Share this tour
Offered languages
- German
- Portuguese
- English
- Italian
- French
- Dutch
- Spanish
This self-guided walking tour takes you through the many layers of Lyon — a city that evolved from Roman capital to silk powerhouse to the gastronomic heart of France. As you walk through its historic streets, you’ll uncover how geography, trade, religion, industry, and food shaped Lyon into the city it is today.
The route leads you through Vieux Lyon’s Renaissance streets and hidden courtyards, past former centres of trade and power, and into neighbourhoods shaped by workers, merchants, printers, and cooks. You’ll hear stories of Roman foundations, medieval archbishops, silk weavers and their revolts, and the women and chefs who turned everyday cooking into a defining cultural force.
This tour is designed to be walked at your own pace, with short distances between stops and time to explore along the way. By the end, you won’t just recognise Lyon’s landmarks — you’ll understand how the city reinvented itself again and again, without ever losing its soul.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
This is a self-guided audio tour on the "Tourific self-guided tours" app. To activate the tour, check your email for instructions from Tourific or your booking platform sent right after booking. Can’t find it? Search for our company in your email inbox and spam folder. OR contact us via support.
Itinerary
-
1Place Bellecour
Did you know Lyon reinvented itself again and again — from Roman capital to silk city to France’s food capital?
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Vieux Lyon
Walk through one of Europe’s largest Renaissance districts, where history hides behind heavy wooden doors.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3
Did you know this church marks one of the oldest Christian areas in Lyon, long before the Renaissance streets around it?
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4
Discover why Lyon has secret corridors running through buildings — and how locals used them for centuries.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Traboules du Vieux Lyon
Step inside Lyon’s longest traboule and uncover how these passages shaped daily life and survival.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6
Meet the silent stone guardian watching over the city — and hear why Lyon chose this unusual symbol.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7La Place des Jacobins
Why does this elegant square feel Parisian, and what does it reveal about 19th-century Lyon?
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8Grand Hotel Dieu
Did you know this landmark served the sick for centuries before becoming one of Lyon’s biggest transformations?
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
9
Did you know this lively food street was once Lyon’s printing hub before becoming home to bouchons?
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
10
Find out how workers’ meals and bold flavours helped make Lyon the gastronomic capital of France.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
11
Look up to read medieval politics carved into stone through coats of arms and symbols.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
12
Step into a Renaissance courtyard where architecture solved a problem in a completely unexpected way.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
13Cathedrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon
Explore a cathedral shaped by centuries of religion, power, and ambition. Discover a 600-year-old clock that tells time, maps the heavens, and stages a daily performance.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
14Fresque des Lyonnais
Did you know Lyon tells its story through a giant mural filled with famous faces from its past?
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
15Place des Terreaux
Stand in a square where fountains, revolutions, and executions all left their mark.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
16
Meet the Lyon-born writer behind The Little Prince — and discover how flight shaped his imagination.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Show more
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Your guide to the flawless travel experience
Popular Countries
Company
Get our app
