Cody's Study Abroad/French Adventure Blog

I’m currently staying in a private student residence near Place du Prado, which is about a 3-minute walk to my université. My residence was found for me through the company I went through for my study abroad program. Do you know which université you will be at? I would try looking at residences near Place Bellecour because it is right next to Lyon 2 et Lyon 3, as well as being near a major shopping area and metro station.  If you google it you can find their websites with student reviews. Also, try checking into your universités website because they often times will have information for students. I hope I have given you some ideas, or places to start looking. I’ll always be happy to answer more questions. (P.s. I would have responded in French, but I didn’t know your level, so I just stuck with English.)

Also, here a few general tips for life in Lyon/in France generally

Wait about a week or two before you buy a monthly pass for the metro. Depending on where you live, a lot of things are within easy walking distance, and those that aren’t you won’t go to that often. My whole time here I’ve used about 10 métro tickets (mostly to get to the train station and back), or about 20€ whereas a monthly student pass is around 30€

There is a lot to do and see in Lyon, and don’t be afraid to wander. My favourite places to visit are the Irish Pub James Joyce and the Café Slika. 

Try to learn as much about cooking as you can before you come. I am an excellent cook, but there are several people in my group that couldn’t cook to save their lives, so they either eat out a lot or just ate the same thing over and over again.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. If you go to a restaurant ask what the servers like. And you are living in France so there is an abundance of wine for extremely good prices everywhere. 

There are 2 excellent train stations in Lyon, and the prices for short weekend trips are extremely reasonable and trains let you see a stunning view of the country. 

If you even think that you are going to be taking any SNCF (if you take a train in France, it will most likely be SNCF) sign up for their loyalty card. This card lets you earn free/reduced trips and your card works as your ticket, meaning that you do not need to print or validate your tickets at the station, which saves a lot of time. I would order this at least a week before you leave (to your french address) because it takes a while to arrive.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to go and do things by yourself. It’s great to be with a group, but some things are easier to appreciate alone.