When I was looking for a hotel to stay at in Lyon, my searches kept coming back to the same hotel. The location was what I was looking for, right in the middle of the Presqu’île, the price bracket and star rating fit with my search, and it was the right size of hotel. But something made me hesitate: the Google reviews were very mixed, talking of small bathrooms, old-fashioned décor and, above all, the peculiarity of a swimming pool in the breakfast room.
Finally, I decided the only way to find out for sure was to stay there myself. I was travelling to Lyon on my own, and I paid for this trip in full. There are no affiliate links and I am not connected to the hotel.
For city breaks, the location of a hotel is vitally important. One of the major things going for the Grand Hôtel des Terreaux is its enviable location, just around the corner from the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) and the Musée des Beaux-Arts (fine art museum, both of which are on the Place des Terreaux, whence the hotel gets its name.
Lyon is a city split in three, with two rivers (the Rhône and the Soane) forming almost an island, the Presqu’île, between them. The east side has the train station, the park and botanical gardens, and the market hall, and the west side has the old town and the hill up to the Fourvière Basilica.
The Presqu’île is where much of the commerce takes place; it is where most of the shops and many of the restaurants are situated.
The Grand Hôtel des Terreaux has been a hotel since 1855. It has obviously been renovated multiple times over the past 170 years, but it has to be said that the last renovation probably wasn’t done in the 21st century.
There is, I think, something to be said for turning up to a hotel that is so clearly a hotel. Not a discreet plaque next to a front door. This is a flags-flying kind of hotel. Although a little dated, it was clear from the reception that this was a smart establishment, and whilst there were no obvious fragrances, it smelt and looked very clean. The phrase spick and span came to mind.
I was able to leave my luggage with them as I arrived in the morning, and on returning to the hotel in the afternoon, check-in was quick and simple. All the staff I encountered on the reception desk were kind and helpful.
The hotel has traditional keys on large key fobs that you leave at the hotel when you go out. I have a preference for this type of lock, rather than a key card that can be programmed for any room. Obviously, it is more difficult to do in a large hotel, but in a smaller hotel like this (there are 52 rooms) it is easy, and it gives a daily (or sometimes several times daily) exchange with reception, which is a human interaction I appreciate.
There is a lift at the hotel, though it should be said that it is small. I wouldn’t think this hotel suitable for people with limited mobilty.
The standard Double Room, which is what I booked, is pretty small, with a small bathroom. It has all the essentials, but without much room to move around. Following an issue with the air conditioning (details in the video), I was moved to a larger Comfort Room. I would say, in this case, the upgrade is worth the money (around €15). The Comfort Room was much larger, with a larger bed and a significantly better bathroom.
The bedrooms are all individual, and the furniture tends towards the antique, which adds a level of style. But in reality, if you are looking for a design hotel, this probably isn’t for you. It is, however, very comfortable and very clean.
The bathroom décor is more akin to a house or villa bathroom rather than a hotel, and there is no vanity unit, just a sink. But the cleanliness is some of the best I have seen. The shower is a standard shower, not a rainfall, but the pressure was good and the temperature perfect.
The hairdryer provided is one of the attached ones, which are not very powerful, and there is no socket in the bedrooms.
The bedrooms lack tea and coffee making facilities, which is a shame. It is something I have come to expect in hotels of this calibre.
The breakfast room is to the rear of the building and has a peculiarity to it that I have never seen before. The swimming pool is in the breakfast room. I had read about this in reviews and had imagined tables set around a pool in the floor, as though on an outside terrace around a swimming pool. That is not the setup. The pool has a few steps up to it and is on the right as you enter the room. There is a barrier of sorts around the pool, so you don’t see the water when you are sitting at your table. It is incredibly difficult to describe, because I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
The pool itself is split in three. The first is a small square, linked to the second by a little wooden bridge. There is a chair here, but not much space for anything else. The headroom is extremely limited and the walk to the other part of the pool is very narrow. As you go through to the second, larger section, it opens out a tiny bit, and there are some hooks for robes. The third section is a whirlpool in its own little grotto, which you access over the little wooden bridge. It all feels like a cave, and as I had it to myself, I had a pleasant swim. Once in the pool, you don’t get the impression of being in the breakfast room. The lighting in the dining part is dimmed so as to disappear into the background.
One cannot swim at the same time as people are eating breakfast, the pool is open from 14:00 to 23:00. Whilst I had a pleasant swim, I wouldn’t recommend booking this hotel if you are specifically looking for a pool.
At breakfast the lighting situation is inversed, with the lighting in the pool switched off to help the pool to become less obvious. Some reviews mentioned a strong smell of chlorine at breakfast, but I found the ventilation to be very good, and it didn’t smell like a swimming pool. Breakfast itself is good, without being remarkable. There are some local products, such as the pink praline brioche, and the baked goods are good and come from a named boulangerie. Coffee is from a machine but wasn’t bad. The fruit selection was just a fruit bowl and some fresh pineapple. I would have liked some berries or a fruit salad.
The hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, but there are a few just around the corner, including a Lyonnais bouchon, Chez Paul, that has been around since 1928. The Rue Mercière, which is a popular pedestrian street full of restaurants, is just a ten-minute walk away.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Grand Hôtel des Terreaux. There is certainly room for improvement, but it is fundamentally a good hotel. I paid €191 per night, including breakfast, for a mid-week stay in October 2026. I would recommend the hotel to people looking for a sightseeing break in Lyon, but not to those looking for a romantic getaway or a spa break.
I spoke to the new manager about the future, and he told me that there are renovation discussions taking place and that the swimming pool area will be one of the focuses. I look forward to seeing what they come up with. Add in some coffee making facilities and a decent hairdryer, and my wish list will be complete.
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