LyonThe city of silk and secrets
Measured from 1,000+ plays across 5 walked routes: in Lyon, you pass a place with a story every 300 metres.
Ranked #3 of 4 France big cities
2026 edition · scores vs all indexed cities · measured 2026-08-21 · how we measure
Depth36/100
44 places with a story
6 historical figures · 1h of stories
Density50/100
a story every 300 m
median along a route
Character87/100
royalty & nobility
typical story: 1848 · 19th century
Pulse30/100
Instagrammability 19/100
peak month: Oct
Lyon, measured
The scores
Ranked against
| What we measure | Lyon | Score out of 100 | Rank | Global leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | ||||
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 44 | 36 | #47 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 594 |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 6 | 34 | #39 of 68 | London (United Kingdom) · 184 |
| Hours of storieshow long its stories take to read, end to end | 0.5h | 37 | #37 of 71 | London (United Kingdom) · 7h |
| Density | ||||
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next | 300 m | 50 | #52 of 71 | Williamsburg (United States) · 100 m |
| Character | ||||
| Years its stories coverfrom its oldest story to its newest | 866 yrs | 87 | #25 of 70 | London (United Kingdom) · 1025 yrs |
| Pulse | ||||
| Instagrammabilityhow often players photograph this city | 19/100 | 19 | #48 of 54 | Sydney (Australia) |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3 or more | 13 in 100 | 36 | #47 of 69 | Houston (United States) · 32 in 100 |
| International visitorsshare of player reviews written in a foreign language | 35% | 35 | #29 of 47 | Venice (Italy) · 97% |
How to read this table›
How to read it: each score is out of 100, measured against a fixed scale that is the same for every city and every edition. Lyon's 44 on places with a story scores 36, and it scores 36 on any page you find it. The switch above changes who it is ranked against, not the scores: right now that is all 80 indexed cities (19 countries so far). Lyon is scored on all 8 measures, and its overall score is their average. Ranks compare cities of a similar size. What a city's stories are about has no better or worse, so themes and eras aren't scored. Instagrammability is shown as a score only; how it's calculated is on the methodology page.
Character
What its stories are about
- royalty & nobility27%
- arts & culture27%
- crime & dark history20%
- faith & churches20%
- industry & modern era14%
- parks & leisure11%
Out of Lyon's 44 places with a story, the share whose story touches each theme. One story can touch several.
Character
Which centuries you walk through
- 19th century24%
- Medieval20%
- Early modern16%
- Early 20th century16%
- Contemporary16%
- Post-war8%
When Lyon's stories happen (57% of them mention a year).
Pulse
When people play here
Typical share of player reviews per month (median across 5 recent years). Peak: Oct.
Pulse
Who visits, by review language
- French65%
- English27%
- Dutch5%
- German2%
- Spanish1%
Language of 1,000+ written player reviews. A proxy for who visits; English hides several nationalities.
Depth
44 stories wait on its streets. Here are three
In the year 1775 the problem of the interment in Lyon was raised by a meeting of clergy. They complained to King…
By now, you’ve probably learnt your fair share about the Historic Site of Lyon. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998…
Shortly after Madeleine left Lyon, the Germans blew up the footbridge. It was quickly restored and opened to the public. This bridge…
Depth
Figures you meet on Lyon's streets
French Resistance
at 4 places
The Long Traboule · Statue of the Republic · 10 Quai Romain Rolland
Édouard Herriot
at 3 places
Loyasse Cemetery · "La Mère Brazier" Restaurant · Jardin Pierre Thévenin
Eugénie Brazier
at 2 places
Fresque des Lyonnais · "La Mère Brazier" Restaurant
King Louis
at 2 places
Loyasse Cemetery · Hôtel de Ville de Lyon
Paul Bocuse
at 2 places
Fresque des Lyonnais · "La Mère Brazier" Restaurant
Pierre Bossan
at 2 places
Jardin Pierre Thévenin · Fourvière Hotel
Depth
Every Lyon place with a story, on one map
Each pin is a place whose story a Questo route tells. Tap one for the quest that tells it. See an empty street that deserves a pin? The form at the bottom of this page adds your story to the editors' queue.
Walk Lyon's stories yourself
Three of 5 routes here. See everything in Lyon
Where next after Lyon?
ParisThe capital of revolutions391 km away · a story every 337 m
MontpellierThe physicians' city251 km away · a story every 234 m
NiceThe riviera promenade298 km away · a story every 282 m
DijonThe Burgundian capital174 km away · a story every 277 m
ToursThe city of Saint Martin364 km away · a story every 344 m
ToulouseThe pink city359 km away · a story every 276 mHow does Lyon compare?
Put Lyon head-to-head with any city in the index, measure by measure, from real walking data.
Quick answers
- What is Lyon like to explore on foot?
- Lyon has 44 places with a story across 5 self-guided Questo routes, with a story every 300 metres of walking on average. Its stories lean towards royalty & nobility and arts & culture.
- Which historical period defines Lyon?
- 24% of Lyon's dated stories come from the 19th century period; its oldest dated story reaches back to 1150.
- When do people visit Lyon?
- Player activity in Lyon peaks in Oct, with a typical 28% of reviews arriving June to August (median across 5 recent years of Questo reviews).
- How is this measured?
- From Questo's own walked routes and player activity in Lyon: 1,000+ plays and 1,000+ reviews. Full method on the City Stories Index methodology page, 2026 edition.
Quote any line, attributed
For press and citation
- Walking a Questo route in Lyon, you pass a place with a story every 300 metres on average.
- 24% of Lyon's dated stories come from the 19th century period.
- Lyon's typical story happens in 1848: the median year across its dated stories, which span 866 years.
- Players meet 6 historical figures in Lyon's stories, from French Resistance to Édouard Herriot.
- 35% of Lyon's written player reviews are in a language other than French (from 1,000+ reviews).
- Roughly 13 of every 100 plays in Lyon is a group outing of three or more people, measured from invited multi-device sessions over the last 12 months.
- Lyon's play season peaks in Oct; a typical 28% of reviews arrive June to August (median across 5 recent years).
Copy any line as it stands: for an article, a post, or an argument at dinner. Attribution: Questo City Stories Index (2026 edition), with a link to this page. Method and sample sizes on the methodology page.
Lyon ranks #58 of 80. Show it.
For city halls, tourism boards, local press and anyone who lives here: this badge is yours to use, free and without asking. It links back to the measurements behind it, and it updates itself when the next edition is published.
Embed code
<a href="https://questoapp.com/city-index/france/lyon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://questoapp.com/api/og/city-index-badge?country=france&slug=lyon" alt="Lyon ranks #58 of 80 in the Questo City Stories Index" width="320" height="100">
</a>Know a story these streets are missing?
Every place, story and figure on this page comes from routes built by people who know Lyon. Add what's missing: as a Questo creator, or with a quick suggestion.