Overview
Lyon was a Roman capital of Gaul and later a silk-weaving powerhouse, and both pasts survive in its fabric: Roman theatres on Fourviere hill, and the tall silk-workers’ houses of the Croix-Rousse. Between its two rivers the Renaissance quarter of Vieux Lyon is one of Europe’s largest, laced with covered passages called traboules. The city takes food seriously, from market halls to the small bistros known as bouchons.
Highlights
Vieux Lyon and its traboules climb to the Fourviere basilica and the Roman ruins, with a funicular for the steep last stretch. The bouchons of the old town serve the rich local kitchen, and Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse gathers the region’s produce under one roof. The Presqu’ile between the rivers holds the grand squares, shopping and the confluence museum at the city’s southern tip.