The best cheap hotels in Lyon

Au Patio Morand is set in an eighteenth-century building, with sections of exposed stone wall adding doses of period charm. The hotel centres around a cute pink- and ochre-painted central courtyard (good for breakfast in warm weather), with rooms (from £65) leading off a wraparound balcony on the upper level. Some are small, but simple contemporary styling, with judicious use of colour, makes the most of the space.

Away is as clean and bright as a new pin. The period property’s large windows shed light on to the gleaming white walls and wood floors of the public spaces. Private rooms from £75 have original fireplaces – otherwise, they’re sleek and contemporary. All come with private (toiletries provided) or shared bathrooms, and there’s a coffee shop that’s open all day.

Just a couple of minutes from central place Bellecour, between the city’s two rivers, the Hôtel des Celestins takes a traditional approach to furnishing many of the rooms in its period property, with antique furniture, bric-a-brac, floral-sprigged fabrics and eclectic artwork. Other rooms are more contemporary (and the junior suite has a wild pink and black bathroom), but all have plain wood or parquet flooring. Double are around £95.

This Presqu'île de Lyon hotel, in a typically grand old building overlooking Place Carnot and close to the River Saône, has spacious rooms from around £65 ranged over six floors (there’s a lift), done out to a good standard of contemporary comfort. Bright headboards and cushions jazz up the hotel neutrals, and smart bathrooms come with spacious showers (and some have baths).

The reception area of this budget boutique hotel, which has rooms at around £95, has taken the silk theme to heart: it’s decorated with reels of the stuff. Free wine and snacks are served in this light, cheery space each evening. Rooms – many with floor-to-ceiling windows – use colour boldly, with greens, blues and mustard. They come with retro-style furnishings and smart bathrooms. The café has pavement tables and folding doors that are opened in warm weather.

The Vespa scooters in reception tell you this place is going to be fun. Rooms come in combos for one to four people as well as the usual doubles. Their rough-plastered walls are deep grey, with chipboard panels creating accents behind metal shelves, but the industrial chic vibe is softened with cushions and throws. Some rooms have baths as well as showers. A basic breakfast is just €5, and rooms are great value at around €60.

The light-filled, cream-furnished lounge, with picture windows on to the street, is the hub of the Tête d’Or, housed in a period corner property near the central Parc Tête d’Or. Reasonably sized rooms are simply but comfortably furnished, with pale-wood cupboards and desks, white walls, taupe accents and smart bathrooms (some with baths as well as showers). There are singles and family rooms as well as doubles, from around £70.

Occupying the second floor of a nineteenth-century Haussman building, Vaubecour’s warm palette of creams and taupes flatters and subtly updates the property’s tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and wainscoting. Rooms are individually decorated along the same theme, with splashes of colour from wallpaper or curtains. The cheapest rooms are small, but all bathrooms are modern. The ‘essential breakfast’ is just €5 euros, with a fuller version for €9.

Located in the central Presqu'île de Lyon neighbourhood (between the Rhône and the Saône rivers), Republik brings a modern-meets-1950s colour scheme (teals, olivey greens, mustards) and lively contemporary design to a budget hotel in a period property. Upper rooms have a bird’s eye view on to neighbouring rooftops. A generous buffet breakfast (€11) is served in the colourful café, and rooms are around £65.

This small, smart hostel in central Lyon has bags of contemporary chic, with art and retro furnishings in the white lobby, bare stone walls and Spanish-style tiles by the wine bar/reception area, and a courtyard with a cool mural. Private doubles from £65 are spacious and stylish; a cheaper room has a private shower but shared toilet. There are also ‘private’ dorms for four or six. The €5 breakfast buffet is a bargain.