Lyon Mini-booklet

Discover

Lyon

“ The Culinary, Silk & Mural Capital Of France” For those who arrive in Lyon early or depart after the inauguration of the S.S. Catherine, we are providing you with a list of recommended restaurants, shopping, and more to enable you to enjoy this remarkable city.

LY O N ’ S W O R L D-F A M O U S FOOD MARKET les halles de lyon www.hallespaulbocuse.lyon.fr 102, cours Lafayette 69003 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 62 39 33 A visit to Les Halles de Lyon is a must when you are in Lyon. Boasting 59 elaborate food stalls, bars, and restaurants, this is more than your average marketplace. The food is elegantly laid out on black marble surfaces, and the sophisticated staff dress in branded uniforms. There is a real connection between the merchants and their customers, which is why people love coming here.

Even the city’s finest chefs come to Les Halles to buy the produce for their restaurants. This is truly the beating heart of Lyon’s buzzing gastronomy scene—don’t miss it!

What can you find at Les Halles de Lyon?

Bakers, caterers, butchers, and fishmongers sell fresh products of the highest quality. It is an impressive panel that brings together the greatest traders in the city. Some delights you might wish to savor include: Macaroons­—France’s Most Mysterious Pastry of All

These sweet and somewhat mysterious little puffs of almond-paste-meringue-magic are one of France’s most prized culinary symbols. Try the “Clostan” establishment at Les Halles. If ever there was proof that food is art, you’ll find it here.

Le Fromage et le Vin—Cheese & Wine It’s no surprise that Lyon is full of cheese. While exploring Les Halles, be sure to visit the city’s favorite “cheese monger,” Renée Richard, and buy a wedge of her creamy St. Marcellins cheese.

Soft and salted on both sides, this mature cheese is perfect with a glass (or bottle!) of the region’s Côtes du Rhône wine.

Restaurant Row: Rue Mercière

LY O N ’ S W O R L D F A M O U S dinin g

This is THE street for restaurants in Lyon, although it is quite a recent development. Little by little, the street has been pedestrianized,

“ Lyon n a i s B ouc hon” – T raditional Lyon Restaurant

attracting restaurants in the process. Today, there are around 40 restaurants in this important citycenter street. Rue Mercière offers several dining

Just as Paris has its trendy bistro scene, Lyon

styles, ranging from upscale casual to more fine-

has the bouchon. Developed over many years,

dining establishments.

the bouchon was originally a place for Lyon’s silk workers to eat, and a working-class style to the

What makes this street so popular?

look and feel of these Lyonnais legends remains.

Tourists and Lyon’s residents love Rue Mercière

In 1997, L’Association de défense des bouchons

because the atmosphere is both friendly and

Lyonnais (The Association for the Preservation of

festive. During the summer, all of the restaurants

Lyonnais Bouchons) began certifying the city’s

open their terraces out onto the streets, creating

bouchons to conserve its heritage.

a delightful ambiance, and in the winter they’re

Recommendations: Les Fines Gueules lesfinesgueules.fr 16, rue Lainerie 69005 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 28 99 14

fantastically decorated for the various year-end festivities, such as the Beaujolais Nouveau or the Fête des Lumières.

There’s plenty of great regional cuisine available along this street, so you’ll have to make some difficult choices! You absolutely must try the hot sausage with lentils, apples in oil, Lyonnais

After ten years as Paul Bocuse’s assistant director,

chitterling sausage, pike quenelle, liver cake, and

Joël Salzi went on to open his first restaurant, La

the tablier de sapeur.

Cantine du Palais. He now strikes again with Les Fines Gueules, located in the heart of Old Lyon.

Housed in a beautiful 17th–century building, Les Fines Gueules offers both traditional and inventive French cuisine. The food and surroundings can be summed up in one word: authentic!

Daniele et Denise Saint-Jean danieletdenise-stjean.fr 36, rue Tramassac 69005 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 42 24 62

Recommendation: Le Bistrot de Lyon chateauxhotels.com/Le-Bistrot-de-Lyon-2607 64, rue Mercière - Angle rue de la Monnaie Lyon 69002 Tél +33 (0)4 78 38 47 47 A pleasant and familiar hubbub purrs here all year round. Le Bistrot de Lyon, historians say, is the only establishment in France to possess four “baker’s ceilings.” Others will say that the appeal of this memorable 1900s brasserie in Rue Mercière

In this authentic Lyonnais bouchon, chef Joseph

is its famous oyster stall in winter and its large

Viola, the “Best Craftsman of France,” weaves

terrace in summer. The bistro serves delicious Lyon

his magic to produce a demanding Lyonnais

specialties, hearty and copious, late into the night.

menu. Daniele et Denise Saint-Jean is a genuine

Its dishes are comforting, simple, and good—forks

Lyonnais institution which perpetuates the

dig in happily here, without any airs or graces.

tradition of the Lyon bouchon.

R enowned Restaurants

Fine Dining: an institution

Têtedoie Restaurant tetedoie.com/entrer.html 5, Montée du Chemin Neuf 69005 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 29 40 10

Auberge du Pont de Collonges bocuse.fr/presentation-paul-bocuse-restaurant.aspx 40, Quai de la Plage 69660 Collonges au Mont d’Or Tél + 33 (0)4 72 42 90 90

With its large windows offering stunning city

Internationally recognized and frequented by

views and large terraces, this Christian Têtedoie

many celebrities and personalities, Paul Bocuse’s

restaurant has established itself as a must-try.

restaurant has been listed with three Michelin

Inside, the décor is neat and contemporary.

stars since 1965, and is located 4 kilometers

Slate floors, concrete walls, and floor-to-ceiling

from Lyon on the banks of the Saône River. Here

windows provide a stunning stage that looks

you’ll find great specialties, including the famous

down on the city. Mr. Têtedoie’s eclectic vision

black truffle soup—soupe aux truffes noires

contains art scattered throughout the space,

V.G.E.—created and tailored for then-President of

including a six-foot-tall resin sculpture of a sunny-

France, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in 1975. Outside,

side-up egg by the artist Michel Froment.

the frescoes on the walls are of famous French

The same bold aesthetic extends to the menu, and the audaciousness of the décor and food comes together in playful ways. For instance, two pairs of bright-green life-sized women’s legs

cuisine, while inside, you will be seduced by the warmth and beauty of the décor of the room, which includes a beautiful fireplace.

A Great Bar and Famous Café

are against the wall and make for a striking color match with Mr. Têtedoie’s intense “Symphony of Green Vegetables,” consisting of English peas, snow peas, and asparagus, paired with slowcooked veal loin. Audacity continues with the

Le Melhor at Sofitel Bellecour 20, quai Gailleton 69002 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 72 41 20 20

desserts. Stunningly red strawberries are paired

Sip signature cocktails at this chic, cozy bar with

with a buttery short-bread, and almond paste

inspiring views of Lyon. The drink menu—available

clings to the contours of a poached pear. Back in

via iPad—ranges from a sherry aperitif to a fine

the kitchen, a liberated spirit is clearly at work.

cognac or single-malt whisky. Live music enlivens

The Gourmet Sèze le-gourmet-de-seze.com/index-english.php 129, rue de Séze 69006 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 24 23 42 This friendly and gastronomic Michelin-star-rated restaurant provides an intimate atmosphere

Friday and Saturday nights.

Le Grand Café des Négociants lesnegociants.com/en/bar-lyon-centreville-tradition-modernite 1, place Francisque Régaud 69002 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 42 50 05

with only nine tables. The high-quality services

Founded in 1864, Merchants Grand Café is a

provided by true professionals—they are attentive,

part of the history of Lyon and is an institution.

yet discreet—make it ideal for private dining.

Located in the heart of the peninsula, in a highend shopping area, Le Grand Café des Négociants maintains the tradition of literary cafés where you can debate for hours over coffee.

LY O N ’ S S H O P P I N G S C E N E Why is Lyon such a good city for shopping?

Lyon has managed to retain its friendliness, which is immediately noticeable in the city center. Lyon offers a large pedestrianized shopping area,

La Maison des Canuts (The Silk Weavers’ House) maisondescanuts.fr 10 and 12 rue d’Ivry 69004 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 28 62 04 Open every day, except Sundays and holidays, from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm.

and the shopkeepers love to chat and share

Lyon is well-known for its silk-weaving tradition.

their extensive knowledge with visitors. Lyon

Those of you who read Émile Zola’s “The Ladies

also has a still-thriving craft tradition, offering a

Paradise” surely noticed the paragraphs where the

range of products of exceptionally high quality.

Lyon silk weavers are described as suffering from

This includes the highly recommended Atelier

a price-war and the pressure to always decrease

de Soierie (silk workshop), where you’ll find

production costs. La Maison des Canuts is a living

traditional Lyonnais silks.

museum where you can see the equipment they

Recommendations: Carré d’Or (The Golden Square) Please note that most shops are open Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 or 9:30 am to 7:00 or 8:00 pm (closed from 12:00 to 2:00 pm).

used, understand their techniques, and learn more about the story of the Canuts. The weaving machines were so big that the flats were built and organized around them (the families lived and worked in the same place).

You can either visit the house by yourself (documents about everything are available

Quality food and fashions are Lyon’s specialties.

on-site) or you can join a group visit. La Maison

The “Carré d’Or” (Golden Square), on the

des Canuts also offers a traboule guided tour.

Presqu’île between Bellecour and Cordeliers

Traboules are the hidden passages that allowed

Squares, is the most popular shopping district.

the weavers to deliver the woven silk across town

Centuries of silk making leaves a luxurious legacy,

via the shortest way possible (passages inside

with workshops like L’Atelier de Soierie selling

buildings helped to avoid taking the long way

elegant products.

around the buildings).

Once you’ve visited the area’s main thoroughfares,

While here, you can buy shawls, scarfs, silk

particularly the rue de la République, there are

cocoon-shaped soaps, books, postcards,

three especially interesting shopping streets to

woven images, and trimmings.

explore: rue Gasparin, rue Émile Zola, and rue Confort. Along rue Émile Zola and rue Gasparin, you’ll find brand-name stores, including Sandro, Maje, and Les Petites, as well as a host of interesting multi-brand stores. Rue Confort offers a range of original boutiques, particularly the Village Market, which stocks a wide choice of clothing, accessories, and designer goods.

T H E LY O N M U R A L PA I N T I N G S

Along with Berlin, Lyon is the European capital of mural paintings, and it is one of the top five cities in the world in terms of the amount of murals it has. Around a hundred frescoes decorate the walls of Lyon, and can be found throughout the city, including the mostly working-class neighborhoods. In Lyon, you can even admire frescoes painted on the walls of council flats, which is something you won’t see everywhere!

Lyon has been preserving its mural paintings for 30 years, and has managed to successfully develop this art while at the same time respecting the principal objective: telling the story of the city, its neighborhoods, and its people.

If you really want to understand the Lyonnais identity, we recommend that you go and see the Fresque des Lyonnais, which depicts all the famous people from Lyon. Some notable figures include the Emperor Claudius, Paul Bocuse, Abbé Pierre, and Bertrand Tavernier.

Office du Tourisme de Lyon lyon-france.com Accueil Public Pavillon place Bellecour 69002 Lyon Tél +33 (0)4 78 42 04 32