Things to see and do Rhône-Alpes

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.

" A company, a family, a club "summarizes the history of the stadium, its construction related to Geoffroy Guichard's personalities, founder of the Casino Company in 1898, Pierre Guichard, his son. The Geoffroy Guichard Stadium project is that of an ambitious company that firmly believes that professional football can be a communication tool for a brand or city. The future will prove to him right. So for those who want to know even more and visit the galleries, the dressings and walk on the lawn of this mythical stadium, guided tours organized by the Green Museum propose to discover this magical place in all its corners.

The House of Grenadière is located in the heart of the village and opposite the church, perched on a granite spur, at 860 m above sea level, 1 km from the A 89/A 72 exit. The museum has three levels. The first allows to see the work of the embroiderers through a film retraçant their history, film composed of testimonies of embroiderers referring to their feelings in relation to the trade as well as of bosses who explain the economic organisation of the trade. The second level is devoted to the work of the embroiderers as well as all the ancient and contemporary creations of the embroidery into the gold wire. And the third floor offers a personal initiation. The technique is revealed during the meeting with the embroiderer for a demonstration and a detailed explanation. To complete the discovery of gold embroidery, small and large make their personal initiation and produce a small embroidery. Don't leave without a tour at the shop.

A breathtaking medieval monument of civil architecture! Built around 1295, on the orders of John I, Earl of Forez, probably on the occasion of his marriage to Alix de Viennois, the heraldic hall of La Diana was intended to host celebrations and assemblies. Its ogival wooden vault decorated with 1728 coats of arms, certainly by families invited to the wedding, is exceptional. A fantastic animal décor at the base of the vaults completes this extraordinary ceiling. A monumental fireplace contributes to the sumptuous decor. The overall design and profusion of colours of this Gothic ceiling impresses and one thinks of the splendour of past ceremonies.

Here, the Cère makes a break in the landscape. The river then seems to slip away in the rock. For thousands of years, the water has been tirelessly digging its way through the narrow gorges, "le pas". The site is exotic! It has inspired all the local or visiting painters since the 18th century. Moreover, the place shelters a fauna and a flora having known to adapt to the verticality and the weak luminosity. On the way, you can admire the Roucole waterfall or otters fishing.

The Atelier-Musée du Chapeau houses a permanent exhibition, a temporary exhibition space (one exhibition per year), a production workshop, a hat fashion training centre, a resource and documentation centre, reserves, an event space, five designer workshops, a shop and a restaurant. The new museography presents all the stages of the production chain of the luxury felt hat from rabbit hair. Machines in operation, hat making, video testimonies of the workers of the time, reconstituted workshop. The museum's collections cover chronologically and thematically the female and male headgear from the 18th century to the present day. Ecclesiastical hats with the hairstyles of great chefs (Bocuse, Troisgros...), not to mention the authentic headgear worn by famous women and men such as Grace Kelly or François Mitterrand, rub shoulders with the rooms of the houses Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Dior, Saint Laurent Paris, Hermès, Jean-Paul Gaultier, as well as a unique series of hats from the 1970s to the present day from Pierre Cardin, Jacques Pinturier, Marie Mercié, Stephen Jones... A unique place!