Streets squares and districts to visit 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.

It was in the 17th century that a Place de la Liberté was created on a strategic site between the Pentes de la Croix-Rousse and the Presqu'île. In the heart of Lyon and power, the Place des Terreaux houses two emblematic places - the town hall and a former convent converted into a fine arts museum - and an equally emblematic monument: the Bartholdi fountain named after its sculptor (the same as for the Statue of Liberty). The square, redesigned by Christian Drevet and Daniel Buren, has been entirely restored but retains a "mineral" appearance.

Pedestrian and cobbled street of the 5th arrondissement, rue Saint-Jean dates from the 3rd century, when Lyon was still called Lugdunum. Today, it is the main axis of the pedestrian traffic in the Old-Lyon, a district listed as UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the most popular streets in the Lyon city. Remarkable houses, mansion houses and museums are legion, at the same number as the tourists who walk its cobblestone streets.

Go and meet art in all its forms! To help you, the Sommet Urbain Clermontois (SUC) association has created a tour that will guide you through the heart of the old town... but not only! The circuit includes nearly 45 places - galleries, artists' studios, antique shops - and dozens of works of street art to find through the alleys of the central plateau. Among them, works by Clermont-Ferrand artists, knitted graffiti or the mosaics of the renowned Space Invader. The leaflet is available at the FRAC and in the partner places.

Nonette, from the top of its volcanic dyke, offers one of the most beautiful panoramas of the region on the hills Dore, Le, Cantal, Livradois, the County, the Cézallier, the Domes Domes. The village, dominated by the Allier, preserved its remains as well as beautiful mansions of the th and th centuries. The church Saint-Nicolas, a Romanesque building enlarged in the Gothic era, has a very beautiful portal, interesting capitals, a th century Nonette marble bust representing Christ. The castle, currently in ruins, was in turn possession of the Comptours of Apchon, the Dukes of Auvergne, the royalty, the Duke of Berry who made one of its favorite residences. He did not survive, like many others, the wave of demolition undertaken by Richelieu. Note that Nonette is a town-stage of the Tour de France Mountain Bike.

From Victory Square, get off by the rue des Chaussetiers, made up of very old houses with the beautiful stone facades of Volvic. The Savaron house, built in 1513 for Hugues Savaron, King's adviser, is occupied by a walk, whose inner courtyard reveals a turret, a gallery connecting the two building bodies, and a cul bearing the arms of the Savaron family. At the end of the street you can see antique arcades dating back to the th century. Join Rue des Gras, parallel to the Chaussetiers. It takes its name from the stands that formerly made it up, before it was open on a gentle slope. It is a bit of the postcard of the old town, giving on one side on the cathedral façade, and on the other on the dome of Dome. You can reach the pedestrian and pedestrian street of 11 November, which leads to the rear of the opera house, and to the northeast corner of the place de Jaude. The place serves as a theatre for large demonstrations of all kinds. His new face is only a decade and favours pedestrians. In the summer, its 27 fountains refresh this clermontoise bowl, a former volcanic crater. A few meters from the tramway, the statue of Vercingétorix, works by Bartholdi (1902), was symbolically placed in the axis of Puy de Dome and Rue Blatin, which traces right to Chamalieres. That of the older General Desaix is his counterpart on the other side of the square. Apart from its numerous terraces of cafés and restaurants, its three cinemas (four if you count the cinema of the Ambiances Saint-Dominique), Jaude is also the point of access to the shopping centres Jaude and Square Jaude II. Finally, the newly restored opera house adds its beautiful illuminated facade to colourful illuminations that dress up in the evening.

At first glance, Grenoble seems like a new city whose history would have begun with the Olympic Games 50 years ago. And yet.... Grenoble is an ancient city whose history can be told on the cobblestones of its ancient centre. Between the quays of Isère, from rue Lafayette to rue Voltaire, we first discover the nails marking the location of the Roman enclosure of Cularo. From alleys to small squares, Grenoble unveils its mysteries and many buildings with impressive carriage gates. A walk that naturally ends on Place Saint-André in front of the Old Parliament Building.

The name Traboules designates these famous narrow passages which allow you to go down the hill through the courtyards of buildings. In the 19th century, they were the daily crossing point of the canuts, the weavers. At the end of your journey, the silk workshop awaits you at the bottom of the slopes; its visit is fascinating.

Rate: €12 per adult, €7 at reduced rate (children from 8 to 18 years old and students).

Duration: 2h.

Difficulty: easy.

Other practical information: calendar of visits available on the www.visiterlyon.com website. Mandatory reservation. Be there 10 minutes before the departure of the visit.