10 Things to Do in Lyon in April

Visiting Lyon in April is a wonderful experience because spring brings pleasant weather and the city comes alive with a wide variety of activities to enjoy.

One of the best things to see and do in Lyon during this month is to go and enjoy the city's International Fair, but I also recommend exploring the botanical gardens and picnicking in the meadows of Fourvière for the spring season. April is also a good time to sample the gastronomy and visit museums.

One of the main events you definitely can't miss if you visit Lyon in April is the Lyon International Fair, which is no less than 50 years old. It's a fair that attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world and is set up in the city for three days to provide entertainment for locals and visitors alike.

Inside the fair you'll get a taste of Lyon's cuisine before signing up for one of Lyon's best food tours, but you'll also have the opportunity to attend music, theatre and dance performances. Amidst the spectacle you'll be able to buy local crafts, arts and products. Without a doubt, this Lyon International Fair is the perfect place and time to experience the local Lyon culture.

Details of interest

• Price: you will have to pay between 15 and 20 euros for a one-day ticket.
• Date and timetable: takes place from the second week of March to the first week of April. Activities are generally available between 9:00 and 19:00 every day.
• Address: takes place every year at the Parc des Expositions de Lyon.

The Lyon-Charbonnières Rally is a motor racing event that has been held annually in Lyon for more than 80 years, making it one of the city's most important sporting events. It is a rally with several stages spread over some 400 kilometres of mountain roads, which is undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Lyon.

If you are a motor racing lover then the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally is definitely for you, considering that this event attracts thousands of fans every year. Within the competitions you will have the opportunity to see the best drivers driving the most incredible cars in a very exciting atmosphere.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 20 euros per person to enjoy this event. Children and young people under the age of 16 can enter free of charge.
• Date and time: usually held during the last week of April and lasts about three to four days. These competitions usually take place between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on all days.
• Direction: The race starts in Lyon and competitors ride about 400 kilometres along country roads through the Rhone-Alpes region.

A real window into urban music and culture is the Reperkusound Festival, an annual event held in Lyon during the first week of April in the city. If you're an urban music lover, you'll love this festival that brings together rap, hip-hop, funk, soul and jazz artists from around the world.

In the middle of the music festival, these artists take the opportunity to present their work live. But it's not all about music, you'll also have the chance to enjoy art exhibitions and activities for children. If you've already been on one of Lyon' s best tours and now you want to see and enjoy the city's urban scene, I recommend you go to this spring festival.

Interesting details

• Price: You'll have to pay an entrance fee of around 12 euros per person, while young people under 16 get free entry to the festival.
• Date and time: The event takes place during the first week of April and the show usually starts around 16:00 and runs until midnight.
• Address: This festival takes place in one of the city's parks, but the exact location may vary from year to year.

If you love fine spirits, there are two things you must do in the city in April: sign up for one of Lyon' s best wine tours and go to the Lyon Biere Festival, an event dedicated to craft beer. It focuses on showcasing different types of craft beer from all over France and beyond.

During the event you can taste craft beer, and at the same time enjoy live music. You can attend conferences, workshops, competitions and other activities that take place within the event. Although it is not one of the best activities for children, they are also welcome, but they must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Interesting details

• Price: you will not have to pay any cost to go and enjoy this Festival.
• Date and time: the event usually takes place during the third week of April.
• Address: This exhibition is available at the Le Sucre concert hall.

Taking advantage of the spring weather, there is one activity that I recommend you to do during your visit to Lyon in April and that is to visit the city's botanical gardens, which are generally open between 8:00 and 17:00. The special thing about going to these places during April is that in this season the flowers show all their splendour.

Inside these botanical gardens you can learn about the history of botany and the biological diversity of different climates. Visiting the botanical gardens in Lyon during the spring will allow you to see and photograph some of the most beautiful exotic and exuberant plants in these spaces.

Details of interest

• Price: You can enter the botanical gardens for free, although in some cases you may be asked to pay an entrance fee.
• Date and time: The botanical gardens are generally open between 8:00 and 17:00 each day.
• Address: The botanical gardens are spread throughout the city, so you're spoilt for choice.

If you're a fan of crime stories and thrillers, don't miss the Quais du Polar festival in Lyon. It's an annual event where artists share books and detective films with the public. In addition to that, you will have the opportunity to participate in conferences and workshops with authors and experts in the field.

It is definitely one of those activities that you should include in your Lyon itinerary in 1 day if you go to the city in April and you are a fan of the detective genre. If you're still lacking the information to know that it's a good idea to take a stroll through the fair, you should know that authors such as Fred Vargas, Franck Thilliez, Jean-Christophe Grangé and Jean-Michel Nicollet have presented their work at the festival.

Interesting details

• Price: you will not have to pay anything to enjoy the Festival's events.
• Date and time: usually takes place during the first week of April between 14:00 and 22:00.
• Address: The exhibition takes place every year at the Parc des Expositions de Lyon.

The Kidexpo is definitely one of those activities that I recommend you include in your list of things to see and do in Lyon with children, considering that it is an annual event dedicated to children and teenagers that attracts more than 200,000 people every year. Although it has an autumn edition in Paris, it also opens its doors in Lyon for the month of April and lasts for three days.

Kidexpo is an event open to the public where children of all ages can enter to enjoy all the activities inside. Games, workshops, exhibitions and concerts are some of the activities you can enjoy. The event takes place as part of the Lyon International Fair and the best thing about this experience is that it covers topics as varied as education, health, culture, sport and technology.

Details of interest

• Price: Admission is free to the public, so you won't have to pay anything to get in to enjoy the shows.
• Date and time: takes place during two days in the third week of April.
• Address: takes place at the Parc des Expositions de Lyon.

Another thing you definitely have to do in April, taking advantage of the spring weather, is to go and enjoy the meadows of Fourviere, which are much more pleasant during the spring months. To make your visit complete, I recommend you bring something to have a picnic in the meadows.

This is a very pleasant option to do in April thanks to the cooler weather that is still present during the month. Another thing you'll appreciate about these parks in Fourviere is the wildlife, which you'll also want to photograph. You should know that there are many ways to get to the park by public transport.

Interesting details

• Price: There is no entrance fee to enter the fields and meadows at Fourviere.
• Date and time: The fields are open between 8:00 and 18:00 every day.
• Address: They are located on the Fourviere hill in the city of Lyon.

If you love photography and recreating good memories, you will surely love to visit one of the most important monuments of the city which is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere. It is undoubtedly a spectacle of a place, but visiting it during the month of April is one of the best decisions you can make.

The Basilica has a viewpoint inside from which you can see the whole city with a privileged panoramic view. So one of the best times to take these photographs is undoubtedly the month of April, in the middle of spring.

Interesting details

• Price: the entrance to the Basilica is free, so you will not have to pay anything extra to enter.
• Date and time: you can visit this monument during the whole month of April, as long as you go between 9:00 and 18:30 from Monday to Saturday, or from 13:00 to 18:00 on Sundays.
• Address: You can find the Basilica on the Fourvière hill in Lyon.

Also considering the weather in Lyon during spring, definitely one of the best things to do in the month of April is to board a cruise on the Rhône, so you can take advantage of the panoramic views to take enough pictures and admire the breathtaking scenery of Lyon and the Rhône.

The golden olive groves and charming villages along the river will be part of the scenery you will be able to see throughout the cruise. You will also have the opportunity to choose to go on a cruise that offers an excursion to Lake Geneva, which lies to the south of the city.

But it's not all about the scenery you'll see on the cruise, you'll also be able to enjoy regional French cuisine as you cruise along the mighty Rhone.

Interesting details

• Price: A cruise on the Rhône could cost between 500 and 1500 euros per person.
• Date and time: You'll be able to cruise out in the morning and return in the late afternoon to the city of Lyon.
• Address: Cruises generally depart from the Lyon Cruise Station which is located in the southern part of the city of Lyon.

During the spring in Lyon, temperatures rise a little, although they are still cool enough to avoid wearing summer clothes. The highest temperatures are usually no higher than 24°C, but the lowest temperatures can be as low as 9°C, without dropping below that.

At these temperatures, the spring weather in Lyon still forces you to wear covered clothing, although it's a good time to enjoy more of the weather, sun, breeze and scenery that Lyon has to offer.

In Lyon during April, the number of tourists in the city increases considerably. This is a month when the season starts to be considered high because the weather allows tourists to come to the city to get to know it better without the constraint of winter weather.

In addition, the city organises a lot of activities to entertain locals and visitors, taking into account that during the first days of April Easter is celebrated, which is an ideal time to enjoy the tourist attractions in the city. This is one of the main reasons why the number of tourists increases at this time.

The temperature in Lyon at this time of year is supposed to remain cool but not feel cold at all, so things to pack if you're going on a trip to Lyon in April include light, comfortable warm-weather clothing, an umbrella, sunglasses and comfortable shoes for walking around the city.

As it's a spring climate, it's logical to think that you should pack a couple of warm clothes for the evenings and also for very cold days. I recommend packing a backpack for personal items and a waterproof bag for rainy days.