Let's Go Europe 2019. Harvard Student Agencies

GOTHA CLUB

      Pl. Franklin Roosevelt; 04 93 45 11 11; www.gotha-club.com; open daily midnight-7am

      Recognized by nearly every Sperry-clad Hamptons crew as one of the best nightclubs in the world, Gotha is, well, an experience. It has a tight window of opening from midnight until about 12:30am, during which the bouncers pay little attention to attire, company, and level of intoxication. Arrive after 12:30am, however, and your chances of getting in will dwindle. Inside, the entrance soon gives way to a dimly-lit dance floor, strobe lights, large sofas, and VIP lounges. Drinks start at €12 and venture into the quintuple digits, so if you plan on drinking, it’d be best to do so beforehand. Don’t go too hard, however, or you may be coaxed into splitting a €500 bottle of champagne with the son of a Russian billionaire.

       i Beer from €12, alcohol from €15; dressy attire recommended

       QUAY’S IRISH PUB

      17 Quai Saint-Pierre; 04 93 39 27 84; open M-Sa noon-2am

      This English-speaking pub located on the banks of the Old Port is the perfect place to stop before spending an evening in one of Cannes’ exorbitantly-priced clubs. Quay’s interior is completely decked out with wooden planks, signed dollar bills, Irish flags, and sports memorabilia, and will effectively bring you back down to earth. And not just in the figurative sense! The drinks are so cheap (relatively speaking) that you’ll be on your ass before you get the chance to sing along to a live cover of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”

       i Beer from €4, shots from €5; minimum card charge €7; happy hour 5pm-8pm

LYON

      Coverage by Kristine Guillaume

      It’s all too easy to overlook Lyon as a random city smack in the middle of Paris and the French Riviera. Skipping over it may seem, at first blush, like a small sacrifice for the beaches of Nice or the mélange of culture in Marseille. But to do so would be a grave mistake. Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, has much to offer in the form of delectable bouchons, hearty meat-centric dishes paired with all your French favorites: bread, cheese, and wine. Here, you can spend each night trying a different edible part of a pig or cow after a day of climbing Roman ruins, admiring masterpieces in the city’s many museums, or roaming the cobblestone streets of Vieux Lyon—a UNESCO World Heritage Site in itself. Gear up for bouchon after bouchon, and get ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of Lyon—influenced by its importance in the Roman Empire, its deep ties to Catholicism, and its status as an epicenter of intellectual development throughout the years.

       ORIENTATION

      Lyon is a city in the southeastern part of France, located just two hours south of Paris. The city itself contains two rivers: the Rhône and the Saône. The two rivers converge at the southern tip of the city, creating the famous peninsula Presqu’île. In the northern part of Presqu’île are many famous landmarks including Hôtel de Ville and Place Bellecour. In addition to the rivers, the city of Lyon is bounded by two hills: Fourvière, the site of Vieux Lyon (Old Town) and La Basilique de Notre Dame, and Croix-Rousse, the part of town where the silk workers resided during Lyon’s economic prime. There are nine arrondissements in the city; the first and second arrondissements, the site of Place des Terreaux and Place Bellecour, contain the most attractions. Vieux Lyon makes up the fifth arrondissement while Parc de la Tête D’Or, on the eastern side of the Rhône, makes up the sixth. The Part-Dieu train station is located in the third arrondissement, along with Les Halles de Lyon—Paul Bocuse.

       ESSENTIALS

      GETTING THERE

      If flying, Lyon St-Exupéry airport is the closest to the city center. From the airport, there is a 30min. express tram called Rhône express to Lyon Part-Dieu train station (€15, students €13). The tram runs daily from 4:25pm to midnight every 15-30min. We recommend purchasing your ticket ahead of time (www.rhoneexpress.fr), but there are ticket machines for purchase upon arrival at the airport. If traveling by train, there are two main train stations: Part-Dieu, located in the third arrondissement, and Perrache, located on the southern tip of Presqu’île. Both stations are located about 20min. away via metro from the city center. The cheapest way to get into Lyon is via bus. Most arrive in Part-Dieu station.

      GETTING AROUND

      The best way to get around Lyon is to walk. If you’d like to bike, you can rent one with Velo’v service. The first 30min. of each ride are free and every additional 30min. costs €1 for a maximum of 24hr. A day-long ticket is €1.50 (which makes 10 times more sense). For the city’s public transit (metro, bus, and tram), 1hr tickets are €1.80. There is also a ticket called Soirée that allows for unlimited travel from 7pm until the end of that day’s service for just €3. The metro runs from 4am-12:30am and the buses from 5am-midnight. To get up to Fourvière and the Musée Gallo-Romain, there is a funicular at the Vieux Lyon Metro Station (round-trip €2.80).

      PRACTICAL INFORMATION

      Tourist Offices: Office du Tourisme et des Congrès du Grand Lyon (Pl. Bellecour; 04 72 77 69 69; open daily 9am-6pm)

      Banks/ATMs/Currency Exchange: BNP Paribas (5 Rue de la République; 08 20 82 00 01; bank open Tu-Sa 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:45pm-6pm; ATMs open daily 24hr)

      Post Offices: The main post office is located by Place Bellecour (10 Pl. Antonin Poncet; 08 99 23 24 62; open M-F 9am-7pm, Sa 9am-noon).

      Public Restrooms: Most of Lyon’s tourist offices have public toilets.

      Internet: You can rent out a pocket Wi-Fi from the Tourist Information Office for €4 with Lyon City Card (regular price €8).

      BGLTQ+ Resources: Ligne Azur is an organization that provides information and support to BGLTQ+ individuals (08 10 20 30 40; daily 8am-11pm).

      EMERGENCY INFORMATION

      Emergency Number: 112

      Police: Commissariat de police, second arrondissement (47 R. de la Charité; 04 78 42 26 56; open daily 24hr)

      US Embassy: US Consulate of Lyon (1 Quai Jules Courmont; 01 43 12 48 60; open M-F 9:30am-5:30pm)

      Rape Crisis Center: National Federation Women Solidarity (3919), not an emergency number. In case of emergency, call the police.

      Hospitals: Hôpital Edouard Herriot (5 Pl. d’Arsonval; 08 25 08 25 69; open daily 24hr)

      Pharmacies: Look for the green cross to find a pharmacy. There are plenty throughout the city.

      • Great Pharmacie Lyonnaise (22 R. de la République; 04 72 56 44 00; open M-Sa 8am-11pm, Su 7pm-11pm)

       ACCOMMODATIONS

       AWAY HOSTEL AND COFFEE SHOP ($$)

      21 Rue Alsace Lorraine; 04 78 98 53 20; www.awayhostel.com; reception open 24hr

      If Urban Outfitters were a hostel, this would be it. Boasting boho-chic vibes, high ceilings, and wooden floors, Away Hostel features spacious rooms with lockers large enough to fit your entire backpack and then some. The hotel has a café on the ground floor that serves breakfast and strong lattes at affordable prices. Attached to the café, you’ll find a common room filled with bean bags and books perfect for a mid-afternoon