Hotel de Normandie

The pictures speak for themselves... Worst hotel I've never been to

this hotel is small and simple. located proably 200 feet from the secondary train station in Lyon, the rooms are small, basically a bed, a toilet, and a sink.. no air conditioning but a fan is in the room. I was there during the womens world cup finals so the price was inflated. I'm not sure i got a good value as i didnt spend much time in the room, but it was a safe place to keep my luggage and get a few hours of sleep before my train trip the next day. Make sure you train stops at secondary Lyon station, as i didnt know this before hand and had to get from the main station to this one with my luggage.

Front desk guy when we checked in was helpful, his replacement not so much. It was 90 degrees out and no AC in room. But did have a fan which help.

Had most unfortunate circumstances at arrival - had a heat stroke and fainted in the lobby, the next morning our car's tyre was flat. The Receptionists were super helpful, I'm grateful for their assistance. Helped me out, called road assistance & interpreted for me. Will stay there again anytime! Place itself is what you'd expect for the price. It's dated, but clean and comfortable, bathrooms are new. Location couldn't be better!

Very basic hotel. Tiny bathroom. The location is perfect. Near a major train station, tram stop and underground stop. You can walk to all main tourist attractions. Plenty of restaurants and bakeries nearby. When you flush the toilet some water splashes in the sink. Interesting. Very strange to have to pay 1eur only in cash for the local tax. I had no cash with me as I normally don't withdraw cash. They were really pushy and did not want to accept card. They suggested me to buy their overpriced drinks. Simplicity would be that they take this tax when you book.

What I will say about the Hotel De Normandie is : I got three good nights sleep in a comfortable bed - and the breakfast was more than adequate. However .. if you arrive after dark the hotel takes some finding. You need to go up the Lyon Parrache escalator to the station concourse and walk through the station towards the back. Eventually on your left you'll see "Ibis Hotels" in bright red letters then you've found the de Normandie. Except that the de Normandie isn't lit up .. I mean the Hotel de Normandie sign above the Hotel. You can get to the Hotel without going into the station but this isn't recommended because you have to cross busy roads. SO .. a good hotel in an unfortunate location.

We drove in at night - past the local street girls who looked like they were selling their bodies - with our child staring in horror. We almost left but it was late and we had nowhere else booked, so we toughed it out. Didn't sleep well in the uncomfortable bed and worried about our safety. Avoid this one!