Highlights and Hidden Gems of Lyon

Hi! My name is Paul, and I’d love to take you on a walk through two of my favorite neighborhoods in Lyon — Croix-Rousse and Vieux Lyon.

We’ll start in Place des Terreaux, surrounded by the majestic Hôtel de Ville and Bartholdi Fountain, before walking into Croix-Rousse, the historic heart of Lyon’s silk industry. As we wander through the old traboules, the hidden passageways, you’ll hear about the lives of the silk workers — the canuts — and how their struggles and revolts inspired thinkers like Karl Marx.

You’ll also discover how Joseph-Marie Jacquard’s invention — a loom that used punch cards — helped inspire the first ideas behind modern computing.

I’ll tell you about Jean Moulin the leader of the French Resistance, and how Leynaud, a poet and friend of Albert Camus, left his mark on the city’s wartime story. 

From the ancient Roman amphitheatre, we’ll enjoy a sweeping view over the city, and I’ll tell you the difference between a Roman theatre and an amphitheatre.

As we head down toward Vieux Lyon, we’ll stop at the Fresque des Lyonnais, where you’ll meet the city’s most famous sons and daughters — from the Lumière brothers to Paul Bocuse. 

Then we’ll slip into the old town, with its hidden courtyards and secret passageways tucked behind unmarked doors.

We’ll finish in the lively heart of Vieux Lyon — just in time for lunch, if you’d like some local recommendations!

It’s a relaxed, story-filled walk through Lyon’s layered history — from Roman stones to silk threads to the digital age.

Things you will visit:

• Place des Terreaux
• Hôtel de Ville
• Bartholdi Fountain
• Musée des Beaux-Arts
• Place des Capucins
• Many Hidden Passageways (Traboules)
• Passage Thiaffet
• Lots of Street Art
• Montée de la Grande Côte with its Old Houses
• View of the City and Countryside
• View of the Fourvière Hill with Basilica
• Ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre
• The Famous Mural 'Fresque des Lyonnais'
• Footbridge across the Saône
• Vieux Lyon
• Place St. Paul
• Hidden passageways and Courtyards in Rue Juiverie
• Rue de Gadagne with its famous Bouchons (traditional Restaurants)
• Place de Change
• Riverbanks of the Sâone with the famous Statue
• Traboule through the Hôtel du Gouvernement
• Hidden Courtyard in Rue St. Jean

Things I talk about:

• Introduction to Lyon
• Place des Terreaux with the Hôtel de Ville and Bartholdi Fountain
• Roman Origins
• Silk 
• The Jacquard Loom and the Origins of Computers
• The Croix-Rousse Neighborhood
• Lyon as Culinary Capital of France
• The French Resistance in the Hidden Passageways
• Gentrification in the Croix-Rousse
• Street Art and the Connection to the Silk Workers
• Early Union Movements
• The History of the Fourviére Church
• The Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre
• Modern Life in Lyon
• Life in the Old Tow
• Traditional Lyonnais food in the Bouchon
• The Origins of the Passageways (Traboules)
• Restaurant and Coffee Recommendations.
• Best Things to do in Lyon