The many faces of Lyon: from the old town to Street Art

Lyon, France, is one of the most sparkling European cities; it is characterized by very suggestive ancient and modern fountains, very colorful buildings, trendy restaurants, and a riverside promenade that will give you unforgettable moments during your walks. Its historic center has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We have thought to create a guide that can help you best organize your holiday in Lyon: what to see, what to visit.

What to see in Lyon: what to visit

Lyon, a lively city in the south of France, will surprise you with the variety it offers visitors, from the history of its silk factories, to the beauty of its Renaissance buildings, the charm of the ancient traboules, and its gastronomic specialties. If you only have a few days, we recommend following this small itinerary.

Visiting Lyon will prove to be very pleasant for you, thanks to the wonders this city will offer. Here are the main places of interest in Lyon.

1 Historic center of Vieux Lyon

The Historic center of Vieux Lyon is also called Old Lyon, and it is one of the largest Renaissance historic centers in Europe. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is where the nightlife of Lyon takes place.

2 La Croix–Rousse

La Croix–Rousse is a neighborhood famous for its ancient silk production; it is a very characteristic area where you can visit a unique open-air food market, near the river of Lyon.

3 Place Bellecour

Place Bellecour must definitely be included in the list “What to see in Lyon”. It is one of the largest squares in Europe and is the center of the city of Lyon.

4 City Hall

City Hall is the town hall of Lyon and is wonderful to admire, given its grandeur.

5 Cathedral of Saint Jean

The Cathedral of Saint Jean is in Gothic-Romanesque style, very old. Don’t forget to include it in the list “Lyon, things to see”.

Tourism in Lyon is very active thanks also to the various museums in the city, able to satisfy everyone’s tastes.

6 Museums of Lyon

• Musées des Beaux – Arts: museum of fine arts;
• Centre of the Resistance and Deportation: historical museum;
• Lumière Museum: museum about the history of cinema;
• Gadagne Museum: museum about the history of Lyon;
• Musée des Tissus: textile museum;
• Contemporary Art Museum.

The inhabitants of Lyon, the Lyonnais, are hospitable and helpful to tourists, and will always be ready to give you directions for more places to visit and on what to do in Lyon.

7 Lyon, short itinerary

Start with a minibus tour exploring the origins of Lyon and its monuments, following a well-planned route that will take you from Fourvière to Place Bellecour passing through the Croix-Rousse. The tour lasts just over an hour but will offer you a surprising historical overview of the city. In Lyon, art is also at home: it is rich with exhibitions, festivals, concerts, and retrospectives for all tastes.

8 Lyon, Festival of Lights

The beautiful and elegant Lyon in December, for four days, dresses up with lights and colors for the historic Festival of Lights. A springboard for emerging artists but also a stage for internationally renowned artists, who with their installations illuminate and enhance the main monuments of the city center, the city parks and the Quays of the Rhône. A trip to Lyon during this period is a multisensory experience that will delight the eyes, ears, and heart, giving you unforgettable emotions. The Festival of Lights is absolutely included in the list ” Lyon: things to do“. It is a very important celebration for the inhabitants of Lyon, held in the days around the Immaculate Conception and is a triumph of lights and colors. Truly recommended.

9 Lyon, street art

Street Art is an artistic phenomenon born in the United States during the 1960s, which over the years has undergone dozens of transformations and influences capable of generating different currents: from graffiti, to tags to murals. The brushstrokes of spray initially seen as mere scribbles, or the diversity of tools used, have managed to give, even in their simplicity, a burst of colors capable of changing the face of dozens of cities. The veil of ambiguity that has covered the Street Art phenomenon for years – often judged as vandalism with the sole purpose of political and social protest – seems finally to be falling, revealing the direct and incisive messages that street artists like Erase & Arsek, Jace, Ant Pandakroo, Monsta, Nelio, Nikodem and many others have boldly proposed, imbuing it with an identity that seems to be reborn under the spotlight of museums and galleries worldwide and tells the close connection that binds the street artist to the canvas, understood as the entire city with its architecture and history.

Quick info: Lyon, how to get there, what to eat and many other curiosities

10 How to get to Lyon

Once you have reached the Lyon airport, called Lyon Airport Saint – Exupéry, you can reach the city center, about 25 km away, by using the continuous train service, or by taking a bus or a taxi. However, the fastest and most convenient way is undoubtedly the train.

If you are thinking of traveling to a second city after your visit to Lyon, we want to recommend two particular trips:

• Lyon – Turin: they are only about 300 km apart and are well served by the railway line;
• Lyon – Paris: they are about 450 km apart but, thanks to the high-speed train, you will arrive in less than 2 hours.

11 How to get around Lyon

The most practical way to get around Lyon is the metro; however, do not underestimate the possibility of moving on foot, so you can stroll along the rivers of Lyon and fully enjoy the poetry of the French city.

12 What to eat in Lyon

The places where to eat in Lyon are really numerous, given the importance placed on gastronomy. We recommend trying as many typical dishes as possible, including: Salade Lyonnaise, a typical salad with poached egg, onions, and chicken liver, Rosette de Lyon a typical Lyon sausage, and Tablier de sapeur, Lyon-style tripe. To end your stay in style, visit one of the many Lyon bouchons to taste one of the many French specialties accompanied by a good glass of Beaujolais.

13 Where to sleep in Lyon

For choosing your hotel in Lyon, we suggest the historic center area, so you can breathe the true romantic atmosphere that this town knows how to offer.