This walking tour traces the extraordinary transformation of a city that has
reinvented itself across two millennia.
Begin your journey atop Fourviere Hill, where Roman soldiers once watched over their empire. Stand in the ancient Roman theatres where 10,000 spectators gathered for performances 2000 years ago. Step inside the breathtaking Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere, a 19th-century masterpiece of Byzantine and Romanesque architecture adorned with stunning mosaics and golden ceilings.
Descend through time into Vieux Lyon, one of Europe's largest Renaissance quarters. Navigate the mysterious traboules - secret covered passageways originally built in the 4th century when residents needed quick access to the river. These same passages later served the Canuts, Lyon's legendary silk workers, who carried their precious fabrics through hidden corridors. During World War II, the Resistance
used these labyrinthine routes to evade Nazi patrols.
Learn how Lyon transformed from Roman capital to Renaissance banking hub to the silk capital of Europe.
Discover why 25,000 Canuts once worked in this city and how their revolts changed labour history.
Your guide brings each era to life with stories of emperors, merchants, silk weavers, and resistance fighters who shaped this UNESCO World Heritage city.