Lyon Travel Guide

Sadly, as most tourist pass through Lyon, on their way from/to Paris, this beautiful town does not get the credit it deserves... But maybe that is also part of its authenticity as it is not as crammed with tourists...
The old town, the roman ruins, the huge Basilica perched atop the hill, the lively center, the intriguing "traboules" (tunnels through the blocks linking the old streets through superb medieval courtyards) are enough to spend a couple of days in the town.
What's more, some districts like The slopes are full of nooks and crannies where you can discover some alternative places which are a lot of fun to hang out at (boardgame cafes, chicha places...) and to be remembered : Lyon is the capital of gastronomy. In my eyes, one of 5 stops that must not be missed in France...
Paris is beautiful but it is not France, more like a tourist living museum.
Lyon is much more representative of France.

Go to the old city up on the hill, visit the old cathedral, admire the buildings that still have wooden hooks under the rafters that were used in silkmaking back in the day, walk the cobblestones and admire the view of the city and river.

These are the main sights of Lyon.

• Place Bellecour
• Tour métallique de Fourvière (1894)
• La Mouche Cattle Market and Abbatoir (1914, 1928), designed by Tony Garnier.
• Sainte Marie de La Tourette monastery (1960) designed by Le Corbusier
• Saint-Exupéry International Airport (formerly Satolas Airport, 1975), designed by Guillaume Gilbert.
• Opéra National de Lyon, renovated in 1993 by Jean Nouvel.
• Lyon Airport Railway Station (1994) by Santiago Calatrava.
• Cité Internationale (1998), designed by Renzo Piano.
• Cathédrale Saint-Jean
• Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.
• Basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay.
• The church of Ainay, dating from the tenth and eleventh centuries, is of the Byzantine style.
• The doorway of St. Nizier's (fifteenth century) was carved in the sixteenth century by Philibert Delorme.
• The Roman ruins on the hillside near the Fourviere Basilica, and the accompanying Gallo-Roman Museum. Lyon was formerly Lugdunum.
• The Medieval Quarter of town, with cobbled streets, shops, and dining.