Your guided tour of the courtyards and “„traboules” (passageways) of the Old City of Lyon

(duration 2 hours):

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1. Departure from the Place Saint-Jean , where you can spend some time in the cathedral in the heart of the Old City of Lyon. The astronomic church clock is one of the oldest in Europe (dating back at least from 1383) and indicating the exact time until 2019. The bells chime several times a day with a parade of different figures. The ENS Lyon (Ecole Normale Supérieure) created a special and detailed page about this clock. The cathedral is also called “primatiale” (an uncommon name): the archbishop of Lyon carries the historical title of ‘Primat des Gaules”. If you choose to stay in the youth hostel situated just above Saint-Jean, you will have the privilege of admiring the light upon this cathedral particularly at sunrise or at dawn. The square Saint-Jean that has finally become a vehicle-free area, and its water fountains offer interesting backdrops for your pictures. It is as well a real alternative to the statue of Louis XVI on square Bellecour, for rendezvous points.
2. This district tells the history of more than 1000 years ago. It nearly disappeared after the Second World War when one of the mayors of Lyon planned to install marinas on the banks of the river Saone. Quite fortunately, this plan was rejected on initiative of the local residents and the politician MALRAUX. The site has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites where visitors and tourists flow through every day….. just like you, we hope so, because it is really a beautiful district where you can still smell the breath of Lyon’s markets from the Middle Ages.
3. Then take the “rue des Antonins” (a small road in the north middle of the square) above the café de la Gargouille. A very nice bar with character and warm colours, beautiful photographs on the walls, a splendid sight on the square and the front of the “primatiale”.
4. You enter the number 3/5 of this road and the first passageway. Nothing very particular or of special beauty, but very alive: a cat sitting on the saddle of a bike, a bush growing between the paving. You arrive at “rue Saint-Jean”.

   

   The house of « Chamarier »,
   rue Saint Jean – DR Lyon visite info

5. The following stop is a sublime court, which has just been restored. It is in this house of Chamarier with a famous pastry shop at the street corner. (Mind the dangerous traffic). Spend some time in this yard and be taken a back of this beauty. Imagine yourselves back in 17th century with Madame de Sévigné strolling around in this yard.

   

   The house of Avocats, Old City of Lyon – DR Lyon visite
   info

6. Then walk up some metres to “rue de la Bombarde” and stop in front of the most photographed facade of Old Lyon and which is in the top ten of photos of Lyon. Why? Because photographers find focus here. So take advantage of  it! Due to the restoration, magnificent colours reflect on the House of lawyers! And because of this indescribable Italian feel, that is Florentine.
7. A bit more ahead, 14 “rue de la Bombarde”, next to Artisans du monde, a plate showing a bombard about to be fired. Please be very careful in this narrow street due of the dangerous car traffic.
8. Walk down again to get back to the “rue Saint Jean”. At N° 58, if you are lucky, the door of the court behind the Crêperie AU PETIT GLOUTON will be open. It may be a bit dark and small, but there is a pretty well just next to the room and the kitchen of the crêperie. We can better understand why the inhabitants of Fourvière left the hill to come down here after the destruction of the Roman aqueducts, which supplied the water. The battle for water already existed at this time! It seems that nowadays water is shifted between Languedoc
   and Andalusia.
9. Don’t miss n° 52, the medieval shop Mandragore situated at the dead end of the „traboule“. This shop sells all from the Middle Ages, gauntlets and coats of mail as well as all the garments of this era, velvet and long dresses. All on offer are very beautiful and original and make great gifts.
10. Now credit where credit’s due: n°54, one of the favourites of the organized tours of Old Lyon, the longest „traboule“ of all, to be added in the Guinness Book of record: It goes across four buildings and four courtyards.
11. You come out “rue du Boeuf” –the miracle of the „traboule“. Turn to the right, pass in front of craft and art shops, the four star hotel La Tour Rose where Molière performed. You now arrive at the “Place Neuve Saint-Jean”, filled with terraces of restaurants. At the corner of the square and the “rue du Boeuf” you can see the wooden statue of an ox on the wall. You will notice the same at “Place de la Baleine”.
12. Continue to n°16 “ rue du Bœuf “. You will find a very nice court with a sumptuous pink tower and its impressive cylindrical form. Admire the beautiful doors and don’t forget to have a look at the adjoining hat shop next to the entrance.
13. Return to the “Place Neuve Saint-Jean”. In the middle of it, there is a remarkable open court with visible staircases. It has a touch of Hitchcock’s “Rear Windows”; in the angle, the bakery of the “Palace”. There is often a long queue outside – and for good reasons. Here, you can taste one of the specialities of Lyon: brioches pralinées. Tourists like to take pictures of the bakery and the pharmacy, which is a little further in this street.
14. The huge building at the corner in front of the bakery on your way back is the ancient palace of justice. The residents of Lyon surnamed it “the 24 columns” because of its Corinthian columns in the front. The Court of appeal and the Criminal Court of the Rhône Department still conduct meetings here. The palace has its own prison for lengthy court cases. Charles MAURRAS was judged here in 1945 and Klaus BARBIE in 1987. In the previous palace, hundreds of people were condemned during the French revolution and guillotined at the
    “Place des Terreaux”.
15. Continue the “Rue Saint-Jean” northward, in the lessening direction of the numbers of the street. At 27 “rue Saint-Jean”, a new „traboule“ entrance.
16. You come out at n°6 “rue des Trois Maries” after passing two ochre courts and some Florentine galleries. A road formed like a boomerang with a very visible curve. It is one of the most typical ones of the Old Lyon. We would imagine in 16th century. You turn left in direction to “Place de la Baleine”: nice pavements.
17. In the corner of the “Place de la Baleine” and the “rue de la Baleine” you find the above mentioned sculptured panel representing a whale. The summer it may be pleasant to have a drink in one of the refreshing terraces. The winter, there are often fire-eaters. We can imagine ourselves in the Middle Ages, during one of the big annual fairs, bringing to Lyon a new economic expansion, which was confirmed in the Renaissance period by the installation of Florentine bankers, who arrived with Catherine de Médicis. It was they, who constructed many of the nice hotels, which are still in existence today.
18. Now we continue to the « rue Saint-Jean » till the « Place du Gouvernement ».
19. At n°2 of this square, you reach another „traboule“, which starts with a beautiful staircase and leads to a court. It is situated just above a site formerly the stables of Saint Christophe’s hotel. A beautiful building, which perhaps looks excessive after the recent renovation. Just as well we have to imagine it as it was when it was built in the 15th century. You would come to n°10 “Quai Romain Rolland”, if you continued the „traboule“. Instead we will go back and continue the “Rue Saint-Jean” in the same direction.

    

    The house Thomassin,
    Place du Change, Old City of Lyon – DR Lyon visite info

20. You are now “Place du Change”. Here people traded their money before travelling out of the kingdom of France. Nowadays the “Palais du Change” has become a church. Admire the front of the house Thomassin. In this yard, live shows take place frequently. It is one of the main entrance points to Saint-Jean.
21. Go up the “rue de la Loge” on the right of the “Palais du Change” and turn at the top into the ”rue de la Juiverie”. Before entering the street, you can climb the first treads of the stoop “Carmes Déchaussées” (shoeless carmelites) to discover the renaissance stairway of the house Henri IV.
22. Almost all the facades of the “rue de la Juiverie” have interesting things to reveal: mullioned windows, true or artificial gargoyles added by the inhabitants; several workshops of theatre companies; a restorer of clocks in n°20, the watchmaker of Saint-Paul, just like Bertrand Tavernier’s film, which was shot right in this district; a beautiful sculpture studio in n°15.
23. Finally, at n° 8 we have an absolute must-see: the art galleries Philibert Delorme. A board in the court will explain to you in detail about this construction by an architect who came back from Italy. A true marvel of airiness and symbolism. Looking at it, you get the impression that this construction, which connects two buildings, represents the union of two lovers. Congratulations, Mr. Delorme!
24. We now arrive at “Place Saint-Paul”, which is the centre of this district, and part of the Old City of Lyon just as “Saint-Georges” and “Saint-Jean”. We continue our visit until the Church Saint-Paul, restoration is apparent inside and out. Just beside the church is “Place Gerson”, a calm and quiet place, away from the touristic pandemonium of “Place Saint-Jean”. There is a typical cabaret and variety theatre just like those, which had been created on the uphills of Croix-Rousse in the 70s.
25. You can choose to walk back to the cathedral, to make new discoveries, or you may start the tour visit to the painted walls by taking to the pedestrian bridge Saint-Vincent which leads you to the painted wall with famous personalities from Lyon. This tour will bring you back to “Place du Change”, next to the wall of the “Cour des Loges”. Please click here for the guided tour to the painted walls: http://www.lyon-visite.info/murs-peints/

Enjoy-yourself!

Gilles for Lyon-visite.info

Monika for the translation