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Holiday Accommodation Options in Lyon and the Rhône Valley

Taking a holiday in Lyon or the Rhone Valley? Going on vacation in France? Information on finding the right place to stay: self-catering, bed and breakfast, hotel or youth hostel, find out more.

France is one of the most visited countries in the world and has a well-developed network of services to tourists. There are many different types of accommodation, appropriate to different sorts of holidays and budgets.

See The AngloFILE, for Hotels & Holiday Accommodation

Hotels

See The AngloFILE, for Lyon and the Rhône Valley listings of:

The hotels in France are classified for tourism by the local state authority, the Préfecture. The classification guidelines are similar to those found elsewhere in Europe and are as follows:

5 star: Rating introduced in 2009 to denote outstanding, luxury hotel
4 star L: This rating is being phased out in favour of the 5 star rating. Outstanding, luxury hotel
4 star: Highly superior hotel
3 star: Comfortable, tourist hotel with en-suite bathroom and Internet access
2 star: Good standard, tourist hotel (may have en-suite bathroom)
1 star: Standard, tourist hotel, room minimum nine square meters with shared bathroom facilities

Chambres d'Hôtes (B&Bs)

These vary from a room in a private house to well organised, professionally run guesthouses.

See The AngloFILE, for Lyon and the Rhône Valley Chambres d'Hotes/B&Bs

Holiday Apartments and Gîtes de France

See The AngloFILE, for Self Catering Holiday Rentals & Gites

Originally rustic farmhouse accommodation, the Fédération Nationale des Gîtes de France has evolved over the years to include Bed and Breakfast type accommodation and self-catering facilities, outside of the big cities.

To date, the organisation represents 38,000 owners, 55,000 addresses and 30 million days of holidaymaking. High standards are maintained and quality facilities can generally be expected from a Gîtes de France member.

Gîtes de France provides "formulae" to enable people to select the type of holiday accommodation closest to their specific needs, these fall under the following headings:

Gîte Rural: Holiday rentals in country areas
Gîte Chambre d'Hôte: Bed and Breakfast in a private home, often with Table d'Hôte (modest meals provided by the owner)
Gîte d'Etape or Gîte de Séjour: Rural accommodation for hikers, and nature sports enthusiasts
Gîtes de France website

Lists of accommodation are available from many Tourist Offices.

Camping & Caravanning

See The AngloFILE for Lyon and the Rhône Valley Campsites & Caravan Parks

Rural Tourism

Farm holidays (Agritourisme) are gaining popularity in France with more and more holidaymakers looking for alternative and ecological holidays. Bienvenue à la Ferme (Welcome to the Farm) is a website with information on farm accommodation, either in a Gîte, Bed and Breakfast or on farm land where tent camping is allowed. The website also provides a list of restaurants serving local produce and regional specialities.

Bienvenue à la Ferme website (in French)

Youth Hostels

See The AngloFILE for Lyon and the Rhône Valley Youth Hostels & Backpackers

There are two main Youth Hostel organisations in France:

The FUAJ, Fédération Unie des Auberges de Jeunesse (the French youth hostel federation)
The international organisation is Hostelling International
The Ligue Francaise for the Auberge de la Jeunesse also has listed hostels. In order to benefit from the resources and budget travel prices, a person must be a registered member. Once they are a member they will receive their L.F.A.J. card. Contact the head office in Paris
Tel: 01 45 48 69 84
Fax: 01 45 44 57 47

There are many other privately managed hostels, particularly in the city centres.

The Tourist Offices (where there are almost always English speakers) will be able to provide a list of addresses and a map, or make calls for a reservation.

Where possible, it is advisable to find out if beds can be reserved in advance, especially during the summer season from May to September (however, be aware that many hostels don't take reservations).