Streets squares and districts to visit France

Vieux Lyon" does not refer to the oldest district of the city. Lugdunum began its history on the heights of Fourvière rather than on the banks of the Saône. Vieux Lyon refers to the Renaissance district of the city, saved from a promised destruction by becoming the first safeguarded sector of France by André Malraux in 1964, classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The Old Lyon is quite clearly delimited by the Fourvière hill which overhangs it, the Saône river which runs alongside it, the montée de Choulans to the south and the rue Saint-Paul to the north. The quays offer a pleasant walk with many festive bars which animate the district at night.

Saint-Georges. From Bellecour, take the Saint-Georges footbridge to reach the church. In the 14th century, the Order of Malta settled in the Commanderie de Saint-Georges and the church, whose name pays tribute to the martyr George of Lydda, became a sanctuary. The original church threatened to collapse in the 19th century and was demolished in 1844 to be replaced by one of the first works of Pierre Marie Bossan, the future architect of the Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière basilica. Renovated about fifteen years ago, it fits perfectly into the ensemble of Old Lyon. In less renovated streets, you should discover the Place de la Trinité, a crossroads of typical streets of the district, including the famous montée du Gourguillon towards Fourvière. This place owes its fame to the Maison du Soleil, traditionally used as a set for the Guignol puppets. Moreover, the House of Guignol is on the other side of the square and a street called Mourguet perpetuates the memory of the creator of the famous puppet. The street Tramassac makes the link with the district of Saint-Jean.

Saint-Jean. Saint-Jean really starts when you arrive in front of the impressive primatial. Also look behind you to contemplate Fourvière from below. By continuing in the most touristic district of Lyon, the curiosities follow one another: the traboules, the superb Renaissance residences: House of the Lawyers, House of the Chamarier, Gadagne Museum... You will be amazed, especially if you push a few doors! And yet, for a long time, this district was the worst in Lyon and was almost destroyed in the 1960s by Mayor Louis Pradel before being protected by the Malraux law and renovated to welcome tourists from all over the world who stop to eat on the terraces (a tip: discover the best addresses in Vieux Lyon in your Petit Futé or you'll be disappointed...). With its cobbled streets closed to traffic, its admirable Renaissance houses, its Italian airs and its remarkable buildings - including the unavoidable Primatiale des Gaules, the Palais de Justice, the Tour Rose, Gadagne, the Temple du Change, the Maison Thomassin... -saint-Jean offers a jump in time. For the Saint-Jean-Baptiste cathedral, which alone deserves a column in our guide, see the article devoted to it in this Petit Futé. The visit of the district is essentially done by the two axes that are the rue Saint-Jean and the rue du Boeuf which owes its name to a statue of an ox, in fact a bull, installed in a niche at the corner of the place Neuve. Among the remarkable sites: the Cour des Loges - a magnificent architectural ensemble of 4 Renaissance buildings which today houses a luxurious hotel and a starred restaurant -, the Maison du Crible which houses the famous "pink tower", one of the emblems of Old Lyon. By the way, did you know that the rue du Boeuf was the street with the most starred restaurants in France (three in total) and an astonishing Food Traboule which alone is worth a gourmet visit? The Place Neuve Saint-Jean, invaded by terraces of restaurants of another kind, allows to make the link with the Saint-Jean street. After the place du Petit Collège, we go through the rue Gadagne (Museum of History of Lyon and Museum of Marionette Arts) towards the rue du Loge. After a stop on the Place du Change where you can admire one of the oldest houses in Lyon, the Maison Thomassin, visitors head back south along Rue Saint-Jean where traboules and admirable residences follow one another: Maison Laurencin, Maison du Chamarier, Maison de Jean Gay and Maison des Avocats whose elegant Italian Renaissance-style arcades can be seen from Rue de la Bombarde. On your way back to the cathedral, push the door of n° 54 to go through the longest and most beautiful traboule of Vieux Lyon which allows you to cross 4 houses to reach the rue du Boeuf at n° 27.

Saint-Paul. Like the other districts of Vieux Lyon, Saint-Paul is organized around its church, one of the oldest in Lyon, since the 12th century, but also, and this is more original, around its train station. In the Middle Ages, the neighborhood became a refuge for Jewish families expelled in the 14th century. Rue Juiverie still recalls this period of history and is one of the best preserved, most authentic streets in Old Lyon. Rich bankers and consular families of the city settled in rich residences with the famous House of the Heads of Lions formerly inhabited by the Medicis and at n° 8 the splendid gallery realized by Philibert Delorme, a whole giving airs of opulence to this district formerly well served by the port Saint-Paul and today by a station TER.

In the heart of Strasbourg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Petite France is the most picturesque district of the old town. It is a condensed version of Alsace with its half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, with its canals and narrow streets. It is one of the oldest districts of Strasbourg, built along the river Ill, which is omnipresent, and which is sometimes compared to a small Venice. Where the district takes shape, the river forms an astonishing delta composed of five arms. Seen from the sky, they look strangely like the fingers of a hand trying to grasp the whole city. Both peaceful and impetuous, the Ill river irrigates the district with all its charm. Let yourself go for a walk on its quays, and admire the reflections of the coloured facades of the old houses.

Fishermen, millers and tanners used to live and work in this district: the names of the streets bear witness to this, while the houses have kept the sloping roofs with their staircases which housed the granaries where the skins were dried. Stop in front of the beautiful Tanneurs building dating from 1572, which was transformed into a restaurant in 1949. Petite France owes its name to the "French disease", in other words "smallpox" or "syphilis" that the soldiers of François I came to treat in the local hospital in the 16th century.

Continue your visit to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: from its panoramic terrace, you will have an exceptional view of the covered bridges and three high, austere and massive watchtowers, vestiges of the medieval wall, and the Vauban dam built in 1690. The latter reinforces the defensive curtain of the city, which was completely surrounded at the time. It has thirteen arches. For the record, the dam, with all valves closed, prevented the Ill from following its course, thus flooding all the land south of Strasbourg. Enemy armies would get bogged down in it.

At the end of the rue du Bain-aux-Plantes, you will discover the Pont du Faisan, also known locally as the "Pont Tournant". Small and discreet, this pedestrian bridge dictates its will to all passers-by. You may have to wait to cross it, as it will have swung around to allow a boat to cross. A unique attraction. The Saint-Martin bridge, a stone bridge with two arches and a single pier, is nearby. From there, don't miss the view of the mills, dams and locks, but also of a picturesque little terrace on the water.