Things to see and do Lyon 5th 69005

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.

Everyone knows its name. Famous for its basilica, but also for its Roman theatres. From its 300 m high, it dominates the Saône-Rhone confluence. A strategic location which therefore explains that, on the orders of the Roman senate, Munatius Plancus established a colony there. Palaces and various buildings were built around the forum, Lugdunum was born; the emperors often stay there and christianity settled there.

The fall of the Roman Empire has caused change in spaces's occupation, the inhabitants have settled in the valley, along the Saône and the slopes cover vineyard and farmings. A basilica was built on the hill of Saint-Just and religious congregations settle. Fourvière became "the hill where people pray". To reach the hill, there are several possibilities: to climb in the "thread" (the funicular) to the metro station "Old Lyon" or to visit the various montées: the montée des Epies in the southern part, leaving the church Saint-Georges, joins the montée Gourguillon which was the only entrance in Lyon in the east and ends in the Saint-Just district; the montée Chemin-Neuf, that of Chazeaux, that of Change. You can also rush into the montée Saint-Barthélemy which is one of the oldest roads linking the city to the hill; the bravest will prefer to climb the 244 steps of the montée Garillan.

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.

Primatial of the Gauls, home of the Church of France, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste-Saint-Etienne cathedral is located on the banks of the Saône, facing the Fourvière hill, in the district to which it gave its name: Saint-Jean. The first Christians, gathered in the ^2nd century around Saint Pothin and Saint Irenaeus, had built a church in the same area as early as the^5th century. At the end of the ^11th century, the construction of the Manécanterie, one of the oldest buildings in Lyon, began. The construction of the cathedral is done in stages between 1165 and 1481. In the meantime, the cathedral hosted two councils (1245 and 1274) and the coronation of Pope John XXII (1316). With its Romanesque choir and Gothic naves, the cathedral shows how Lyon is at the crossroads, at the center of all influences. If the interior is remarkable, so is the facade, decorated with a series of 300 medallions inspired by the Old and New Testaments or the medieval bestiary. In 1379, an astronomical clock was installed in the cathedral, one of the oldest in Europe. At the beginning of the ^16th century, the Bourbon chapel was built in the flamboyant gothic style. On December 13, 1600, the cathedral received the marriage of Henri IV and Marie de Médicis. The facade was renovated in 1982 and 2011, while major restoration work of the choir was implemented to restore all its brilliance to this jewel of Lyon.

Because very few Lyon inhabitants know the true story of this tower, a must-visit in the landscape, Futé is proud to present it like a curiosity in this guide. This Lyon Eiffel Tower, making passing Parisians laugh, was opened to public on 3rd May, 1894. Its construction was decided by a group of craftsmen supported by the city, opposite to Fourvière, to... put the Basilica in a republican shade! Indeed, since its construction, Fourvière is not the highest point in Lyon anymore and it is this republican tower that dominates the city at an altitude of 372 m. Formerly, it hosted a restaurant and a belfry from where people could enjoy the view. The tower is sold in 1953 to the ORTF, in order to not demolish it. Since then inaccessible to the public, it supports now transmitters and continue on scoffing at Fourvière.

The parish also offers celebrations, sacraments, youth activities and prayer groups. The Saint-Irénée Saint-Just parish is a lively place of prayer on Lyon's hillside. You can also visit other places of worship nearby, such as the Saint-Irénée sanctuary, the Saint-Just church, the Byzantine church, Notre-Dame de Fourvière and the Lyon St Irénée provincial seminary.

The museum features a permanent exhibition on the history of the Franco-Chinese Institute, the first and only Chinese university created outside China. It also presents temporary exhibitions of contemporary Chinese and French art. The Nouvel Institut Franco-Chinois has become a major player in relations between France and China, promoting economic, academic, cultural and tourist exchanges. In addition to its museum, it organizes events throughout the year in connection with Lyon's culture.