Lyon Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Lyon.
France's public hospitals (CHU) accept tourists for urgent care; non-EU visitors pay upfront and reclaim later via travel insurance.
Edouard-Herriot Hospital (5 Place d'Arsonval, 69003) has 24-h emergency; Catholic Institute Hospitalier on Quai Jules-Courmont offers shorter waits for minor injuries.
Green-cross shops dot every Lyon quarter. Night pharmacy rotations are posted in windows. Pharmacists diagnose common ailments and dispense antibiotics without prescriptions.
Travel insurance is strongly recommended; EU EHIC cardholders pay reduced fees.
- ✓ Bring proof of insurance and passport to any Lyon hospital. Billing starts at triage.
- ✓ Ask for a 'facture détaillée', itemised receipt, for smooth insurance claims.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Crowded funicular to Fourvière and Sunday markets along Quai Saint-Antoine are prime spots where nimble fingers unzip daypacks while you sniff sizzling saucisson.
Thieves on scooters mount pavements along Quai Charles-de-Gaulle, ripping phones from hands of tourists filming river reflections at golden hour.
Occasional reports in student bars around Place des Terreaux where sweet herb-heavy cocktails mask sedatives.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
Teenagers wave clipboards for 'deaf children' near Bellecour, asking for signatures then demanding cash while an accomplice rifles your tote.
A seemingly friendly local 'finds' a gold band on Quai Victor-Augagneur, claims it's yours, then asks for 'good-faith' money to share the fortune.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Stick to illuminated traboules between Vieux Lyon metro and Rue Saint-Jean; dim passages near Place du Change empty quickly after 01:00.
- • Order a 'plan de Lyon' at bar counters, free city maps double as coasters and show lit routes home.
- • Validate TCL tickets at yellow composteurs even for two-stop rides. Inspectors board at Gorge-de-Loup and fines are payable on the spot.
- • Late-night buses (numbered 90s) run hourly. Wait inside Part-Dieu mall until the driver opens doors to avoid chilly, isolated platforms.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Women walk solo safely through Presqu'île's neon-lit restaurant terraces. Yet clusters of persistent recruiters outside clubs on Rue Terme can tail lone females.
- → Sit inside well-lit TCL trams rather than on open rear platforms when traveling after 22:00.
- → Tell nightclub door staff 'non merci' to VIP-upgrades; they receive commission and can turn pushy.
Same-sex marriage legal since 2013; anti-discrimination laws protect employment and housing.
- → Lesbian bars cluster on Rue Saint-Catherine; arrive before 23:00 to avoid male tourist crowds.
- → PDA is tolerated in Vieux Lyon. But choose riverfront benches over narrow traboule doorways where elderly residents pass.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Ambulance call-outs cost €400-plus and mountain-helicopter evacuations from Beaujolais wine hikes can top €2,000.
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