Vieux Lyon & the traboules

Where it is & how to get there

• Metro: Metro D to Vieux Lyon – Cathédrale Saint-Jean.
• On foot: Cross the Saône on the Passerelle du Palais de Justice from the Presqu'île.
• Funicular: The funiculars to Fourvière and Saint-Just start from the same station.

The story of Vieux Lyon

In the 15th and 16th centuries Lyon was a rich banking and silk city, and Italian, German and Flemish merchants built tall Renaissance houses along the Saône. Vieux Lyon is one of the largest Renaissance districts in Europe, and in 1998 it became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The traboules are covered passageways that cut through buildings and courtyards from one street to the next. Silk workers used them to carry fabric dry from the workshops to the river, and during the Second World War the Resistance used them to escape. Some, like the Longue Traboule at 54 Rue Saint-Jean, are open to visitors.

Best time to visit

Tips before you go

• Look for doors marked 'traboule' and push gently: many are open to visitors in the daytime.
• Traboules are in private buildings: open doors quietly and respect residents.
• Look for the bronze lion plaques that mark traboules open to the public.

What's around Vieux Lyon

• Cathédrale Saint-JeanGothic cathedral with a 14th-century astronomical clock.
• Musée Cinéma et MiniatureFilm sets, props and tiny miniature scenes.
• Longue TrabouleThe longest traboule, linking Rue Saint-Jean to Rue du Bœuf.
• Fourvière funicularRide up to the basilica and the Roman theatres.

Questions travellers ask