SAINTE-FOY-LèS-LYON, France

Lyon is divided into 9 districts. We have decided to present the town to you by quarters, which in our view is more representative than artificially created boundaries.

Vieux Lyon - Vieux Lyon is without doubt the most famous and most visited area of the town, honored in 1998 with classification as a world heritage centre by UNESCO. In addition to the Palais Episcopal Saint-Jean and the Cathedrale Saint Jean , visitors will find many townhouses which date from the middle ages and the Renaissance: the Maison du Soleil (Saint Georges quarter), the Tour Rose , the Auberge du Gouvernement , the Maison Thomassin , the Hôtel Laurencin , the Maison des Avocats , the famous Cour des Loges hotel, the Maison du Chamarier (Saint Jean quarter), and the Hôtel Paterin . From the Middle Ages the area was reserved for trade and fairs, as shown by the Loge du Change , which was once a bank and then became a Protestant place of worship. Fans of architecture will be delighted to pace the cobblestone alleyways and the traboules —these famous passages link alleyways together and through them you can explore the interior courtyards of the townhouses. Those fond of archeology will be interested in the remains of the primitive cathedral (fourth-eighth centuries) in the Jardin archeologique situated at the north side of the present day sanctuary. Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon) has an undeniable charm, with its boutiques, its bouchons (restaurants which specialize in the cuisine of Lyon), and the colors of the city which are reminiscent of Italy.

Fourvière - Old Lyon is situated at the foot of the Fourvière hill. Fourvière represented the very heart of the old town, which explains the large number of Gallo-Roman remains jutting out from its slopes. The Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilization presents the history of Lugdunum. Today the hill is home to many ecclesiastical communities who have chosen to settle near the famous Basilique de Fourvière , whose imposing architecture looms above town. Don't miss the superb view from the Esplanade de Fourvière ).

Presqu'île - The spit of the land which stretches from the Rhône and the Saône to the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill. This is the commercial centre of Lyon with the Rue de la Republique and the Rue Victor Hugo which give out onto the Place Bellecour , a meeting place for many people of Lyon. Stylish shops are to be found around the Rue Edouard Herriot, the Rue Comte houses the majority of Lyon's antiques dealers, and the Rue Mercière boasts all styles of restaurants. Visitors should take a stroll down smaller streets in this area, rather than settle on the first appealing window display. Saint Martin d'Ainay , one of the rare Roman churches preserved in Lyon, is situated to the south of Presqu'île, as well as the pleasantly surprising Musee des Tissus , housed in an 18th century townhouse.

Terreaux - The Terraux quarter takes its name from the old moat which protected the north of the town in the Middle Ages. Today it includes the neighborhood of the Place des Terreaux , redesigned by Daniel Buren in 1994. This quarter features many monuments like the highly successful Opera de Lyon , which was renovated by Jean Nouvel, the Palais Saint Pierre which today houses the Musee des Beaux-Arts , and the Town Hall . The Rue Sainte Catherine which runs along the north of the Place des Terreaux is known for its many pubs, but it is not necessarily the most pleasant part of the quarter!

Croix-Rousse - The Croix-Rousse is known as the former den of the silk workers, which Lyon was famous for until the nineteenth century. The buildings were constructed in the nineteenth century to house the large weaving looms invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard. The density and shape of the buildings transformed the Croix Rousse into a maze scattered with passageways, which gave them their reputation—the traboules . The slopes of the hill are also home to many restaurants and bars, where all types of cuisine are to be found. The Croix-Rousse hill became the home of the artists, and the Ecole des Beaux Arts was built on it. By taking an alleyway you will undoubtedly find one of hill's special places like the Amphitheâtre gallo-romain where the first Lyonaise martyrs were sacrificed, or the Jardin des Chartreux which offers a superb view over the town.

Part-Dieu et Villeurbanne - The left bank of the Rhône is to business what the right bank of the Saône is to tourism. The so-called pencil of the Part Dieu is surrounded by and essentially made up of offices. There is a marvelous view over Lyon from the top floor of the restaurant panoramique le Meridien . Those who travel by train know that the train station is an ideal pretext to go shopping in the huge shopping centre of the Part-Dieu. Seems uninteresting to tourists? Not if one considers the contemporary architecture and especially the Cite des Gratte-Ciel complex, one of the first workers' housing developments of the 1920s, situated near the Hôtel de Ville de Villeurbanne which marks the architectural grandeur of the period.

Gerland et les Etats-Unis - The Gerland quarter, in the south of Lyon, is especially renowned for its football stadium, its pharmaceutical laboratories, its weekend traffic jams and its new university campus. The area is gradually coming to life after its industrial past, and this can be seen in the Halle Tony Garnier , the last vestige of the industrial estate built by the famous Lyonnais architect. Tony Garnier was also responsible for a contemporary of the Gratte Ciel — a utopian estate in the quartier des Etats Unis . Fans of modern architecture should also visit the Musee Urbain Tony Garnier , which details the architect's ideas, and appreciate the murals which adorn the façade of the buildings. Near the American quarter do not miss the wonderful Mosquee de Lyon .

Quartier Tête d'Or - The north of the left bank is thought of as the peaceful, residential area of the town, where old buildings stand beside chic boutiques. Here you can take a stroll in Lyon's only big public garden, Tête d'Or Park , which houses botanical gardens and the Jardin zoologique de la Tête d'Or . Not far from the park on the banks of the Rhône, there is an estate which brings together a cinema complex, the modern conference hall, and the unmissable Musee d'art contemporain .