Lyon — Christmas Season, the Renaissance Silk Merchants' Mansions, Family Visits, the Saône Quarter, Culinary Schools & the Roman Lugdunum
Lyon's Christmas is dominated by the Fête des Lumières; the silk merchants' mansions in Vieux-Lyon are the most Florentine French architecture outside Italy; the Guignol puppet theatre delights families; and the Roman Lugdunum was the administrative capital of all Gaul — its aqueducts and the Claudian Tables are still among France's most important archaeological treasures.
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The Lyon Christmas Market and the Winter Season
Lyon Christmas (the Lyon Christmas season — the most comprehensively Fête des Lumières-centred single French city Christmas, the December atmosphere the most festival-animated single month in the Lyon annual calendar): the Marché de Noël (the Lyon Marché de Noël (Christmas Market) at the Place Carnot and the Part-Dieu from late November — the most comprehensively traditional-Christmas-craft-stall-equipped single French regional Christmas market, the Lyon market the most extensively chalet-stall-covered single French provincial Christmas market, the vin chaud (mulled wine) and the marrons chauds (roasted chestnuts) the 2 most specifically French Christmas street food served at the Lyon market stalls, the most atmospherically enclosed single French outdoor Christmas food experience), the Fête des Lumières in detail (the December 8 celebration — the most specifically Lyon-civic-identity single annual event, the lumignon (small candle in a coloured glass holder) placed in every Lyon window on December 8 the most specifically residentially-participatory single French festival domestic tradition, the origin in the 1852 thanksgiving for Lyon being spared from the cholera epidemic when the city placed candles to thank the Virgin Mary the most historically specifically epidemic-origin single French festival tradition), the New Year (the Lyon New Year Eve (Saint-Sylvestre) celebrations — the most specifically French-réveil single New Year tradition in Lyon, the midnight fireworks on the Fourvière the most panoramically positioned single Lyon New Year firework display, the Presqu'île streets the most crowd-animated single Lyon New Year atmosphere), the winter markets (the Lyon winter markets — the Marché de Noël at Place Carnot and the Marché de l'Hiver (Winter Market) at the Quai Saint-Antoine the 2 most complementarily positioned single Lyon Christmas market sites, the Quai Saint-Antoine market the most atmospherically riverside-positioned single Lyon Christmas market, the Vieux-Lyon artisan markets in December the most comprehensively Renaissance-neighbourhood-Christmas single shopping circuit in any French city), the winter gastronomy (the Lyon winter gastronomy — the truffle season (November-March) the most specifically Périgord-truffle-product-stocking single Lyon bouchon menu season, the black truffle from the Périgord the most locally restaurant-menu-transforming single seasonal ingredient in any Lyon bouchon, the winter bouchon menu the most comprehensively offal-and-warming single French seasonal restaurant programme) and the skating (the Lyon ice rink during the Christmas season — the temporary rink at the Place Bellecour the most centrally positioned single French provincial outdoor ice rink, the skating in front of the largest single public square in France the most spatially impressive single Christmas skating experience in any French city, free access to the rink area, €5 skate hire).
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The Lyon Silk Merchants' Renaissance Mansions
Lyon Renaissance mansions (the Hôtels particuliers (grand private houses) of the Renaissance Lyon silk merchants — the most comprehensively Italian-Renaissance-architecture-influenced single French city domestic building stock, the merchant mansions of Vieux-Lyon the most completely Italian-cortile-courtyard-preserving single French Renaissance residential buildings): the Hôtel de Gadagne (the Hôtel de Gadagne at 1 place du Petit Collège — the most spectacularly courtyard-loggia single Renaissance mansion in Vieux-Lyon, the loggia with the 3 levels of open galeries the most directly Florentine-palazzo-influenced single French Renaissance courtyard, the mansion now housing the Musée d'Histoire de Lyon and the Musée des Marionnettes du Monde (Puppet Museum), €8 adults), the Maison du Crible (the Maison du Crible at 16 rue du Bœuf — the most atmospherically enclosed single Vieux-Lyon Renaissance traboule courtyard, the spiral stone staircase the most specifically Italian-Renaissance-influenced single staircase element in any Lyon Renaissance mansion, the traboule leading to the Place du Gouvernement the most directly connecting single Vieux-Lyon traboule passageway to the primary historic square), the Hôtel Bullioud (the Hôtel Bullioud at 8 rue Juiverie — the most architecturally distinguished single Renaissance facade in Vieux-Lyon, the Philibert de l'Orme loggia (1536) the most specifically French-Renaissance-architect-attributed single architectural element in any Vieux-Lyon mansion, the de l'Orme the most influential single French Renaissance architect, the loggia his most practically accessible surviving work), the Place Juiverie (the Place Juiverie — the most historically significant single street in Vieux-Lyon, the site of the medieval Lyon Jewish community and the Renaissance Florentine and Genoese merchant houses, the most comprehensively Renaissance-merchant-colony-associated single Vieux-Lyon street, the plaque on the Maison des Avocats the most directly Italian-merchant-community-commemorating single Vieux-Lyon historic marker), the Basilique Saint-Paul (the Basilique Saint-Paul at the north end of rue Juiverie — the most completely Romanesque apse-preserving single church in Vieux-Lyon, the 12th-century apse the most historically ancient single surviving architectural element in the Vieux-Lyon quartier) and the Renaissance mansions walk (the Vieux-Lyon Renaissance mansion walk — the most comprehensively Renaissance-architecture-experiencing single Lyon walking circuit: from the Place Juiverie via rue du Bœuf to the Place Saint-Jean and along rue de la Bombarde to the Place de la Baleine, the 45-minute circuit the most architecturally instructive single Vieux-Lyon walking experience, the most specifically Italian-Renaissance-in-France-influence-demonstrating single French walking circuit).
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Lyon for Families — Interactive Experiences
Lyon family visit (the Lyon family tourism offer — the most comprehensively museum-interactive-and-activity-diverse single French city outside Paris for the visitor with children): the Planétarium (the Planétarium de Vaulx-en-Velin at 1 place de la Nation in Vaulx-en-Velin 8km east of Lyon — the most comprehensively astronomy-and-space-education-programme single French regional planetarium, the full-dome digital projection the most immersive single astronomical experience accessible from Lyon, the sessions for children from age 6 the most specifically child-astronomy-education programme, €7.50 adults €5 children, metro D to Vaulx-en-Velin), the Musée Miniature et Cinéma (the Musée Miniature et Cinéma at 60 rue Saint-Jean in Vieux-Lyon — the most comprehensively miniature furniture-and-cinema-prop-displaying single French museum, the hand-crafted miniature domestic scenes (each piece taking 200+ hours to make) the most patiently crafted single miniature collection in any French museum, the cinema special effects props from major Hollywood productions the most specifically film-heritage-object-displaying single French exhibition, €13.90 adults €10.90 children), the Guignol puppet shows (the Guignol puppet shows at the Théâtre Le Guignol de Lyon at 2 rue Louis Carrand — the most specifically Lyon-child-theatrical-heritage single experience, the Guignol and Gnafron shows at 3pm and 4pm Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday the most traditionally family-entertainment single Lyon theatrical performance, the most specifically French-puppet-character-educating single Lyon family activity, €9.50 adults €6 children), the park activities (the Parc de la Tête d'Or family activities — the free zoo the most universally child-appealing single free family activity in Lyon, the rowing boats on the Grand Lac the most traditionally family-boating single Lyon park activity, the rose gardens the most specifically child-sensory single Lyon park experience in May-June, the puppet shows in the park bandstand in summer the most specifically family-outdoor-entertainment single park activity), the Musée des Confluences (the Musée des Confluences family exhibitions — the most interactively child-engaging single Lyon museum, the 'Origines' permanent exhibition tracing the Big Bang to human civilisation the most comprehensively scale-of-existence-illustrating single French child-targeted museum exhibition, the children's workshops the most directly hands-on science single museum programme in Lyon, €9 adults free children under 4) and the Lyon food family experiences (the Lyon family food experiences — the Halles Paul Bocuse discovery tour for children (tasting the quenelles, the saucisson, and the Saint-Marcellin) the most specifically Lyonnais-food-education single family experience, the waffle with the praline (a Lyon specialty — the flat caramelised almond sweet crushed on top) the most specifically Lyonnais single child sweet food, the most distinctively Lyon single street food that differs from the Parisian crêpe tradition).
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The Lyon Saône District — the Saint-Paul and Ainay Quarters
Lyon Saône district (the Saône riverbank districts of Saint-Paul and Ainay — the most historically layered single pair of Lyon riverside neighbourhoods, the Saint-Paul quarter the most medievally-heritage-associated single north Saône bank district): the Saint-Paul quarter (the Saint-Paul quarter around the Gare de Saint-Paul — the most atmospherically village-scaled single Lyon historic neighbourhood, the Basilique Saint-Paul the most historically Romanesque-apse-preserving single church in the area, the Quai de Bondy and the Quai Romain Rolland the most specifically Saône-river-views single riverside promenades in Lyon, the Place Saint-Paul the most café-terrace-positioned single small square in the north Saône bank), the Ainay quarter (the Ainay quarter in the 2nd arrondissement — the most historically Benedictine-abbey-heritage-associated single Lyon neighbourhood, the Basilique Saint-Martin d'Ainay the most completely Romanesque single church in Lyon (the 11th-century church the most purely Romanesque single ecclesiastical space in the Lyon centre), the Ainay quarter the most atmospherically residential and the most locally neighbourhood-scaled single area in the 2nd arrondissement), the Quai de Saône (the Quai de Saône guinguettes — the most atmospherically guinguette-tradition-preserving single Lyon riverside, the floating restaurants (bateaux-restaurants) and the riverside terrace cafés on the left Saône bank the most specifically Lyon-summer-dining-culture single experience, the Penny Lane boat restaurant and the guinguette on the Quai de Bondy the most consistently seasonal-and-quality single Lyon riverside dining options), the Place du Change (the Place du Change in Vieux-Lyon — the most historically money-exchange-trade-associated single Vieux-Lyon square, the Loge du Change (1750, designed by Soufflot the same architect as the Panthéon in Paris) the most elegantly Baroque single exchange building in Vieux-Lyon, the Saturday morning antique and book market the most atmospherically placed single Vieux-Lyon weekly market), the Fourvière cable car (the Fourvière cable car (ficelle) from the Place Saint-Jean to the Fourvière summit — the most directly vertically-efficient single public transport journey in Lyon, the 4-minute ascent the most dramatically elevation-changing single public transport journey in any French city, €1.90 single included in the Lyon standard transport ticket) and the Lyon boat cruises (the Lyon river cruise from the Bellecour quay — the most comprehensively both-rivers-viewing single Lyon boat excursion, the Navig'inter river boats the most family-appropriate single Lyon river experience, the 1-hour Saône and Rhône circuit the most efficiently both-rivers-combining single Lyon boat tour, €13 adults, April-October).
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The Lyon Gastronomy School Heritage
Lyon culinary school heritage (the Lyon culinary training tradition — the most comprehensively chef-education-institution-concentrating single French city outside Paris, the Lyon school of professional cooking the most internationally chef-graduating single French culinary tradition): the Institut Paul Bocuse (the Institut Paul Bocuse at Château du Vivier in Écully 10km west of Lyon — the most specifically Paul-Bocuse-culinary-legacy-institutionalising single French cooking school, the most internationally prestigious single privately-run French hotel and cookery school, the restaurant training ground the most comprehensively fine-dining-service-training single student restaurant in any French city, the Institut the most specifically culinary-excellence-legacy-preserving single French institution), the Bocuse d'Or (the Bocuse d'Or international cooking competition — the most prestigious single chef competition in the world, created by Paul Bocuse in 1987, held every 2 years in Lyon in January, the 24 participating nations the most geographically diverse single international cooking competition, the team-and-commis format the most specifically culinary-teamwork-testing single international food competition, the Lyon Eurexpo venue the most specifically cooking-competition-broadcast-globally single French event venue), the Mères Lyonnaises training (the mères lyonnaises culinary training tradition — the most specifically female-chef-career-developing single French culinary tradition, the apprenticeship with the mères the most specifically Lyon-restaurant-career-launching single training route in the pre-war Lyon culinary world, Eugénie Brazier training Paul Bocuse himself (Bocuse apprenticed with Mère Brazier at 19 — the most specifically master-to-student culinary lineage in the Lyon gastronomic tradition)), the Grand Prix Gastronomique de Lyon (the Grand Prix Gastronomique de Lyon — the most specifically Lyon-gastronomic-identity-celebrating single annual award, the most comprehensively Lyon-restaurant-quality-evaluating single event in the Lyon food industry calendar, the award the most specifically local-chef-recognising single food prize in any French city) and the Lyon culinary pilgrimage (the Lyon culinary heritage pilgrimage for the serious food traveller — the essential circuit: the Halles Paul Bocuse for the market, the Chez Georges bouchon for the traditional lunch, the Mère Brazier for the starred dinner, the Bocuse Institut for the campus visit, and the quenelle de brochet from the Giraudet stall the most comprehensively Lyonnais single 24-hour gastronomic programme, the most specifically Paul-Bocuse-and-mères-heritage-experiencing single French city itinerary).
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Lyon's Roman Legacy — Lugdunum Beyond Fourvière
Lyon Roman heritage (the Roman Lyon (Lugdunum) heritage beyond the Fourvière hilltop — the most comprehensively Roman-urban-foundation-heritage-preserving single French city after Nîmes and Arles, Lugdunum the founding of Roman Gaul in 43 BCE by Plancus the most historically historically-primary single Roman act in French history): the Lugdunum founding (the founding of Lugdunum on August 10, 43 BCE by Lucius Munatius Plancus on the orders of Julius Caesar — the most specifically dated single Roman urban founding in any French city, the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône the most geographically strategic single Roman site in Gaul, Lugdunum the most politically significant single Roman settlement in Gaul: the administrative capital of the Three Gauls, the site of the Imperial mint (monnaie), and the birthplace of the Emperors Claudius and Caracalla, the most imperially birth-place-associated single Roman Gallo-Roman city), the Claudian Tables (the Claudian Tables (Tabula Claudiana) at the Musée Lugdunum — the most historically significant single Roman imperial epigraphic document in any French museum, the bronze inscription of Emperor Claudius's 48 CE speech to the Roman Senate granting the Gauls the right to hold Roman office, the most constitutionally significant single Roman document in the history of Gallo-Roman political integration), the Roman aqueducts (the Roman aqueducts of Lyon — the most comprehensively surviving single Roman aqueduct system in any French city, the 4 aqueducts supplying Lugdunum at peak population the most hydraulic-engineering-ambitious single Roman water supply system in Gaul, the Gier aqueduct at 86km the longest single Roman aqueduct in France, the surviving aqueduct arches at Chaponost 15km southwest the most completely arch-preserved single Roman aqueduct section accessible from Lyon), the Imperial mint (the Lyon Imperial mint (Monnaie de Lyon) — the most historically significant single Roman monetary institution in any French city, the Lyon mint producing the most numerous single series of Roman imperial gold and silver coins from 15 BCE to 78 CE, the Lyon mint coins the most comprehensively represented single series in the Musée Lugdunum numismatic collection), the Cybele sanctuary (the sanctuary of the Magna Mater (Cybele) on the Fourvière hill — the most comprehensively excavated single eastern mystery religion sanctuary in any French Roman city, the Cybele cult the most specifically Anatolian-origin single religious import to Lugdunum, the marble figurines in the Musée Lugdunum the most specifically Cybele-ritual-object-displaying single French museum collection) and the Gallo-Roman suburbs (the Gallo-Roman suburbs of Lugdunum — the Saint-Just, the Saint-Irénée, and the Oullins Roman residential and commercial suburbs the most comprehensively archaeologically excavated single Roman suburban zone in any French city, the Roman road (the Via Agrippa) through Lyon the most specifically Roman-road-heritage-associated single French city route, the Musée Lugdunum the most comprehensively Lyon-Roman-archaeology-collecting single museum in France).