Lyon

Vieux Lyon lies between Fourvière hill and the Saône and is one of Europe’s largest continuous Renaissance districts.

The district includes Saint-Georges, Saint-Jean and Saint-Paul, with narrow streets, churches, museums, craft shops and traditional bouchons.

Its most distinctive features are the traboules – hidden passageways running through buildings and courtyards from one street to another. Lyon has several hundred, although only a selection is open to the public.

Remember to look upwards: spiral staircases, Italian-inspired galleries and inner courtyards recall the period when merchants from across Europe gathered in Lyon.

Fourvière Basilica rises above the city as one of Lyon’s most visible landmarks, with a monumental exterior and richly decorated interior.

Construction began in 1872. Inside, mosaics, stained glass, marble and intricate details contrast sharply with the fortress-like façade.

The esplanade offers panoramic views over the Saône, Presqu’île, Rhône and the eastern districts. On clear days, the Alps can be seen on the horizon.

Combine the visit with the Roman theatres and a walk down towards Vieux Lyon, or take the funicular up for an easier journey.

Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse is the city’s best-known food market and a natural place to discover the ingredients and flavours behind Lyon’s reputation as a culinary capital.

Inside the covered market are cheese, charcuterie, fish, seafood, pastries, chocolate, wine and prepared dishes from numerous specialists.

Taste local classics such as quenelles, saucisson brioché and tarte à la praline, or sit down for a simple lunch among the stalls.

The market took Paul Bocuse’s name following a major renovation and now stands as a living symbol of the connection between producers, craftsmanship and restaurant culture.

Croix-Rousse grew around Lyon’s silk weavers, the canuts, and still retains a distinct village atmosphere on the hill above the centre.

The steep slopes form part of the UNESCO area and are linked by stairs, viewpoints and traboules that once made it easier to carry silk between workshops and the city.

Today, markets, small food shops, designers, artists, cafés and restaurants fill the streets and plateau.

Walk up or down Montée de la Grande-Côte and look for Passage Thiaffait and Cour des Voraces, where today’s creative community connects with the history of the silk workers.

Where the Rhône and Saône meet, Musée des Confluences is a striking glass-and-steel cultural landmark exploring humanity, nature and the world’s great stories.

The permanent exhibition covers around 3,000 square metres and leads visitors through themes including the origins of life, societies, species and humanity’s place in the world.

The museum combines natural history, anthropology, science and culture in exhibitions suited to adults and families alike.

The building itself and its position at the meeting point of the rivers are central to the experience, which can be combined with a walk through modern Confluence.

Parc de la Tête d’Or is Lyon’s largest and most popular park – a vast green retreat with a lake, gardens, broad paths and activities close to the centre.

The park opened in 1857 and was inspired by English landscape gardens. It covers around 105 hectares, with the lake alone extending over approximately 17 hectares.

It includes a botanical garden, glasshouses, rose gardens, an animal area, playgrounds and many places for a picnic or quiet break.

The park fits easily between museum visits and city walks and can be combined with the riverbanks, Brotteaux or Cité Internationale.