World City Guide

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
Lyon’s Tourist Office (tel: (04) 7277 6969; e-mail: visit@lyon-france.com; website: www.lyon-france.com) offers a variety of walking tours in several languages. There are guided tours, such as the two-hour ‘Maison des Canuts and the traboules of Croix-Rousse Hill’ tour and the ‘Lyon Renaissance district’ tour, which takes in the Renaissance district of Lyon (both tours cost ¬9). Three-hour guided tours of a world of images, poetry, art and the 24 murals dedicated to local architect Tony Garnier also are available and arranged through the Tourist Office, costing ¬9. Departure points vary depending on the tour chosen.

The Tourist Office also offers an audio-guided tour of Lyon, complete with an itinerary map and personal stereos for hire in four languages (English, German, Spanish and Italian) for ¬6.

Self-guided tours are also available with the excellent guidebook World Heritage Excursions, costing ¬6. These include ‘Presqu’île North’ and ‘Presqu’île South’.

Bus Tours
Philibert Lyon Vision (tel: (04) 7898 5662; e-mail: web-tou-recep@philibert.fr; website: www.philibert.fr) runs a number of sightseeing tours in air-conditioned coaches. A 90-minute tour of the city costs ¬15 and passes through Old Lyon, Fourvière Hill, Croix-Rousse and many other sites and monuments. The coach leaves Lyon Perrache station at 0900, 1030, 1330, 1530 and 1730.

Boat Tours
Naviginter, 13 bis quai Rambaud (tel: (04) 7842 9681; fax: (04) 7842 1109; e-mail: contact@naviginter.fr; website: www.naviginter.fr) offers various river cruises, including the two-hour tour up the Sâone River, which costs ¬7.50. The tour starts and finishes at quai Rambaud.