PASSPORT TO Lyon FIRST TIMER GUIDE
Words: Rosa Jackson. Photography: 4Corners TOUCHDOWNM Lyon has reinvented its image to become a new centre of French cool. Even the robust cuisine is getting a makeover from ambitious young chefs who prefer seasonal vegetables to tripe. The once reserved locals have taken to posing on café terraces and dancing until dawn. And it’s also [...]
Words: Rosa Jackson. Photography: 4Corners
TOUCHDOWNM
Lyon has reinvented its image to become a new centre of
French cool. Even the robust cuisine is getting a makeover
from ambitious young chefs who prefer seasonal
vegetables to tripe. The once reserved locals have taken
to posing on café terraces and dancing until dawn.
And it’s also one of Europe’s most beautifully lit cities.
SLEEP
You’ll find Renaissance style aplenty at the Hotel de
la Cour des Loges (2-8 rue du Boeuf, +33 (0)4 72 774
444), a favourite of visiting celebrities, and Villa
Florentine (25 montée Saint-Barthélemy, +33 (0)4 72
565 656), which also houses one of the city’s best
restaurants. There are quirkier haunts, too, like the schoolthemed
Collège Hotel (5 Place Saint Paul, +33 (0)4 72 100
505), complete with blackboards and vintage wooden desks,
and the well-located budget joint Hôtel de Paris (16 rue de la
Platière, +33 (0)4 78 280 095).
EAT
Lyon has more restaurants per capita than even Paris. One of
the best is the Café des Fédérations (8-10 rue Major Martin,
+33 (0)4 78 282 600), where 19th-century revolutionaries
created the first trade unions. Dig into saladiers – salad bowls
of lentils, beetroot and pig’s snout in vinaigrette and the like –
and local specialities such as tablier de sapeur (breaded and
fried tripe), or quenelles de brochet (pike-perch dumplings).
Brasserie Georges (30 cours de Verdun, +33 (0)4 72 565 456),
dating from 1836, has played host to novelists Colette and
Ernest Hemingway among other famous diners. It still brews
its own beer to accompany gargantuan seafood platters or
steak tartare. Chef Nicolas Le Bec (14 rue Grolée, +33 (0)4 78
421 500) will wow you in his chic dining room, while modern
bistros Restaurant Thomas (6 rue Laurencin, +33 (0)4 72 560
476) and Raphaël Béringer (39 rue Auguste Comte, +33 (0)4
78 374 983) make the most of the region’s natural ingredients.
For more local delicacies, check out the Place Carnot farmers’
market on Wednesdays (4-7pm).
THE SIGHTS
The big attractions are in Vieux Lyon and the Presqu’île,
which are easy to navigate on foot, though you can also
hire sleek Velo’v bicycles throughout the city. Meander
through the Vieux Lyon’s cobbled streets before taking
the funicular up to Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière cathedral
with its sweeping view of the city. Then cross a bridge to
the Presqu’île, sandwiched between the Rhône and the
Saône, for museums and shopping to rival Paris.
THE MUSEUMS
The 200-year-old Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (20 place
des Terreaux, +33 (0)4 72 101 740) has one of the most
important collections in Europe. Learn more about Lyon’s silk
weaving tradition at La Maison des Canuts (10-12 rue d’Ivry,
+33 (0)4 78 286 204), where you can watch weavers at work.
SHOP
Between Place Bellecour and Place Des Cordeliers on the
Presqu’île, the Carré d’Or is home to more than 70 luxury
clothing boutiques. The 19th-century Passage de l’Argue is the
place to find traditional goods. Hip young designers,
meanwhile, have grouped together at Le Village des Créateurs
(Passage Thiaffait, 19 rue Leynaud, +33 (0)4 78 273 721).
NIGHTLIFE
Le Grand Café des Négociants (1 Place Francisque Régaud, +33
0)4 78 425 005) is the place to be seen enjoying fabulous
cocktails. For jazz concerts and readings, settle into an armchair
in the Bar de la Tour Rose (22 rue du Boeuf, +33 (0)4 78 926
910). Diehard clubbers head to L’Access Prime Time (102 Quai
Pierre Scize, +33 (0)6 07 021 829) for house and garage music.
