Lyon is like the second or third biggest city after Paris and the gourmet capital of France. So…read morethat alone is worth visiting. Old town Lyon which is on the Saone River side - is oh-so-quaint and charming and a draw for Lyonnais and tourists alike. Plenty of interesting shops and tons of bistros, bars, and cafes. Terrific for people-watching! Just simply enchanting to stroll these cobblestoned streets and admire the architecture and ambience.

From the owner: L'ancienne cité romaine Quartier historique et touristique par excellence, le Vieux Lyon désigne…read morel'ensemble urbain situé entre la Saône et le bas de la colline de Fourvière. Jusqu'au 16ème siècle, le Vieux Lyon fut le centre religieux, politique et économique de la ville. A partir de cette époque et grâce à la venue de riches immigrés, le Vieux Lyon se transforma en un magnifique ensemble architectural de style Renaissance. Aujourd'hui réhabilité, ce quartier principalement piéton et pavé, regorge de traboules - passages aux couleurs ocre entre deux immeubles - de boutiques, de restaurants et de magnifiques hôtels comme celui de La Tour Rose ou de La Cour des Loges. Il abrite également le Musée Gadagne, la primatiale Saint Jean et la Place du Change. Ce quartier florentin aux couleurs chaudes rejoint les plus beaux ensembles architecturaux du monde tels que ceux de Venise, Prague et du Parthénon. Classé au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco en 1998.

Free to enter, but modern updates have made this Roman monument somewhat disappointing…read more You can take the funicular to take you up the hill. It's still used for modern concerts, which would be a fun thing to do. We saw them setting up for an event which was part of the annual Fête de la Musique.

Wonderfully preserved Roman ruins just downhill from the Basilica de Notre Dame de Fourvière. It's…read morea great place to stop off and rest after visiting the basilica! So very peaceful there and I got a kick from resting my tired old butt on the same seats as some Roman citizens did 2000 years ago. I gotta say, those Roman architects knew how to build and design seating that was surprisingly comfortable, bare stone and cement that they are! If Vieux Lyon is old then these ruins - formerly known as Lugdunum - was ancient Lyon. It really is quite awesome thinking about the layered history of this city. The open air theaters' are still used today; there is a museum too but unfortunately wasn't open on the day we visited. I would have loved to learn more about Lugdunum and its evolution into modern-day Lyon.

One of the best things to see in Lyon. These are narrow passage ways between buildings built in the…read moreMiddle Ages and used to transport goods from the river to the buildings along the shores. There are many of these clearly marked with plaques but many that are just behind doors with no signs. Some amazing architecture can be seen comprising of gothic, renaissance and also some classic Italian designs. These old passageways have had a fair bit of Italian influence and many of the buildings along these passageways look like buildings from Venice. We explored a number of these during our walking tour and I loved it :-) would come back here in a heartbeat and explore some more. A photographers paradise :-)

One of our favorite parts of Lyon was the traboules or "secret passageways" in Vieux Lyon. We were…read moreonly in Lyon for a couple of days and no guided tours were available in English so we opted for a walking audio tour which included Vieux Lyon and Croix-Rousse area. We only did the Vieux Lyon walking tour but if we had more time, would def have done Croix-Rousse as well. Traboules are secret passageways that lead you from one street to another....in the old days, this allowed tradesmen to move textiles. Our walking tour took us through a few traboules and it was kind of fun trying to find the entrance to the traboules. From what we gathered, the traboules are in private buildings but since they are tourist attractions, many of the traboules are still open and tourists are allowed to walk through them. Some of the traboules lead past courtyards and allow you to see old Lyon buildings from a completely different perspective. Super awesome. This is the walking tour we took. We had to carry around big audiosets which was pretty cheesy but walking through the traboules made it all worth it. http://www.en.lyon-france.com/Guided-Tours-Excursions/The-100-essentials/Old-Lyon-Renaissance-district-and-its-Traboules

From the owner: Un hôpital et un monument L'Hôtel Dieu constitua pendant longtemps un modèle pour les hôpitaux…read morefrançais et européens. La qualité des soins que l'on y dispensait et de son administration a valu à Lyon le titre de "ville de la Charité". Si ses origines remontent au XIIe siècle, il prend sa véritable dimension au XVIIe puis son réaménagement est confié en 1779 au grand architecte de Lyon J.G. Soufflot à qui l'on doit le Panthéon à Paris. Son dôme et son immense façade de 375 m très bien éclairés en bordure du Rhône sont devenus l'un des repères du paysage lyonnais.

I found using Place Bellecour as a way to shorten walking time to be the best use of this square…read more I'm sure it gets used for events and the like but there isn't really much to see or do in this square. The tourism office is located here, if you're into that sort of thing. There is also a big statue in the middle of the square, which had some nonsensical graffiti on it. The square itself is just packed red dirt with a lot of loose debris so be careful if you're wearing sandals or slippers. There are a lot of shopping and food places nearby. There is also a great view of the Fourviere, especially at night.

Expansive courtyard in the heart of old Lyon, this is the place to meet and greet, sight-see, and…read moremost importantly, where to decide to have lunch! On this early May day, the weather was most cordial, sunny, and mild - despite the "yellow jacket" demonstration and heavily armed police presence - and lots of people about enjoying the holiday. Evening in La Place Bellecour is tranquil and magical as well - so photogenic! A must-see in Lyon especially as a post-prandial stroll after a great meal.