Lyon
France'S Gastronomic Capital At The Meeting Of The RhôNe And SaôNe; Its Historic Site Is A UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 1998 · Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
Lyon is France's third city and, by the reckoning of most French people, its food capital. It sits where the Saône meets the Rhône, and its old core, inscribed by UNESCO in 1998, runs from the Roman hill of Fourvière down to the Renaissance lanes of Vieux Lyon and across the Saône onto the Presqu'île, the narrow peninsula between the two rivers. Vieux Lyon is one of the largest Renaissance quarters in Europe, and its traboules, covered passages that cut through private buildings and courtyards, are a quiet curiosity you walk through on tiptoe. A funicular climbs to the white basilica of Fourvière and the two Roman theatres beside it. The city eats in bouchons, small rich-food restaurants serving sausages, quenelles and offal, and shops at the covered market Les Halles Paul Bocuse. The silk-weavers' hill of Croix-Rousse, the Musée des Confluences and the December Fête des Lumières round it out. It is a working city rather than a museum: busy, relaxed, and far less crowded than Paris.
Vieux Lyon, Fourvière and the Presqu'île, Lyon, Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France
Lyon's streets, riverbanks, squares and most traboules are free to walk, but the traboules pass through private residential buildings and are generally open only in daytime; some doors are locked, some open with a push button, and residents can close them at any time, so treat any open passage as a courtesy rather than a right. The Fourvière funiculars run from early morning to late evening every day, and the basilica is open daily with shorter hours for the crypt and rooftop tours, which are seasonal and need confirming. The Roman theatres are open daily and the Lugdunum museum beside them usually closes on Mondays. Most Lyon museums close one day a week, commonly Monday or Tuesday, so check before building a day around them. Les Halles Paul Bocuse is open most days but is closed or very quiet on Monday, and busiest on weekend mornings. Many bouchons close on Sundays and some on Mondays, and several shut for part of August when locals leave town, so book ahead and confirm. The Fête des Lumières runs over several evenings around 8 December, with road closures, packed trams and fully booked hotels; plan months ahead.