Touring the city of Lyon can easily keep even the most enthusiastic sightseer busy for a long weekend. Any sightseeing trip should begin with Fourvière Hill, now at the heart of Lyon’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. Access to the summit is on a funicular railway, known as la ficelle (the string), from the station in avenue Adolphe Max. This leads to the foot of the Basilica of Fourvière. Coming down from Fourvière Hill, the heritage area extends to include Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), Croix-Rousse and the Presqu’île area.
Old Lyon is the largest Renaissance quarter in France. It is also notable for the St-Jean Cathedral and the famous traboules– the covered walkways linking entire blocks of houses. The area of Croix-Rousse is the quarter where the canuts (or silk-weavers) worked. At the centre of place de la Croix-Rousse is a memorial to Joseph-Marie Jacquard, who developed a new type of silk loom at the beginning of the 19th century, which cemented Lyon’s place as a centre for the silk trade. |