France: Lyon & Paris

[JillianLindsay]

Hello fellow Celiac travelers! Hubby & I are going to Europe for the first time and are leaving this Saturday. We will be staying most of the time in South-Western Lyon, and then will spend our last 2 nights in Central Paris I am 6 months pregnant. I was dx with celiac disease in July 2009 and have been strictly gluten-free ever since. I am printing out a traveler's card from here: Open Original Shared Link I would love tips on where to get food, what is safe, what to be careful of, restaurant recommendations, and generally any help anyone can give for a first-timer. Thanks so much in advance!

[love2travel]

Hello fellow Celiac travelers! Hubby & I are going to Europe for the first time and are leaving this Saturday. We will be staying most of the time in South-Western Lyon, and then will spend our last 2 nights in Central Paris I am 6 months pregnant. I was dx with celiac disease in July 2009 and have been strictly gluten-free ever since. I am printing out a traveler's card from here: Open Original Shared Link I would love tips on where to get food, what is safe, what to be careful of, restaurant recommendations, and generally any help anyone can give for a first-timer. Thanks so much in advance!

Hi! This may be too late but I travel regularly to Europe from Canada. My husband and I own a house in Croatia. But we have not been to Paris yet - our first time there will be in September. We are going to awesome Michelin-starred restaurants and I look forward to it. (My husband's annual meeting is in Paris and spouses are advised to attend. )

Anyway, every time we go to a foreign country we use restaurant cards which help a great deal. Are you renting an apartment? If so, they are handy as they have kitchens so you can prepare food you buy from the market and grocery stores. If you have long flights I recommend taking snacks along. Plan for delays! We often have flight delays and many airports have abysmal food choices for those of us with celiac. Admittedly it is difficult walking past bakeries and pizzerias in Europe.

Have a wonderful time! I look forward to hearing all about it.

Congrats on your pregnancy.

[JillianLindsay]

Hey folks, we are here in Lyon. We are in a hotel because my hubby's work is paying for it as he is here attending a conference. The hotel restaurant was great last night providing a delicious, gluten-free meal. However the area around the hotel has no supermarket, so I will be venturing out today to learn the metro and find some places to get food to bring back to the room. The breakfast is continental, i.e. mostly gluten! All I could have was some fruit and so I am hungry, pregnant, and jet lagged, not a good combo lol.

[love2travel]

Hmmmm...sounds a bit challenging. Hopefully things will have improved in the food department by the time you check in next! It is really a pity to be in Lyon and not be able to enjoy anything you wish to. Are you able to see the sites?

[Kate79]

If you're still in Paris, there's a gluten-free bakery there now called Helmut Newcake. They also offer small meals. Just opened last year; I stopped by when I was in Paris in February and it was very good. Owner speaks English.

Here's an article about it, along with their contact info. It's in north-central Paris and near a metro station.

Open Original Shared Link

[JillianLindsay]

We are in Lyon for the week, and then to Paris for our last couple of days. Food has been definitely challenging, and at times frustrating. Each time I go to the hotel restaurant, I get different answers about what I can and cannot eat, even though I can speak french and also have a card printed out in french. There is no market close by and I'm hungry all the time because all I can eat is fruit. We're going to try to buy more substantial foods at a market today, hopefully we can find one and find some food I can eat. We are in the south area of Lyon, about a 5-minute walk from the Debourg Metro station. If anyone knows of anything (restaurants, markets, anything) accessible by Metro or walking, I would be very grateful. Being 6 months pregnant, it's really important I get more food into my system, and a more balanced diet at that. I'm trying my best, hopefully it will get easier as we get to know the area, but there certainly isn't much around our hotel. Thanks in advance!

[JillianLindsay]

Thanks Kate!! We'll be staying only one block away from the Maubert - Mutualité Metro, I'm sure we can make the trip up to Goncourt station (I think that's the closest). I looked it up and it's only about a 20-minute Metro ride. French gluten-free pastry, that would be wonderful!

If you're still in Paris, there's a gluten-free bakery there now called Helmut Newcake. They also offer small meals. Just opened last year; I stopped by when I was in Paris in February and it was very good. Owner speaks English.

Here's an article about it, along with their contact info. It's in north-central Paris and near a metro station.

Open Original Shared Link