|
Restaurants
The two brasseries
(Le Sud and Le Nord) and the restaurant of Paul Baucuse, rated by some
as the greatest living chef in France, are worth a visit for their entertainment
value but at some considerable cost. By contrast, the Brasserie Georges
on the presqu'ile between the two rivers of Lyon, near the Gare Perroche,
is a large truly French dining room, where good regional cuisine at reasonable
prices seems to be the sole aim. "Bouchons", named thus since medieval
times because the bill for wine was calculated by the number of wine bottle
corks on the table, serve ridiculously good value wine and food (the famous
one is La Meuniere on the presqu'ile in Rue Neuve, just off Boulevard La
Republique, but there are also many others in the old city on the west
bank of the Rhone). The price of eating out here is genuinely a fraction
of the price, that you will pay in Paris or on the Cote d'Azur, as well
as being of a broadly higher standard - it is not uncommon to find a 3
course menu for 12 euros.
Lyon's museums:
Musee des Beaux -
one of the largest collections of French, Italian, Spanish, Flemish and
Dutch fine art from the middle ages to modern times in France, housed in
the old abbey of St Peter.
Musee d'Art Contemporain,
Quai Charles-de-Gaulle - modern art from the 60's to the present day.
Others:
Gallo-Roman Civilisation,
rue Cleberg, Fourviere.
Fabrics and Decorative
Arts, rue de la Charite.
The French Resistance,
ave Berthelot.
Natural History,
bld des Belges.
Living History of
Lyon and Puppet Museum, pl du Petit College.
Printing and Banking
- rue de la Poulaillerie.
Puppetary and Dolls,
Domaine de Lacroix-Lavel.
Transport - Chateau
de Rochetaillee.
Religion, Fourviere
Basilica.
Miniatures, rue Juiverie.
Film, rue du 1e Film.
Lyons markets:
Art, Quai Romain
Rolland - Sunday mornings.
Crafts, Quai Fulchiron
- Sunday morinings.
Flea Market, 1 rue
de Canal, Villeurbanne (east of the city) - Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
mornings.
Books - Quai de la
Percherie, Saturday and Sunday all day.
Lyon history:
Inhabited by prehistoric
man, evidence has recently been discovered in the cave paintings of Chauvet.
Lyon was the capital of the Three Gauls, founded by the Romans in 43 BC.
Visit the amphitheatre where early Christians were martyred or the odeon
and amphitheatre at Fouviere on the hill overlooking old Lyon. Just south
at Vienne, there is the Temple of Augustus and Livia, and, at St Romain-en-Gal,
the remains of Roman villas.
Vineyards:
With the aid of a
car Lyon is ideally situated to explore the wonderful vineyards of the
area. You can visit many cellars of the ten top crus of Beaujolais
(Chenas, Julienas, Morgon, Chiroubles, Moulin a Vent) and the Maconnais
(including Pouilly Fuisse) and taste and buy. |
