 2027.04Europe cruises · 7 nights
Emerald Culturas: Sensations of Lyon & Provence for Spanish & Portuguese Speaking Guests
Nice → Lyon
Per person, double occupancyFrom USD 3,128
Emerald CruisesSailing 2027.04Europe cruises · 7 nights
Spring Sensations of Lyon and Provence
Lyon → Nice
Per person, double occupancyFrom USD 3,425
Emerald Cruises3 departure dates
Sailing 2027.04 ~ 2028.04Europe cruises · 7 nights
Springtime Sensations of Lyon & Provence
Lyon → Marseillan
Lowest departure fareFrom USD 3,425
Emerald CruisesSailing 2027.04Europe cruises · 10 nights · Mid-length cruise
Nice & Springtime Sensations of Lyon & Provence
Nice → Lyon
Per person, double occupancyFrom USD 4,747
Emerald Cruises3 departure dates
Sailing 2027.04 ~ 2027.09Europe cruises · 7 nights
Nice to Paris & Sensations of Lyon and Provence
Nice → Paris
Lowest departure fareFrom USD 5,717
Emerald CruisesSailing 2027.04Europe cruises · 9 nights · Mid-length cruise
Springtime Sensations of Lyon and Provence & Paris
Nice → Paris
Per person, double occupancyFrom USD 4,872
Emerald Cruises3 departure dates
Sailing 2027.04 ~ 2028.04Europe cruises · 7 nights
Spring Sensations of Lyon & Provence
Nice → Lyon
Lowest departure fareFrom USD 3,479
Emerald Cruises4 departure dates
Sailing 2027.04 ~ 2028.09Europe cruises · 11 nights · Long cruise
Swiss Mountains with Sensations of Lyon and Provence
Marseille → Marseillan
Lowest departure fareFrom USD 5,319
Emerald CruisesSailing 2027.04Europe cruises · 7 nights
Swiss Mountains, Sensations of Lyon and Provence
Marseille → Nice
Per person, double occupancyCheck with the booking provider
Emerald Cruises33 departure dates
Sailing 2027.04 ~ 2028.09Emerald Cruises5 departure dates
Sailing 2027.04 ~ 2027.0942 cruises call at this port.
Ships calling at Lyon
Explore cabin types, dining and deck facilities for each ship.
Emerald Cruises · 178 sailings
Emerald Liberte
5 cabin types · 4 dining venues · 14 entertainment options · 4 decks
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Emerald Cruises · 6 sailings
Emerald Radiance
4 cabin types · 4 dining venues · 14 entertainment options · 4 decks
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Emerald Cruises · 3 sailings
Emerald Luna
5 cabin types · 4 dining venues · 15 entertainment options · 4 decks
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Emerald Cruises · 2 sailings
Emerald Star
5 cabin types · 4 dining venues · 15 entertainment options · 4 decks
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About Lyon
Lyon, the capital city in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, sits at the junction of the Rhône and Saône rivers. Its center reflects 2,000 years of history from the Roman Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules, medieval and Renaissance architecture in Vieux (Old) Lyon, to the modern Confluence district on Presqu'île peninsula. Traboules, covered passageways between buildings, connect Vieux Lyon and La Croix-Rousse hill.
Cruise lines calling here: 1 places
Emerald Cruises
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