During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the prosperous city of Lyon extended along the banks of the Saône all the way to the Presqu'île, and the streets around Rue Mercière…
Nowadays, Vieux-Lyon, where Gothic and Renaissance styles reign supreme, is still charming visitors with its cobbled alleyways, courtyards, staircase towers, Italian-style galleries and famous traboules. Vieux-Lyon bustles with life late into the night and is crammed with restaurants and delicatessens, artisans and craftsmen, book stores, shops and street artists. Two visits not to be missed during your trip: the Musées Gadagne and the Museum of Miniature and Cinema.
Courtyards and Traboules of Vieux-Lyon
Traboules, these shortcuts in the form of internal passage, allow to communicate from a street to the other one by crossing one or several buildings...
Saint Martin d'Ainay Basilica - Abbey
The only Roman church in Lyon from the end of the 11th c., built on the site of the 4th c. Benedictine abbey.
Saint John's Cathedral
The cathedral was built from 1180 to 1480 and is 79m long, 26m wide and 32m high (main arch). Its frontage dates from the start of the 14th c. The...
Eglise Saint Nizier
Built in 177 AD on the site where the martyrs met to break their bread, in 579 it was named Saint Nizier (the bishop buried there). Sacked by the...
Temple du Change
Built from 1748 to 1750 by architect Jean-Baptiste Roche, though the plans and elevations were provided by Soufflot. The Loge du Change was used by...
The Vieux-Lyon (Old Lyon)
It is since 1964 the 1st conservation area of France and one of the vastest groups Renaissance of Europe, 24 ha. At the foot of the slopes of the hill...
L'Ile Barbe
The Barbe Island is situated in the middle of the Saône, in the 9th district of Lyon, Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe (old town annexed in 1963). Its name...
La Maison du Chamarier
A gem of fifteenth-century architecture in Vieux-Lyon (Old Lyon), the Maison du Chamarier boasts a remarkable courtyard that features elements of both...
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