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Lyon was an important Roman city
and a Gallic settlement before that. It has been a manufacturing
centre for centuries, with the focus on textiles, especially silk.
Its hard-working, underpaid, badly treated silk-workers (locally
known as canuts) gave the city a rebellious, proletarian
reputation. Today, Lyon (and its conurbation) are France's second city,
with a population around 1 million.
The city is strikingly located at the
meeting point of two big rivers, the Saône
and the Rhône,
in eastern France within sight of the Alps and at the gateway to
the South. The two rivers run parallel on either side of the city
centre, which is known as the Presqu'île ("peninsula").
Lyon is a World Heritage City, proudly preserving an awesome
historical legacy, especially from the medieval and Renaissance
periods.
An air of enjoyment,
innovation and art pervades the city. Above all, Lyon is renowned as the
gastronomic capital of France, its location at the heart of
productive pastoral, vineyard and wildlife areas producing a long
tradition of rich, high-quality cooking. The city's 'local' wine
is Beaujolais, from vineyards on its north-western edge, while
good quality
Rhône Valley wines come from just south.
The main
Greater Lyon tourist
office, or Office du Tourisme et des Congrès du Grand Lyon,
is in
place Bellecour (daily 9am-6pm).
Ask about the LyonCityCard,
valid
1, 2 or 3 days, which gives
unlimited access to the city's public transit,
free entrance to over 20 museums and temporary
exhibitions and lots of shopping discounts. The
price of the card may vary according to date, but
in 2012 is generally
€21
(adult) for 1 day,
€31 for 2 days, €41
for 3 days.
www.en.lyon-france.com
Presqu'île
The centre of Lyon lies on a long slender peninsula between the two
rivers, the Presqu'île.
(The Saône
lies to the west, the Rhône
to the east.) This is the busy shopping and entertainment area,
and most of the museums are here.
The
Presqu'île's
large
central square is Place
Bellecour, but Place Terreaux, to its north, is
city centre's most popular focal point.
Pedestrianised Rue de la République,
the main shopping street, links the two squares.
South of Bellecour is Perrache, Lyon's main city centre railway
station.
Right bank
On the
Saône's
right bank,
beautifully preserved Renaissance quarter
Vieux Lyon, rises onto the slope of the
landmark Fourvière
hill.
Croix-Rousse
Where the peninsula broadens and climbs away from the city centre,
it becomes the historic working-class district of
Croix-Rousse, formerly the centre of Lyon's
silk industry.
Left bank
20th-century districts, with museums and entertainment and
a huge
covered market, lie on the Rhone's Left Bank,
including the modern commercial centre of Lyon,
Part-Dieu.
The city has a great
sense of history and continuity, with Roman ruins and
extensive Renaissance and modern quarters. The Celts dedicated
their settlement here to Lug, God of Light, and under the Romans
the town kept the name Lugdunum. In later centuries its
bourgeoisie grew rich on fine silks and embroideries. The canuts,
downtrodden workers who made those luxuries, created the city’s
culture of defiance and rebellion, Revolution and Resistance
and in recent times, left-wing politics.
Above all,
today's Lyon has an earthy and unpretentious enjoyment of the
good things in life - especially good food.
An efficient, inexpensive public transport system provides a
comprehensive network of train, tram and bus services. Lyon City Card
(see above) gives free access to the whole
system, including the
Fourvière
funiculars.
Lyon’s 'Velo'V' scheme allows you to use a payment card to pick up a bike at
any of dozens of racks around the city centre and leave it at
any other. Maps showing the racks are available at the 'Velo'V'
payment points. Prices are very low, and the first 30 minutes
are free - that's enough to get almost anywhere in central
Lyon.
Lyon public transport website:
www.tcl.fr
At mealtimes, Lyon comes into
its own.
The city
is known in France as the country's
gastronomic capital, for the quality of its restaurants, its chefs
and its local ingredients.
There's a strong tradition of local dishes and local wines, and
small restaurants - bouchons - with simple
set menus.
House wine is usually from the hills of Beaujolais, just
beyond the city limits, or from two other wine regions
near the city - Burgundy and the upper
Côtes
du Rhône.
There's a huge range of places to stay, especially around
the main train stations Perrache and Part-Dieu. All types of
accommodation can be booked
on the tourist office website:
www.en.lyon-france.com
Air - Lyon is easily accessible, with direct flights to
Lyon (St-Exupéry airport) from several UK and other
international airports.
Train - TGV trains cover the distance from Paris to Lyon
in just 2 hours.
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Vieux
Lyon
Several
bridges, including the the pedestrian Passerelle du Palais de
Justice, cross the
River Saône from the city centre to 'Old Lyon'. The two main
streets of Vieux Lyon - Rue du Boeuf and Rue Saint Jean - run parallel
to the river and cling to the foot of Fourvière hill. Between
them, or leading off, are fascinating narrow, cobbled streets
and small traboules - passageways through private
property. Numerous buildings have impressive facades, and you're
welcome to push open the doors into magnificent medieval and
Renaissance courtyards.
Cathédrale
St Jean
One of the city's most striking buildings is
the impressive cathedral in Vieux-Lyon.
It embraces architectural styles ranging from a 12th-century
Romanesque apse to an elaborate 15th-century Gothic façade
decorated with medallions. The interior has fine stone carving
and beautiful stained glass. Its highlight is the entertaining
and fascinating 14th-century astronomical clock.
Fourvière
This hill, site of the original
Lyon, rises behind Vieux-Lyon. On its summit stands the city's
most prominent landmark, the ornate 19th-century Basilica
Notre-Dame de Fourvière. It can be reached by funicular (leaves
from outside the cathedral), and while the basilica itself
proves less remarkable than expected, it commands an immense
panoramic view over the city.
Musée des Tissus
(Fabrics
Museum)
This prestigious museum housed in an
18th-century mansion
offers a gorgeous visual experience, with one of the world’s greatest
collections of historic tapestries in fine silks. Its neighbour,
the Decorative Arts Museum, displays high-quality antique silver,
majolica and furniture.
www.musee-des-tissus.com
Guignol
Guignol is Lyon's traditional
puppet show, a
self-mocking look at local life and local characters.
Guignol himself - and his best mate Gnaffron and wife Madelon - are
supposedly argumentative, dishonest, truculent and too fond of a drink.
Performed in streets or theatres, for children and adults, it can be
either farcical slapstick or biting satire - or both. Théâtre Le Guignol,
in Vieux-Lyon, is the small, atmospheric main venue for performances.
www.guignol-lyon.com
Musée des Beaux
Arts (Fine
Arts Museum)
A former abbey on the
Presqu'île, is the setting for one of Europe’s major collections
of antiquities, sculpture and 15th-20th century art, notably
Impressionists. Be sure to allow time to enjoy the
lovely courtyard and
cloisters.
www.mba-lyon.fr
Musée Gallo-Romain
(Museum of Roman
Gaul)
Lugdunum, initially based on
Fourvière hill overlooking the site of the modern city,
was a large Gallo-Roman town with ready access to the
Mediterranean via the River Rhône. Impressive and important
archaeological finds made among its extensive ruins are
displayed in this partly underground museum at the site.
www.musees-gallo-romains.com/fourviere/accueil
Stylish fashions and top-quality
local gourmet specialities are Lyon’s shopping
highlights.
The main shopping
streets are focused on
traffic-free Rue de la République.
You can buy direct
from the few surviving silk workshops,
like Atelier de Soierie.
Across the Saône, one of Europe's largest malls is in the
Part-Dieu complex
One of Europe's biggest and best
produce markets is the indoor Halles de Lyon.
Les Nuits de Fourvière / Fourvière Nights
5
June - 31 July 2012
This great extravaganza of performing arts, based at the Roman Amphitheatre on Fourvière
hill, is a summer highlight for the city.
www.nuitsdefourviere.fr
Beaujolais Nouveau Day
15 November 2012
A good excuse for a party and a drink, the release of the new Beaujolais gives a taste of
the very first wines made this year.
Fête des Lumières / Festival of Lights
8-11 December 2012
(tbc)
For the major event of the Lyon year,
almost every window in the city is lit with candles, and a
lantern procession winds through the streets. The city becomes
magical with illuminations, and there are concerts and
other events too.
www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr
- A la Lyonnaise:
Dishes 'in Lyon style' are based on shredded onions cooked in
butter.
- What's on: There's a lot happening every night in central Lyon, from
nightclubs to high culture.
- On the stage:
At the Opéra de Lyon, world-class opera, ballet and
concerts by resident and guest companies are staged in a
state-of-the-art auditorium, one of the most important
in France. The Maison de la Danse, on the East
Bank, is one of Europe's leading modern dance venues.
www.opera-lyon.com
www.maisondeladanse.com
- Where is it?
In eastern France, south of Burgundy,
on the river Rhône.
About 90 minutes' drive
from the Swiss and Italian borders.
- International phone dialling
code:
00 33 (+ drop initial 0 from
local number)
- Time zone:
Central Europe (=GMT/BST + 1 hour)
- Money:
Euro
(€).
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