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About
Lyon, France
Lyon:
The City & Traveling Around France
The city of Lyon, formerly called Lugdunum, dates
back to Roman times. With a population of some 1,200,000 inhabitants,
Lyon is the capital of the Rhônes –Alpes region. Lyon
has retained much of its historic charm, while simultaneously
modernizing. Today it is the second largest city in France, after
Paris.
Lyon is located on the banks of the rivers Le Rhône and
La Saône, and is surrounded by hills: Fourvière with
its basilica called “The praying hill” and La Croix
Rousse called “The working hill” with its silk factories;
each offers beautiful views of the city. In the valley, the Old
Renaissance quarter of Vieux-Lyon hides its Saint-Jean cathedral
and picturesque streets. Lyon was the capital of the silk industry
in Renaissance France. The economic boom, fueled in part by the
immigration of wealthy Italian merchant families, brought with
it a cultural rebirth which is still evident today in the architecture
of the neighborhood.
Lyon is an inviting city in which to take a stroll along the parks
(among the biggest Parc de la Tête d ‘Or), rivers
banks, covered walkways (traboules), and art galleries. The city,
known for its gastronomy, offers a wide variety of restaurants:
under the name of bouchons lyonnais and is famous for its Beaujolais
wine and delicious chocolates from Berachon and Voisin confiseurs.
The basilica:
Local
& Train Transportation
Some of the host families are some distance from
campus. Fortunately, getting around Lyon is very easy. You will
find a transportation office located at each bus station and at
major metro stops. A plan de poche (pocket map) is available at
the Information Center, Syndicat d’Initiative or any TCL
branch. Tickets are sold in packets of 10 and are valid for 1
hour in one direction on the whole network of the city transportation,
buses and metro connection included. Ticket Liberte day pass is
available at information centers. The Syndicat d’initiative
has a metro maps which give the different timetables for the subway.
City busses normally run 5am-9pm (a few until midnight). Funiculars
travel between pl. St Jean and the top of Fourvière until
10pm.
Lyon Metro and Tram Map:
Orientation
to the City & Sites
While strolling you will discover the city and its
historical sites. In 1998 Vieux-Lyon was listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, the largest in existence. Cultural and historic
attractions can be found almost everywhere, including the Fourviere
hill, Vieux-Lyon, the slopes of the Croix-Rousse and the town
center known as the Presqu’ île. The Gadagne Museum,
or Historical Museum of Lyon, International Puppet Museum, Fabrics
Museum and the Film Museum of The Lumiere brothers, all hold great
historical interest.
Vieux-Lyon, a Unesco World Heritage Site:
Located on the top of Fourvière hill, the
basilica (accessible by funicular) was constructed between 1872
and 1896, offers a variety of mosaics, stained glass windows and
marble. The Fourvière basilica, symbol of the city, houses
a pilgrimage on the 8th of September when the municipal aldermen
thank the Virgin Mary for sparing the city from the plague in
1643. You can discover the panoramic view of the rooftops of Fourvière
from the esplanade by climbing up the 300 steps of the spiral
staircase to the observatory tower like the pilgrims do.
View from the Fourvière:
Two Roman theatres, first built 17-15 B.C. are a
reminder of the Gallo-Roman civilization in Lyon, ancient Lugdunum.
The Roman baths located slightly down the hill and the Museum
of Gallo-Roman Civilization retracing the history of the city
offer magnificent views onto the Fourvière theatre site.
The Roman Theater:
Le Vieux Lyon made up of the three neighborhoods
called Saint-Georges, Saint-Jean and Saint-Paul (the latter existing
since the Renaissance) reflect the splendor of the city in the
15th and 16th centuries can be appreciated by walking along the
streets covering over 24 hectares on the banks of the Saône
river to the foot of the Fourvière hill.
A visit to the Gadagne Museum is of a particular historical interest
as it retraces the story of the three puppets Guignol, Gnafron
and Madelon, created by Laurent Mourguet in 1808. The International
Puppet Museum displays a variety of string marionettes, puppets
on sliding bars and stick puppets. The museum is housed in a Renaissance
mansion in Vieux-Lyon showing the history of the city from the
Middle–Ages by displaying paintings, furniture, ceramics
and pewters.
On the Presqu’île Between the Rhône and the
Saône, is Place Bellecour, formerly called Place Royale,
with a bronze statue of Louis the XIV which was destroyed during
the Revolution and later replaced by Francois Lemot. Place Bellecour
is the center of Lyon located in the heart of the main shopping
streets leading to the Jacobins (luxury stores) and to, Rue de
la République and Rue Victor-Hugo, well-known retail chains.
La place des Terreaux is the heart of Lyon‘s civic life
surrounded by its bars, cafés and lively atmosphere. The
city hall, built in the 17th century, became the symbolic seat
of power and the heart of public life. The square was restyled
in 1994 by architect Christian Drevet and artist Daniel Buren
and is ornamented by the Bartholdi fountain sculpted in 1889 by
the same man responsible for the Statue of Liberty in New York.
The beautiful fountain in the center and the 69 water jets are
enchanced at night, when they are illuminated. The Terreaux quarter
contains several monuments such as: Opéra de Lyon, Palais
Saint-Pierre (which houses Lyon’s Musée des Beaux
– Arts) and nears the famous Rue Sainte Catherine known
for its many pubs.
The Museum of Fabrics, linked to the silk industry, retraces the
history of weaving and the use of textiles for the decorative
purposes. The museum devotes several of its rooms to the history
of Lyon silk since the Renaissance and displays Persian carpets,
silks from Spain and all kinds of other embroidery and lace.
The city of Lyon offers a world of fantasy through its optical
illusion paintings called trompe l’oeil. There are a total
of 150 painted walls and frescos. Check out the famous Tony Garnier
Urban Museum depicting the people of Lyon.
The Croix-Rousse an old quarter dating from the early 19th century
offers beautiful panoramas of Lyon. The hill’s houses are
know for their high-ceilings which accommodated the very tall
modern Jacquard looms. The Jacquard weaving style was created
by a Lyon man named Joseph-Marie Jacquard at the very start of
that century. The slopes and plateau of the Croix-Rousse hosted
the silk-weavers (Canuts) and was the stage for an episode of
the history of socialism, the revolt of Lyon silkworkers.
Dozen of convents on the Croix–Rousse Hill were reconverted
into workshops for the Canuts and as the workers defended a decent
price for their production they broke out in two revolts in 1831
and 1834, they were the first revolts of the “working classes”
and were studied by Karl Marx and other nineteenth-century luminaries.
In the 1850s, 90,000 people lived on the silk industry after Napoléon
III had made silk a must in the Courts of Europe.
The traboules (ancient passages) guide you through the interior
of the houses which served in the past as covered ways for carrying
silk safely through the city. They take you to the old quarters
of Lyon, Croix-Rousse and Mercière –St.Antoine.
The Film Museum of The Villa Lumière can be reached by
métro Mon plaisir/Lumière in the 8th arrondissement.
The museum provides the opportunity to learn about the inventions
of Auguste and Louis Lumière and the world’s first
cinema film projection. Villa Lumière was built in 1901
by Antoine Lumière, (father of Auguste & Louis) and
is where the Lumière Institute has made its home, offering
a wide range of films shown in its own cinema hall.
With its 105 hectares Tête d’Or Park welcomes you
as a peaceful and residential area of the city. The park houses
a botanical garden with 760 varieties of plants and many greenhouses,
a jardin zoologique (zoo) with 800 animals, rose garden, lake,
bicycle arena, roller skating zone and long lawns on which you
can admire 8,258 trees, some of which are bicentennials.
Map of downtown Lyon:
Visitor Information
The Visitor Center of Lyon is a great source for
information on the city. It is located in the center of town on
the Place Bellecour, 2ème arrondissement: 04-72-77-69-09.
They have maps and guides with museum listings. The Center organizes
excellent city tours in French and English during the summer that
explore everything from the traboules of Vieux Lyon to a great
mosque. The Lyon City card allows unlimited public transportation
and admissions to the 14 biggest museums: Fine Arts and Museum
of Decorative Arts, Museum of Fabrics and Museum of Decorative
Art, The Lyon History Museum and International Puppet Museum,
guided tours, valid for 1, 2 or 3 days and boat tours for 15€
one day and 25€ for two days. The Office is open May-Oct.
M-Sat. 9 am- 7 pm Sunday 10 am- 7 pm.
Food
Lyon is famous for its Bouchons. The term bouchon
dates back to The Middle Ages, restaurants with Bouchon in their
name were built only in the nineteenth century. Bouchons are traditionally
workers’ restaurants, originating from the silk workers--named
canuts--of the Croix-Rousse district. Bouchons do not have the
reputation of being fancy restaurants though they offer a wide
variety of copious meals, among which: the famous pâté
aux foies de volailles, quenelle de brochet, sauce nantua, cervelle
de canut. Petit detail, Bouchons offer a convivial atmosphere,
customers sit elbow to elbow with a glass pot, the quintessential
Lyon container filled with local wine. Gratuities should be left
at restaurants and cafés (unless included in the bill).
Most people tip a Euro or so with especially good services being
rewarded with a 5-10% gratuity.
Glossary for the bouchons:
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