Lyon, the second city of France, is a bustling modern city with a rich history stretching back more than 2000 years. There are two main sections to the historic area of the city: Vieux Lyon, to the east of the Saône river, which contains many examples of Roman, Medieval and Renaissance architecture, and the newer Presqu-île, which lies on a peninsula between the Saône and the Rhône rivers. There are also many other fine 18th and 19th century buildings to be found throughout the city. All of the sites are within easy reach of the extensive metro system and tram lines.
Vieux Lyon. The Fourvière Basilica on top of the hill, St. Jean Cathedral in the foreground.
Same view at night.
La Saône.
Same view at night.
La Saône.
Le Rhône at night.
The Rhône embankment (the Tricouleur is on the other side of the river).
Beautiful old buildings out in the city. Although some areas are visibly newer, you can always spot a century-old building or block.
Today, the city is a major textile and pharmaceutical centre. The weather (so far!) has been pleasant and sunny, with less rain than I was expecting (except one of the days I went sightseeing...). The pace of life here is a bit slower than in other northern cities, and there is lots to take in.
Overlooking Vieux Lyon is Fourvière hill, which offers a stunning view of the surrounding area. I definitely recommend you take the furnicular (part of the metro system) to the top of the hill to start your tour of the city, and make your way down from there. Otherwise you will be doing a lot of climbing! There are many narrow streets that are quite steep, many have stairs in this area, so it’s best to take them going down.
Stairs / Street on Fouvière hill.
View of Lyon from the Fourvière Basilica.
The Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière is the best-known landmark in Lyon, visible from across the city. At night it is all lit up, as is the Tour Metallique next to it. Built in the late 19th century, it has a definite Byzantine feel to the interior, a riot of gold and mosaics.
"La Fourvière"
Fourvière towers.
This is the basement of the Basilica.
Basement alter. What did they save for the main floor?
That's what!
Literally every inch of wall or ceiling is covered in Byzantine-style mosaics. The effect when you first step in to the nave is jaw-dropping.
Ceiling - this is all a mosaic (except for the moldings).
The best way to make your way down the hill towards Vieux Lyon is through the Chemin du Rosaire, which has stunning views of the city and winds its way through a beautiful rose garden.
Chemin du Rosaire, with Fourvière in the background.
Pear trees in the Chemin du Rosaire!
Vieux Lyon is divided into areas based on the cathedrals, for example, St. Jean is the area around the St. Jean Cathedral. This church was just restored a few days before I went to visit, so although it dates from the 12th century it is in wonderful condition.
CPE internationals in front of the St. Jean Cathedral. A German, a Spaniard, a Brasilian, a Korean, and a Canadian! (A Pole was taking the picture!)
Close up on the window. Restoration work just finished - it looks great for 800 years old!
St. Jean Cathedral.
Central nave.
I loved the light coming in through the stained glass windows in the late afternoon!
Stained glass over the alter.
The nave.
Next to the cathedral is the old choir school, which was built during the Roman Period. Even though the cathedral was built in the middle ages, it is still 12 centuries older than the school next to it!
The choir school, built by the Romans, on the right of the cathedral.
One of my favorite things to do in the city is wander through the narrow streets of Vieux Lyon. The main street is Rue St. Jean, and although it may seem narrow now, it has been widened three times, and is now double it’s original width. The narrow streets severely limited the amount of light that could reach the buildings, so many were constructed with very large windows. Lyon has what is widely recognized as the finest collection of Renaissance mansions in France. During this period, the French king was often fighting wars in nearby areas, so Lyon was an important base for the royal court. King Henry IV even chose Cathédrale St. Jean for his wedding to Marie de Médeci in 1600. Lyon was well-known for it’s silk manufacturing, the major industry in the city for hundreds of years. It’s geographic importance (at the cross-roads of Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy) meant that its fairs attracted people from all over. The wealthy northern Italian banking families all set up shop here, and built some fantastic Renaissance mansions.
Rue St. Jean. In the background is the cathedral.
Rue St. Jean. You think it's narrow now? In the Middle Ages it was half the width!
Rue du Boeuf.
Rue du Boeuf.
Square in front of the cathedral.
Renaissance mansions. The courtyard was once separated into smaller yards by high walls.
Renaissance mansions.
Courtyards in the Renaissance mansions were really this small!
Another courtyard. They were designed to let light into the back buildings.
"The prettiest staircase in Lyon"
One of the most interesting architectural treasures in Lyon are the Traboules, covered passageways from street-to-street that would pass through the Renaissance manions. These are open to the public today, and pass through tiny courtyards, meant to allow light into the back part of the house and afford some privacy. The Traboules have served many uses over the course of history, and in WWII they were used by the French Resistance (Lyon was the capital of the movement).
Traboule entrance. It's marked by the plaque to the left of the door, and they are only open to the public during the day.
Traboule (left), connecting two streets. They pass through the courtyards of the Renaissance mansions (often several different houses), connecting them to both streets.
One of the finest mansions, Hôtel Gadagne, houses the Musée Historique de Lyon and the Musée de la Marionnette, exhibiting the famous Lyonnais puppets. I found them rather creepy, myself!
Hôtel Gadagne.
Hôtel Gadagne.
Lyonnais marionnettes (creepy, eh?)
Ancient artifacts and documents in the Lyon Museum. This one, from the Middle Ages, was particularly well preserved.
There are plenty of fantastic restauraunts and bouchons (bistros). Lyon is the indisputable capital of French cuisine, and has many dishes unique to the region. A wonderful snack while out exploring the city is a chocolate crêpe made right in front of you, or some home-made gelato.
Crêpe stand. He makes it right in front of you!
Founded by Julius Caesar in 44 BC, Lyon was known as Lugdunum and was the capital of Gaul. There is plenty of evidence for this period of its history, with two magnificent roman theatres still in use today. The Grand Théâtre, the oldest theatre in France, was built in 15 BC and can seat 30,000 people! One of the great things about visiting Lyon is that the theatres and churches are free to visit. I plan on going back often! There is also the Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine, with a rich collection of artifacts from the Roman period.
The "smaller" theatre.
The main theatre, with a capacity of 30,000 people!
Yours truly, in the larger theatre. They still have performances here today, and there is a fantastic view of the city from the top rows.
The Presqu’île is at the heart of daily life in Lyon. A pedestrianized shopping street links the place Bellecour, an enormous plaza with a great view of La Fourvière, with the place des Terraux. This area is beautifully lit up at night, and is the site of several lively pubs and bars, just around the corner from the Hôtel de Ville and the Opéra de Lyon. There are plenty of museums in this area that I’m looking forward to exploring. You can easiliy explore Fourvière, Vieux Lyon, and Presqu’île in a day, completely on foot. I recommend you start with at the Fourvière furnicular station (unless you really like climbing hills) and work your way down in that order.
Place Bellecour. You can see the Fouvière and the Tour Metallique (mini-Eiffel Tower used as a radio tower) in the distance.
Statue in the middle of the square. Out of the frame of the picture is a statue of Louis XIV ("The Sun King") on horseback.
Place Bellecour.
Place Bellecour. The houses in the distance are on the other side of the Rhône.
Street performers blowing giant bubbles!
Pedestrianized shopping street in the Presqu'île.
Pedestrianized shopping street. Lots of the same stores we have at home, like Gap and Zara.
Street off the Place Bellecour at night.
Hôtel Dieu.
Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).
Hôtel de Ville. Lyon's symbol is, obviously, a lion.
The Opéra de Lyon, across the street from the Hôtel de Ville.
Square behind the Hôtel de Ville.
On the east bank of the Rhône is the more modern part of the city. At its centre is the Part-Dieu, with a huge shopping mall, business centre, and TGV station with connections to all over France and southern Europe. There is a convenient train (the Rhône Express) that connects Part-Dieu to the airport in about 30 minutes. From Part-Dieu you can get anywhere in the city using the reasonably priced and efficient metro system.
The Parc de Tête D’Or, within walking of my residence, is an enormous park, even containing a zoo! One of the best ways to explore it is to rent a bike from the stations all over the city (also a good way of getting home at night after the metro stops!) for 1E a day. You rent them at one station and can return them at another.
I’m really enjoying my stay in Lyon so far, and there’s still lots left to explore! It’s also a good base for exploring the rest of Europe, with EasyJet (low cost airline) flying to several destinations from the airport.
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