Things to do in Lyon

Landmark · West bank of the Saône

One of Europe's largest Renaissance quarters, threaded with covered passageways cutting through the buildings between parallel streets.

Local tip: Many traboules are on private buildings but are open to the public by agreement — look for the small plaques by the doors. The long one at 54 rue Saint-Jean through to rue du Bœuf is the best known; the quieter ones on the Croix-Rousse are more interesting and almost empty.

Neighborhood · The northern hill

The old silk weavers' hill, built with tall ceilings to house their looms, now the city's most distinctive residential quarter with its own village atmosphere.

Local tip: The daily market on boulevard de la Croix-Rousse is the best in the city and unpretentious with it. The Mur des Canuts, a huge trompe-l'œil mural repainted over decades, is a few minutes' walk and free.

Nature · North-east, on the Rhône

One of the largest urban parks in France, with a lake, free botanical glasshouses, a rose garden and a free zoo.

Local tip: The glasshouses and the zoo are both free and most visitors do not realise it. The rose garden in June is genuinely spectacular, and the lake is where the whole city goes on a Sunday.

Landmark · The western hill

A basilica on the hilltop above the old town, with two Roman theatres cut into the slope below it and a museum built into the hillside.

Local tip: Take the funicular up and walk down through the theatres and the traboules — the reverse of what most people do, and much easier on the legs. The Roman theatre hosts the Nuits de Fourvière festival in summer, which is the best way to see it.

Food · Part-Dieu

The covered market that is the working heart of Lyon's food reputation, with charcutiers, cheesemongers and oyster bars.

Local tip: Go on a Saturday or Sunday morning and eat at the counter rather than shopping — several stalls serve oysters and white wine from mid-morning and that is what locals actually come for.

Culture · Southern tip of the peninsula

The point where the Rhône and Saône meet, rebuilt from docks into a district of contemporary architecture around a striking deconstructivist museum.

Local tip: The museum's building is worth the trip on its own. What almost nobody does is walk right to the confluence point itself past the museum — a small park where the two rivers, visibly different colours, actually merge.