Destination: FRANCE
Sights * Cathédrale St.-Jean * Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation * Croix-Rousse * Fourvière * Maison des Canuts * Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romain * Musée des Beaux-Arts * Musée Gadagne * Musée des Tissus et Musée des Arts Decoratifs * Parc de la Tête d'Or * Place Bellecour * Vieux Lyon	Vieux Lyon Until the 1960s, Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon) was a run-down, derelict area. Happily, both the French government and the city of Lyon stepped in with funds to save this historic quarter, the largest Renaissance-era urban area in France and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here the medieval cathedral town grew and prospered as an international trade and banking center. Rich merchants and bankers built superb, ornately detailed houses along the narrow streets comprising the St.-Paul, St.-Jean and St. Georges neighborhoods. They still stand today, rescued and restored, with their spick-and-span mullioned windows, vaulted walkways, towers and galleries. Many streets are linked by the passages known as traboules, which wind through courtyards and under other buildings; the name is derived from the Latin words trans ambulare, meaning “to walk through.” Today Old Lyon hums with new life; there are studios, boutiques, and bars and restaurants, thronged in summer with both locals and visitors. Address: Vieux Lyon Restaurant: Comptoir du Bœuf Metro: Vieux Lyon Info: Guided walking tours available with audiocassette or English-speaking guides. Apply at the tourist office	COUNTRY France REGION French Riviera CITIES Paris Lyon   Things To Know   Sights   Essential Info   Features Nice Strasbourg MAPS World Europe TRAVEL BOOK