Hailey’s Guide to a Smaller City

When you study abroad in Europe, it’s almost expected that you travel to different countries on the weekends. And there are plenty of different ways to do that. Some people choose somewhere to go every weekend, others (like me) are more selective with where they go and spend more time in their home city. Sometimes it’s to save money, others it’s because you have a lot of studying/work to do, and even sometimes because you just want to get to know your home country better! But when leaving for a day or even a weekend, many students’ first instinct is to go to what I call a “name-brand city”. The best examples of this are Paris, London, Milan, and Rome. And let me be clear, there is NOTHING wrong with going to these places. But here’s my little secret…I have had more fun the smaller the city I go to is. Or at least, the less well known it is!

My favorite trip so far? Lyon. And no, Lyon is not some tiny off-the beaten path city, but every time I mentioned I was going there to someone they asked me “where is that???” and I think that’s the beauty of it. Lyon is a decently sized city in the middle of France. They have their own airport you can fly into, amazing public transport, and easy to navigate streets, with activities within the city as well as just outside of it to keep you occupied. 

Why should you go to a smaller city? Well, I’ll be honest, if you’re anything like me you’re going to LOVE Lyon, but there are also so many other amazing options for smaller cities that you can visit as well so this doesn’t just apply to Lyon. 

1. First, there’s less people! I personally hate being in a place where there are tourists everywhere (and I know I too am a tourist, but that doesn’t mean I want to be slowed down by other people!!). A little bit of tourism is nice, that way there’s always souvenir shops to get stuff from and some kitschy activities that I tend to enjoy, but too much can be overwhelming. 

    

2. The locals are usually nicer. Now this obviously depends on the place as well as depending on you also being incredibly polite and considerate, but there’s definitely a nicer atmosphere when less tourists are around. I found that when I visited a tiny little restaurant half an hour outside of Lyon; the single waitress there became somewhat of a friend to me even though she didn’t speak any English and I only know the polite words in French.

    

3. The things you can do in smaller cities are often more unique. I love a good touristy view - it’s still on my to-do list to see the Eiffel Tower for sure. But by visiting a small area of wine production I was able to learn about what wines grow best in the area and why, how being smaller vineyards affects how wines are made, the incredibly important history of wine to the region, and how it affects the whole city around the vineyards as well. I got incredibly specialized information that you literally cannot learn anywhere else. In the city center of Lyon I got to visit a movie museum that had props and replicas from some of the most iconic films throughout history. As a movie lover, this was an activity that kept me busy for hours! They had an exhibit featuring an iconic poster artist, one that replicated scenes from the cult classic "Perfume", multiple with different props, posters, and replicas, as well as one filled with "miniatures" - small replicas or original creations of people, places, and things - though I spent most of my time in the movie sections. And every city is going to have something of their own, something you won’t be able to learn the history of as in-depth nor as traditionally which is such an interesting concept to me, and makes me want to just go everywhere.

With all that being said, I’d definitely suggest picking a “city” over a “town”. Now those phrases are very American, but they hold true no matter where you are. In my opinion, towns tend to get a bit boring after a day or two as there is only so much they can have within their borders, but in a city there will be plenty to do, and it's still incredibly easy to get to the nearby towns if you want to do something a little more niche.

Small cities are really my new favorite thing. And I cannot recommend that you visit one (or more) enough!