Street in Lyon
The Presqu’ile is the peninsula between the Rhone and the Saone rivers, the commercial and cultural heart of Lyon. Free to walk. Place Bellecour (one of the largest open squares in Europe), Place des Terreaux (with the Bartholdi fountain), and the rue de la Republique shopping street are all here. Budget travelers walk from one river to the other and discover a city that is simultaneously grand, approachable, and obsessed with food.
Practical
Nearby
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Croix-Rousse is the hilltop neighborhood above the Presqu'ile, historically the silk workers' district with tall buildings designed for looms, covered passageways (traboules), and a daily market on the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse. Free to walk.
Fourviere Hill overlooks Lyon from the west, crowned by the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere (free to enter, over-the-top interior) and a Roman theater (free to walk through). The funicular from Vieux Lyon is cheap (transit ticket).
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse is the city's covered food market, named after Lyon's most famous chef. Free to browse.
Parc de la Tete d'Or is Lyon's main public park, 117 hectares on the left bank of the Rhone with a lake, a free zoo, a botanical garden, rose gardens, and cycling paths. Free.
Vieux Lyon is the UNESCO-listed Renaissance quarter at the foot of Fourviere hill, one of the largest Renaissance districts in Europe. Free to walk.
Working out what Lyon costs?
The whole of Lyon