Lyon City Guide - Sightseeing

Touring the city of Lyon can easily keep even the most enthusiastic visitor busy for a long weekend. Any sightseeing trip should begin with Fourvière Hill, now at the heart of Lyon's UNESCO World Heritage Site. Access to the summit is on a funicular railway, known as la ficelle (the string), from the station in avenue Adolphe Max (Quarter St Jean). This leads to the foot of the Basilica of Fourvière. Coming down from Fourvière Hill, the heritage area extends to include Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), Croix-Rousse and the Presqu'île area.

Old Lyon is the largest Renaissance quarter in France. It is also known for the St-Jean Cathedral and the famous traboules - the covered walkways linking entire blocks of houses. The area of Croix-Rousse is the quarter where the canuts (or silk-weavers) worked; you can discover the last authentic family silk weaving workshops in the Croix-Rousse area with Soierie Vivante, 21 rue Richan (tel: (04) 7827 1713; website: www.soierie-vivante.asso.fr). At the centre of the place de la Croix-Rousse is a memorial to Joseph-Marie Jacquard, who developed a new type of silk loom at the beginning of the 19th century, which cemented Lyon's place as a centre for the silk trade.

The Presqu'île area is home to the Museum of Fine Arts, 20 place des Terreaux (tel: (04) 7210 1740; website: www.mba-lyon.fr), as well as luxurious boutiques, such as Cartier and Hermès, which can be found on rue du Président Herriot.

Office du Tourisme
Place Bellecour
Tel: (04) 7277 6969 or 7233.
Website: www.lyon-france.com

There are also tourist information offices at avenue Adolphe Max, in Old Lyon, and at 3 avenue Aristide Briand, in Villeurbanne.

The Lyon City Card is valid for one, two or three days. This card allows free and unlimited use of city transport (bus, metro, funicular and tramway lines), free access to the main museums, temporary exhibitions and the Biennial of Contemporary Art. It also includes guided tours/audio guided tours, an unusual visit to the rooftops of the Fourvière Basilica, access to the Observatory Tower of Fourvière and river guided cruises (from April to October). A ‘junior' version, for those aged four to 18, and reduced price for students are also available. The Lyon City Card also includes short noon concerts at the Lyon National Opera (‘comptoir') or at the Auditorium de Lyon (‘expresso'). It allows discounts to some theatres (Celestins), sightseeing, adventure (Fourvière Adventures park) and shopping (Galeries Lafayette, Le Printemps etc.). Cards are sold at the tourist office (see above) and at several other locations in the city, such as the Lyon TCL (public transport offices) agencies at Part Dieu, Bellecour, Perrache, Vieux Lyon and Republique, as well as at the reception desks of many hotels.