Vieux Lyon
An exceptional Renaissance and medieval heritage ... It looks like Italy with its narrow streets lined with colorful facades ... Old Lyon is a real source of escape!
Take a stroll through Vieux Lyon and discover the beauties of this district, which has been classified as a World Heritage Site since 1998!
Vieux Lyon is the medieval and Renaissance district of Lyon. At the foot of the Fourvière hill, it stretches over 24 hectares along the right bank of the Saône.
The ideal is to cover it by foot.
At the edge of its cobbled and narrow streets stand magnificent Renaissance buildings with terracotta roofs. Some are pierced with traboules, these famous passages between buildings that lead to another street. Take these passages and see how they reveal their secrets to you : hidden places of life, interior courtyards, house entrances ... The first traboules, built in the 4th century, were then used to quickly reach the Saône; in the 18th century they were very useful to the Canuts (silk weavers) who borrowed them to easily transport the goods around the weaving workshops.
This district of Vieux Lyon undoubtedly benefits from an Italian architectural imprint. But do you know why? Well quite simply, this is explained by the royal marriage between Catherine de Medici, born in Florence, and Francis I, second son of the King of France. It is thanks to their union that Lyon can be proud of this sublime heritage.
Three neighborhoods in one!
Since the Renaissance, Old Lyon has been organized into 3 distinct districts, around 3 religious buildings.
Further south, there is Saint-Georges, a district of craftsmen. Right next to St Georges Church, on Place Benoit Crépu, a former river port, admire the Saône as it peacefully laps the quays! As you move away from the river, against the side of the hill, you find the Place de la Trinité with its old buildings and its house of the sun sheltering a famous Lyon “bouchon” (typical restaurant). Puppet lovers have just a few steps to take in the Montée du Gourguillon to find the Maison de Guignol and enjoy a nice show. Finally, it would be a shame not to continue the ascent to Impasse Turquet in order to find yourself in front of the wooden balconies of the oldest house in Lyon, built in 1524!
Saint-Jean, former district of the high clergy and the aristocracy, is the best known and the most touristic. It is located in the center of Vieux Lyon. Crossed by the rue Saint Jean, it conceals many architectural curiosities : Maison du Chamarier, Maison du Crible with La Tour Rose, Maison des Avocats… but also the famous traboules where magnificent interior courtyards are hidden, retaining their medieval characteristics.
It is in this district that the Gadagne ensemble is also located, a magnificent Renaissance building classified as a historical monument, housing the Lyon History Museum and the Puppet Arts Museum.
Whether you are hungry or thirsty you are spoiled for choice! The Saint-Jean district is full of typical restaurants (les bouchons) and gourmet restaurants as well as elegant bars offering a tasting of the unmissable Beaujolais wines.
When you are in Place Saint-Jean, of course you cannot miss the famous Saint-Jean Cathedral! Enter it! You will be amazed by its beauty and its richly decorated astronomical clock.
To finish with a touch of greenery, how about a stroll in the archaeological garden at the bottom of the slopes of the Fourvière hill, very close to the cathedral?
At the end of rue Saint-Jean and north of Vieux Lyon, Saint-Paul is the district of the upper middle class. Large families of Italian bankers and traders settled there, building sumptuous mansions.
The district surrounds the Saint-Paul station built in 1873 and the church of the same name. On the Place Saint-Paul, you can admire the Mourguet house with its square corbelled turret. This is where Laurent Mourguet, the creator of Guignol (from 1795 to 1832) lived and played.
If you continue by taking the rue Juiverie, you will discover beautiful facades with small statues, mullioned windows, sculptures, coats of arms ... a traboule at n ° 5. And at the end of the street on your left, in the rue de la Loge, you might meet L'Horloger de Saint-Paul leaving his shop! Yes, because it is here, in this small cobbled street that many scenes from Bertrand Tavernier's famous film were shot!
The heart of Lyon, a stone's throw from Vieux Lyon
The Saint-Paul district is the ideal location to continue exploring Lyon. Several choices are then available to you :
- You can cross the Saône by the Pont de la Feuillée to reach the Place des Terreaux in a few minutes. There you will find the Museum of Fine Arts, the Town Hall and then just behind the Opera and the rue de République with its many shops. Why not take the opportunity to do some shopping in this beautiful pedestrian street, and walk down to the very famous Place Bellecour?
- You can also stay on the right bank of the Saône and take the Montée Saint Barthélémy then the Parc des Hauteurs or the Jardin du Rosaire to find yourself at the top of the Fourvière hill. Notre Dame de Fourvière basilica awaits you there. Admire its unique architecture with Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque inspirations, its interior with rich and majestic decor! And what about this view that awaits you from its esplanade!? Truly, it is breathtaking!
A few hundred meters from the Basilica, the Ancient Theater of Lyon (the oldest in France) and its Museum will reveal the secrets and testimonies of the Roman era to you. And if you happen to be there in June, during the Les Nuits de Fourvière festival, book your place to enjoy a concert or an exceptional show in this more than magical place!
Useful information
Access and transport
Vieux Lyon can be visited all year round. Pedestrian access is free.
By car
Coming from Paris by the A6 take exit 39a Vieux Lyon. Continue straight on Quai Fulchiron (right bank of the Saône) to Parking Saint-Jean.Coming from the south via the A7, take the La Mulatière exit then keep the leftmost lane to go up Quai Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Quai des Etroits then Quai Fulchiron to Parking Saint-Jean.
By subway
Vieux Lyon is served by the Vieux Lyon - Cathédrale Saint-Jean metro station. There is also the funicular to get to Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica and the ancient theater of Lyon on the hill.
Our selection of accommodations
Citybreak
Fenêtres sur (la) Cour
in LYON 6E ARRONDISSEMENT - Rhône
Citybreak
Chez Louis
in LYON 3E ARRONDISSEMENT - Rhône
