The Layout of the City of Lyon
 The Cathedral of St-Jean (right) next to the Sâone River and the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourviere (left) behind on the hill. Photo by thefunkyman. |
Lyon's city center, called Presqu'Île, is a thin strip of land between the Saône and the Rhône. Here the main attraction is the grandiose Place Bellecour, one of the largest squares in Europe, with its equestrian statue of Louis XIV. This is the hub of smart Lyon, with large apartments and elegant shops. Beside the Hôtel de Ville, the Opéra National de Lyon is an 18th-century building with a dramatic glass-roof extension by Jean Nouvel, emitting a purple glow at night.
To the west of Presqu'Île, on the right bank of the Saône, is Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), one of the finest surviving architectural complexes of the Renaissance era and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Funded substantially by Italian designers, there is a distinctively Florentine influence here. Narrow cobbled streets lined with colorful Renaissance apartments buzz with bistros and boutiques. Don't miss Lyon's trademark traboules - alleyways used by silk workers and, later, the French Resistance.
To the east of Presqu'Île, on the left bank of the Rhône, is Rive Gauche and the new business district. It is divided between a wealthy area, the Brotteaux, and a district with factories and workers' houses extending east toward the outlying communities of Villeurbanne and Bron. To the north, the sleek riverside Cité Internationale contains the Musée d’Art Contemporain.
The city of Lyon is dominated by two hills: Fourvière and the Croix-Rousse. Fourvière hill is the site of the Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica, several convents, a museum, and the Archbishop's palace. It is reached by funicular from Place St-Jean. Croix-Rousse was traditionally home to the many small silk workshops, an industry for which the city was renowned. It is now a hub of boutiques and restaurants.
See our Interactive Satellite Map of Lyon to further get your bearings.
