City Stories Index · France · 2026 edition
Bordeaux vs Lyon
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Lyon leads 3–1. Character is a different question: Bordeaux is the wine merchants' port; Lyon is the city of silk and secrets.
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| What we measure | Bordeaux | Lyon | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 23 | 44 | Lyon |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 333 | 300 | Lyon |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | — | 6 | Lyon |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 27 | 19 | Bordeaux |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 12 | 13 | Lyon |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | — | 35 | Lyon |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Bordeaux in orange, Lyon in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BordeauxLyon
4 places
royalty & nobility12 places
6 places
arts & culture12 places
11 places
guilds & trade4 places
3 places
crime & dark history9 places
2 places
faith & churches9 places
6 places
industry & modern era6 places
1 place
parks & leisure5 places
Bordeaux scorecard →
The wine merchants' port
Lyon scorecard →
The city of silk and secrets