Fourviere Hotel

This uber-chic four-star hotel inhabits a former convent, with the lobby set dramatically in the former chapel – painstakingly renovated and dripping in colour and marble.

The theatricality continues throughout: subdued in the contemporary rooms; measurable in the bistro, with its long windows overlooking the old cloisters. There’s a typical Lyonnais bouchon too – dressed in gingham and serving hearty classics.

Location-wise it’s fabulous. It’s within walking distance of the basilica and the Lugdunum Museum with its Roman amphitheatres, and Vieux (Old) Lyon is just at the bottom on the hill too.

And after all that sightseeing (and the steep climb or ride back up), a spa and outdoor lap pool await.