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 Cathédrale 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... more