Lyons Attractions

Esplanade de Fourvière provides one of the best panoramic views of the city of Lyon. Located on the left side of the Basilica of Fourvière, views include the Croix-Rousse and the Terreaux district, Saint Jean lower down the hill and the place Bellecour to your right.

The Biennale d'Art Contemporain brings together international artists who gather to display under one chosen theme. The modern art exhibits include conceptual art, photography, sculpture, painting, and video to name a few.

In Lyons, on the south side of the Place des Terreaux is the Palais St-Pierre, a former Benedictine convent (1659-1685) which now houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts, with a rich collection of pictures, sculpture and decorative art; the modern period is particularly well represented.

Theâtre de Guignol was recently taken over by the Zonzon Theatre Company, who has maintained as much of the original spirit of the theatre as they could. The Zonzons present numerous family plays with marionettes featuring new sets, a new musical production and some new themes.

This two-week festival takes place in late September on odd-numbered years. It includes over 20 afternoon and evening events ranging from large-scale operas and classical concerts to smaller solo performances. The concerts take place in a number of venues including the Maurice Rave Auditorium.

Great variations abound in the ironwork of the staircase, columns and supporting ribs.

There is a beautiful view of canyons on this scenic rail trip.

Lyon's two principal streets radiate from Place Bellecour, Rue de la République to the east and Rue du Président-Herriot to the west. To the east of Rue de la République, extending to the banks of the Rhône, is the Hôtel-Dieu, a hospital built in the 17th and 18th centuries. The main front looking on to the river, was begun in 1741 by Soufflot (architect of the Panthéon in Paris) but completed only in 1842. It now houses, among other things, the Musée des Hospices Civils (faience, furniture, etc.; medicine in Lyons).

Maison Thomassin is a well-preserved 14th Century mansion that was built by the Thomassins, a family who gained wealth as cloth craftsmen. Located on the "Place du Change", the mansion has been restored with a facade featuring delicate sculptures and arches on the second floor.

In Lyons, east of Place Ampère, in a mansion built in 1739, is the Museum of Decorative Art (furniture, tapestries, coins, etc.). Adjoining, to the south, is the Musée Historique des Tissus (Museum of Woven Fabrics), with displays illustrating the development of weaving techniques and a very fine collection of Oriental (particularly Persian) carpets.

This two-week festival takes place in late September on odd-numbered years. It includes over twenty events ranging from large-scale operas and classical concerts to smaller solo performances. The concerts take place in a number of venues including the Maurice Rave Auditorium.

The Societe Lyonnaise de Transport en Commun, the Lyons Metro was opened in 1978 and is made up of four lines with 25.5km of track, 20.6km of which are underground. It includes 2.3km of rack railway. There are 37 stations. The system has a flat fare structure.

The Lyons Metro serves about 200 million people yearly. During peak hours trains run every 2.5-4 minutes.

The stations are modern and trains run without drivers.

In Lyons, in Rue de la République, on the right, is the Renaissance-style Palais de la Bourse et du Commerce (by René Dardel, 1855-1860). To the south is the former Franciscan church of St- Bonaventure (14th- 15th C.). Rue du Président-Herriot leads to Place des Jacobins, with a monumental fountain. Rue Mercière, which leaves its northwest corner, is flanked by numerous houses of the Gothic and Renaissance periods.

In Lyons, to the west of Place Ampère, on the site of a Roman temple, is the church of St-Martin-d'Ainay, which originally belonged to a Benedictine abbey founded in the sixth C. The present church, built in the 11th C., is the city's oldest. It contains four antique columns, a 12th C. mosaic pavement in the choir and paintings on a gold ground by the Lyons artist Hippolyte Flandrin (1809-1864) in the apses.

On the Rue du Président-Herriot in Lyons, on the left, is the church of St-Nizier, once the city's cathedral, which was rebuilt in Gothic style in the 15th C. and has a handsome Renaissance doorway (16th C.) and a beautiful interior. Under the choir is a sixth C. crypt decorated with modern mosaics.

There are beautiful views of the mountains on this scenic rail trip.

The magnificent Saint-John cathedral in Lyon is home to treasures of sacred objet d'art and stained-glass windows.

Lyon Symphony Nights are a delight to classical music enthusiasts.