Lyon gives you big-city depth without Paris costs: a UNESCO-listed Renaissance old town, two rivers lined with bars, and a student population north of 150,000. It sits at the crossroads of France - the Alps, Provence and Switzerland all within a couple of hours - and food here is a genuine art form. For an exchange it hits the sweet spot of lively, affordable and easy to navigate.

• France second-largest student city, so international societies and events run non-stop.
• Two hours from the Alps, Provence and Geneva, and just two hours from Paris by TGV.
• The Fete des Lumieres in December lights up the whole city for four nights - plan to be there.

When the sun is out, the whole city decamps to the Berges du Rhone and the banks of the Saone for apero with a bottle and a baguette. Nightlife centres on La Guillotiere and the peniches (boat-bars) moored on the Rhone, while the Croix-Rousse hosts a more bohemian, arty crowd. ESN Lyon and the big engineering schools throw regular international parties, so you will find your feet fast.

• Apero on the Berges du Rhone is the default sunny-evening plan - bring your own bottle.
• The peniches (boat-bars) moored along the Rhone near Guillotiere for late nights.
• Follow ESN Lyon and your school BDE (student union) for weekly events and trips.

Lyon sits near the middle of the French band - budget roughly 850 to 1,200 euros a month all in. Shared rooms go for 400 to 550 euros, cheaper than Paris but rising, and the CAF APL subsidy applies here too. Eat at CROUS canteens for about 3.30 euros, do your big shop at the Croix-Rousse market, and the city stays very affordable for a place this size.

• Rooms in a colocation typically run 400 to 550 euros; claim APL via caf.fr to shave 100 plus off.
• CROUS restaurants near La Doua and the Quais serve full meals for around 3.30 euros.
• The TCL under-28 travel pass is far cheaper than paying per ride - sort it in week one.

Start early: Lyon student housing tightens sharply each September. CROUS residences are the cheapest option (apply via messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr), while most exchange students end up in a colocation found on leboncoin, La Carte des Colocs or Facebook groups. Villeurbanne and the 7th put you closest to the La Doua campus; use the free Visale guarantee if you lack a French garant.

• Villeurbanne and the 7th (Guillotiere) are the student heartland and near the La Doua campus.
• Search leboncoin and La Carte des Colocs; get a free Visale guarantee at visale.fr.
• Ask the Studcasa Lyon group about rooms opening up between intakes - turnover is high.

The TCL network - four metro lines, trams, buses and two funiculars up to Fourviere and Croix-Rousse - covers everything, and the city is compact enough to walk or cycle most of it. Under-28s should buy the discounted TCL City pass rather than single tickets. Velo v, the original public bike scheme, is dotted everywhere and ideal along the flat riverside paths.

• Get the TCL under-28 pass (around 35 euros a month) instead of single 1.90 euro tickets.
• Velo v bikes are cheap and perfect for the flat riverbanks; the first 30 minutes are free.
• Take the funicular (the ficelle) up to Fourviere for the view over the whole city.

Lyon universities split by discipline: Lyon 1 (Claude Bernard) for science and medicine, Lyon 2 for humanities and social sciences, Lyon 3 for law and business, plus the elite ENS de Lyon and the engineering powerhouses INSA and Centrale. Many campuses sit at La Doua in Villeurbanne. Teaching follows the French CM-plus-TD format, and international offices are used to Erasmus paperwork.

• The main science campus is La Doua in Villeurbanne, served by tram T1 and T4.
• INSA Lyon and EM Lyon run large, well-organised international intakes.

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa and can just enrol. Non-EU students on an exchange over 90 days apply for a VLS-TS student long-stay visa before arriving, then validate it online within three months and pay a small OFII tax; under 90 days you may only need a short-stay Schengen visa or none at all.

Budget time for the admin marathon: you will want a French bank account, proof of accommodation, health cover (EHIC for Europeans, or enrolment in French social security), and civil-liability insurance. Book prefecture and OFII steps the moment you can, because slots vanish.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just enrol
• Non-EU, over 90 days, VLS-TS long-stay student visa, validated online after arrival
• Proof of ~€615/month funds usually required
• Get civil-liability insurance (assurance responsabilite civile) before term

Lyon calls itself the food capital of France and backs it up. Eat at least once in a bouchon - the traditional taverns serving quenelles, andouillette and pots of Beaujolais - and spend a morning at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. For everyday value, the Croix-Rousse market and the city cheap Guillotiere eateries keep you fed. Do not leave without a slice of pink praline tart.

• Try a proper bouchon lyonnais (Daniel et Denise or Chez Hugon) at least once.
• Les Halles Paul Bocuse for a splurge; the Croix-Rousse market (Tue to Sun) for cheap produce.
• Pink praline tart and a Saint-Marcellin cheese are the local sweet-and-savoury essentials.

The Presqu ile, the narrow strip between the rivers, is the shopping and going-out core. Vieux Lyon below Fourviere is the postcard Renaissance quarter, riddled with hidden passageways called traboules. The Croix-Rousse, the old silk-weavers hill, is bohemian and villagey, while La Guillotiere (7th) and Villeurbanne are cheaper, younger and closest to campus.

• Croix-Rousse for a village-in-the-city feel, markets and independent bars.
• The 7th (Guillotiere) and Villeurbanne for the best-value student rooms near campus.
• Explore the traboules - hidden covered passageways - through Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse.

Lyon location is its superpower. Annecy, with its turquoise lake ringed by mountains, is two hours by train; the Alpine ski resorts are reachable for a weekend; Provence and Marseille are under two hours south by TGV. Wine lovers can be in Beaujolais in half an hour, and Geneva or Grenoble make easy day trips. Book SNCF fares early and grab a Carte Avantage Jeune if you travel often.

• Annecy (about 2 hours) for lake swimming in autumn and a mountain backdrop.
• Beaujolais vineyards are 30 to 45 minutes away for a cheap wine-country day.
• Geneva, Grenoble and the ski resorts are all under two hours for weekend trips.

Sort the admin fast - bank account, APL and a French SIM - because everything else keys off it. Learn to say Bonjour before every request; Lyon is friendly but the greeting is non-negotiable. And treat the December Fete des Lumieres as a fixed appointment: book any visiting friends trips around it, because the city is unmissable those four nights.

• Claim APL early via caf.fr and open a French account for the required RIB.
• Buy TCL and train passes online to skip queues and unlock the youth discounts.