Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit France. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of stay in the country. For all other nationalities, consult your consulate or tourist board for details. You can also visit www.voyage.gc.ca for up-to-date information.

Baggage

Please refer to aircanada.com for baggage information.

Airport check-in

It is recommended that you present yourself at the airport counter of the airline indicated on your voucher 3 hours prior to departure. Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations representatives will be available starting at 5 a.m.

Getting around

Public transport, bikes, tourist taxis or even boats, there are a number of ways to get around Lyon easily and quickly.

Train, bus, tram

The TCL (Lyon’s Public Transport) offers train, tram and bus services, allowing visitors to travel quickly and hassle-free throughout the city of Lyon. It has four train lines, two funiculars, two tramway lines and 100 bus routes. The public transport system serves the city and its surrounding areas well.

Bicycle

Greater Lyon offers 4,000 bikes for rent at 340 self-service bike stations. By the end of 2010, there will be 500 km of bicycle paths in the Greater Lyon area.

Tourist taxis

These unique taxis let visitors visit Lyon quickly. Trained and fully licensed drivers guide visitors around the city streets while giving a commentary on their journey.

Shopping

Luxury and high street fashion, exclusive and original creations of up and coming designers, antique and modern items, furnishings and silks; there are several areas to choose from, no matter what you may be looking for.

Presqu’ile – Situated between Place Bellecour and Cordeliers is the area of Le Carré d’Or, which is home to over 70 different designer labels and brand name stores.

Rue Edouard Herriot – Here you’ll find luxurious boutiques such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Mont Blanc, Escada and Cartier. The Auguste Comte quarter (south of Bellecour) is made up of nearly 100 stores that sell antiques, art works and home furnishings.

Part Dieu Shopping Centre – Located on the left bank of the Rhône river is Part Dieu’s large shopping centre that houses over 260 stores, a 14-screen cinema, restaurants and bars.

Food markets – There are approximately 40 daily food markets across the city, where visitors are able to taste the very best of the city’s fresh produce. Try the Quai Saint-Antoine, along the Saone river or the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse (both are open every morning except Mondays).

Dining

For centuries, cuisine has been an integral part of life in the city. It is truly inseparable from the Lyon lifestyle and "art de vivre". Today Lyon’s chefs carry the torch of the city’s culinary heritage.
 
Sightseeing

Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere – Built between 1872 and 1896, in a very eclectic style, the Basilica offers a wealth of mosaics, stained glass and marble work. You can admire the panoramic view from along the esplanade, visit the rooftops of Fourvière overlooking Lyon's historical region or climb the panoramic tower. Also visit the crypt of Saint-Joseph.
 
Hotel Dieu – An extraordinary example of medical history from the 17th century to the present day, the Hôtel Dieu evokes the daily life of the hospital through many objects, pharmaceutical and surgical instruments, therapies and remedies of the past.

Cathedral St. Jean Baptiste – Built between 1180 and 1480, the cathedral offers a perfect illustration of transitions from Medieval to Gothic architecture. Do not miss the 16th century astronomic clock (in action at noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.), the lateral chapels and the superb stained glass windows.

Musee de Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum) – Set in the heart of the city, the 1998 fully renovated Lyon Fine Arts Gallery houses one of France's richest collection of masterpieces. Its 70 rooms are divided into five main departments, exhibiting works from the greatest periods of art: from ancient Greek, ancient Egyptian, the Middle Ages and right up to the present day.

Musee des Tissue (Textile Museum) – Located in one of the Lyon's most magnificent buildings, the Hotel de Villeroy (1730), the Textile Museum’s 30 rooms present a 2000-year history of the textile industry, from ancient Egypt, early Christian and Roman, and Lyon’s participation in the silk trade of the Renaissance.

Entertainment & nightlife

Lyon is a great place to stay out late.
 
Vieux Lyon, Presqu’île, Croix Rousse the Saône riverbanks and many other places are jam-packed with places to go.
 
Be sure to have a look at the city’s monuments at night, as 100 000 projectors illuminate 200 sites, bringing the city’s to life!

Your departure from destination

Hotel checkout

Hotel checkout times may vary depending on the property but generally you must vacate the room by noon.

Duty-free shopping

After an absence of 7 days or more, Canadian residents are permitted to return with a maximum of CAD$750 of merchandise per trip without paying duty. Each time you leave Canada for at least 48 hours, you are eligible to declare up to CAD$400 of merchandise. A written declaration may be requested. Each adult is allowed 1.1 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco. To calculate the number of days absent, do not count the day you left Canada but include the day you return. If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks and loose tobacco in your personal exemption allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these products unless they are marked “Canada-Duty paid”. Canadian made products sold at duty-free shops will be marked this way.



Airport check-in

Procedures are the same as for departure from Canada.

Customer care

For inquiries relating to extension of stay or change or hotel changes, please email us at: prevoyageclientele@vacv.com. We are at your service seven days a week; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.