The Mediterranean Insider

Lyon, France

The 5 best boutique and luxury hotels in Lyon, France

The Mediterranean • Stay • The 5 best boutique and luxury hotels in Lyon, France

Lyon’s most chic boutique hotels

Spend a few days in Lyon and you quickly sense there’s more here than silk, bouchons and riverside strolls. This city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France carries a certain understated magic – equal parts old-world elegance and quietly daring reinvention. We love how Lyon’s boutique and luxury hotels are as much a part of the city’s identity as its traboules and lively food scene. Think hillside retreats with cinematic views, converted convents with stained-glass windows and design-led city escapes that make you want to stay in. Here’s where we check in if you want to experience the best of Lyon.

Top photography courtesy of Villa Maïa

Overview: Lyon’s top boutique and luxury hotels

01 Villa Maïa

02 Villa Florentine

03 Hotel de l’Abbaye

04 Boscolo Lyon Hotel & Spa

05 Fourvière Hotel

Villa Maïa

Set high on Fourvière Hill, Villa Maïa surveys the city’s rooftops and the Saône below. The vision behind it is a collaboration of French design heavyweights – architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, landscape architect Louis Benech and interior designer Jacques Grange, who together created something restrained and exquisite. There are just 37 rooms and suites, all opening onto floor-to-ceiling windows, limestone bathrooms and private terraces with Lyon spread out in front of you like a map. Beneath the hotel lies a Roman spring discovered during construction, now flowing into the spa’s heated pool. We love the spa’s Japanese-inspired garden and the way the light spills into the 20-metre pool, which honestly feels more like a private villa than a city hotel.

Villa Maïa
8 Rue Pierre Marion
Lyon
France

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Photography courtesy of Villa Maïa

Villa Florentine

Villa Florentine is run by Jean-Christophe Piquet, a Lyonnais hotelier obsessed with both preservation and playfulness. He’s worked with local artists to keep the spirit of the 17th-century convent alive, but with a mischievous twist – no room looks exactly like another and you’ll spot playful art installations around every corner. The 29 rooms and suites are filled with character – original terracotta tiles, hand-painted ceilings, Renaissance arcades and antique furnishings. Some rooms have frescoes or small private terraces, while others open directly onto the hotel’s standout feature – a panoramic terrace with a heated outdoor pool and hot tub overlooking the city. The on-site restaurant, Les Terrasses de Lyon, is also a draw, set within a glass-encased room with views over the rooftops of Vieux Lyon.

Villa Florentine
25 Mnt Saint-Barthélémy
Lyon
France

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Photography courtesy of Villa Florentine

Hotel de l’Abbaye

Located in Lyon’s Ainay district, Hôtel de l’Abbaye rewrites the rules for boutique stays with a space that’s equal parts sanctuary and urban escape. Housed in a 19th-century presbytery, the hotel’s interiors are awash with soft greens, creamy whites and touches of brass – a nod to its ecclesiastical past, but still contemporary. We love the calm energy here, from the leafy cloistered courtyard to the slow breakfasts at L’Artichaut. L’Artichaut is a Michelin-starred bistro that will take you on a journey through the seasons. Here the chefs focus on serving fresh and flavourful market cuisine made with local and gourmet produce.

Hotel de l’Abbaye
20 Rue de l’Abbaye d’Ainay
Lyon
France

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Photography courtesy of Hotel de l’Abbaye

Boscolo Lyon Hotel & Spa

Housed in a grand Haussmann-era building on the banks of the Rhône, Boscolo Lyon Hotel & Spa is a good fit if you want plush interiors and a central location that’s walking distance from the city’s best shopping and riverside strolls. The original 1897 facade by architect Jean-Antoine Morand is pure Lyonese grandeur. Inside, Milan-based designers have layered in Carrara marble, Murano glass and velvet banquettes. The central lobby’s glass cupola and spiral staircase are statement pieces, as are the retro light fixtures (inspired by 1920s Milan jazz clubs). There’s a small but elegant spa in the basement (worth booking in advance) and a sleek indoor pool edged by marble. The on-site restaurant, Angelo, serves Italian-inspired plates, while the cocktail bar is your go-to for aperitivo hour.

Boscolo Lyon Hotel & Spa
11 Quai Jules Courmont
Lyon
France

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Photography courtesy of Boscolo Lyon Hotel & Spa

Fourvière Hotel

There’s nowhere in Lyon quite like Fourvière Hôtel. Housed in a 19th-century convent, designed by Pierre Bossan (who also built Lyon’s iconic basilica), still features the original cloister, chapel and vaulted corridors. The hotel is owned by Philippe Jugie and Christophe Gruy, both passionate about French heritage architecture. They worked closely with artist Pablo Reinoso, whose site-specific installations can be found throughout the public spaces – look for his sinuous benches and sculptural staircases. The rooms have a monastic simplicity to them – pared-back palettes, minimalist furnishings – but they’re comfortable, not austere. What makes this hotel special is how it plays with its heritage – stained glass meets modern sculpture, sacred meets spa. There’s a hammam, a lap pool and a long stretch of gardens for post-museum unwinding.