Is Lyon Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Lyon, as one of France's largest cities, is generally considered safe for solo female travelers. Stricter safety measures are in place and the city is well-policed. There are some areas you should avoid late at night, but the majority of the city, particularly the tourist areas, are safe and welcoming. Local people are friendly and willing to help if needed. Hospitals and police are responsive and trustworthy.

Safety rating

3.5 /5

Based on 14 experiences from female travelers

4.4 /5

Based on our research and crime data

3.6 /5

Based on 65 experiences from local women

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How safe is Lyon?

Safety at night:Moderate

Overall, Lyon is reasonably safe during the night. Like any other city, Lyon has areas that are very safe and others that are less so. It's always important to stay in well-lit areas and avoid deserted streets. Of course, it pays to keep a vigilant eye on your surroundings and maintain typical urban precautions. Public transportation runs late into the night and it's always a good idea to use it when possible, especially on weeknights when the streets aren't as populated.

Public transportation:Very safe

Public transportation in Lyon comprises of Metro, Tramways, Buses and Bikes which are all well-maintained, timely, and efficient, hence making it an extremely safe city for solo female travelers to navigate. The city has extensive and convenient public transport networks that offer a sense of security and confidence to commuters. Also, Lyon's transportation system is well monitored and citizens are generally respectful and law-abiding. However, like any city, it's always important to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings.

Street harassment:Low

In general, Lyon is a city that is friendly towards solo female travelers. Instances of street harassment are relatively low compared to other major cities, with the majority of locals being respectful and courteous. That said, like in any city worldwide, there may be isolated incidents, mostly in less crowded or poorly lit areas; hence necessary precautions are advised. As always, avoid walking alone at night in unfamiliar areas and stay vigilant of your surroundings.

Petty crimes:Low

While Lyon is generally considered a safe city to travel solo, it's not entirely free from petty crime. Visitors may occasionally encounter theft, especially in crowded tourist areas, and pickpocketing on public transportation. Always keep an eye on your belongings and be cautious in crowded and tourist-heavy areas.

Is Lyon worth visiting?

Overall rating

3.9 /5

based on 14 experiences from female travelers

Things to do

3.6/5

Safety

3.5/5

Food

4/5

Budget-friendly

3/5

Caylee

Singapore

Couple travel

Felt recently safe, people were actually pretty nice. Food was great, we ate a bunch of food from the local weekend markets because we're broke. We did also eat at a fancier local place and the food was amazing. Lots of free historical places, museum was free for university students (we're grad students)

Posted: May 29, 2025Experienced: April, 2025

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Group travel

I felt pretty safe, you just have to trust the locals about which places to avoid like Guillotière. The places I would recommend to check out are Le Parc de la Tête d'Or, the streets of Vieux-Lyon, the Fourvière cathedral, and the presqu'île. If you want to shop, the Part-Dieu mall or the avenue de la république are for you.

Posted: May 27, 2025

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Bella

Hungary

Family travel

The transportation isnt cheap compared to Budapest but i guess it is compared to like London. Its very safe and in tact but the crowd is something i had to get used to. People dont respect your space in public and dont speak english. The city is mostly very clean and i felt safe. I recommend the Musée des Confluences if you like science or biology (but i suppose the expos are changing and are not permanent) and also musée des Beaux-Arts, that has some really famous pieces. I think going up the the temple on the mountain with the fourvière is a must.

Posted: April 26, 2025

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aya

France

Solo travel

Lyon is one of my favorite cities in france, i visite half a dozen times a year at least :D I felt safe overall, but some areas (like parts of Guillotière) felt sketchy at night. - Must-Do: Traboules (hidden passageways), climb Fourvière Hill, and explore Croix-Rousse’s street art. Also vieux lyon is lovely. - For food: Praline in general is a must try, amonst other lical specialities - Budget & Stay: Spent ~€50/day when we actively go out all day. I usually crash at friend houses so no clue about good places to stay :p - Getting Around: Honestly the city is quite small so walking is always my prefered way of getting around. Especially with how beautiful the city is. Metro is great too, usually very clean, consistent and calm

Posted: March 13, 2025Experienced: December, 2023

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Solo travel

I felt safe. Lyon is one of our favourite places it is so peaceful and the food was delicious we found a street vendor and lots of bakeries it was stunning. We went to the cinema and lots of cathedrals.

Posted: February 11, 2025Experienced: December, 2024

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Solo travel

My stay in Lyon was sadly very disappointing. I arrived at Lyon Part Dieu train station and within an hour of arrival my iPhone got stolen. Obviously this caused a lot of stress, Station staff was not very helpful and there was no police station nearby not that they could help either. My hostel was in the Guilloutiere area and it did not feel very safe at night. The few sights I managed to see were alright and prices weren’t expensive either. Be extremely careful of pickpockets in France, I learned that the hard way. Until now I did not get my phone back.

Posted: February 5, 2025

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Is Lyon safe for women?

Safety index

3.6 /5

Based on 65 local experiences

Crime index

2.4 /5

Based on 65 local experiences

It depends on were you are but Lyon is a pretty dangerous city, there’s lot of pickpockets or strangers, If you’re a woman you need to be careful if you are in a dangerous place like guillotière but the center is pretty safe except at night.

Posted: June 10, 2025

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I think this is like every where in France. Too many men are taking too much place but you can also be safe if you are with good people. For me I find Lyon’s great, you can always find people helping you

Posted: June 10, 2025

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