Presqu’ile: Visit of the Lyon

Located between Saône and Rhône, the Presqu’The island is a central area of the city of Lyon which houses several shopping districts. There are beautiful old buildings dating from the 19th century as well as many monuments. This makes the Presqu'ern one of the most beautiful cities in France’The Presqu'île is a special destination for tourists when you’they decide to visit Lyon.

If you are not’You have not yet spent time on the Presqu'île’If you want to visit the island of Lyon, read this article to know what to do’it reserves you.

The Place Bellecour and the Cordeliers

Located in the Presqu'ile of Lyon, the Bellecour Square is the largest pedestrian street in Europe. It is surrounded by beautiful buildings dating from the nineteenth century. Huge in size, it houses at its center, a statue of Louis XIV on a horse. This square is also the site of an ice rink during the winter. During this season, a " big wheel "is installed.

In addition, the Place Bellecour is an important place for sports. Indeed, every Friday evening, more precisely at 8:30 pm, it is the starting point of the famous rollerblade ride of Lyon.

On its side, the Place Cordeliers is located in the center of the Cordeliers district, between the Terreaux district and Place Bellecour. It is surrounded by several among which we can mention the following.

• The facade of Saint Bonaventure, a church that dates from the 13th century. This facade has beautiful doors, a rose and statues of Saint Bonaventure with his master Saint Francis.
• The large facade of the Saturene store, dating from the end of the 19th century. It is impressive by its large face and two laughing lions behind the cariad statues.
• The Bourse which is a kind of castle with a rich decoration with statues.

Visit the Hospital of the Hotel de Dieu

This hospital is located on the banks of the Rhône. It was built in the 12th century before being renovated in the 17th century, during the period of great prosperity of the city favored by the development of the silk industry. A visit to this hospital will give you the opportunity to discover surgical instruments and pharmacy items belonging to the past without mentioning the three hospital rooms of the ancient period.

You can then relive the evolution of medicine through amazing stories.

L‘Hotel de Dieu is the first hospital in the city of Lyon. Building D, where the anatomy-pathology department is located, was renovated in 2000. In 2011, the Hospital of the Hotel (in its entirety of God) was classified as a historical monument.

Visit the Museum of Fine Arts

One of the largest art museums on the old continent, the Museum of Fine Arts is a place not to be missed when it comes to visiting Lyon. It is a municipal museum that was desired from the early eighteenth century by the city's elites. This museum was formalized during the French revolution. Officially, it was founded in 1801 and, two years later, it opened its doors to the public

It is located south of the Place des Terreaux. In 1969, events will cause profound changes in its organization. The museum is then forced to undergo a radical redeployment of its collections. The court is thus dispossessed of a large part of the works it housed in the department of antiquities. Indeed, the Gallo-Roman objects were transferred to a newly created museum in Fourvière.

However, this loss was compensated by the arrival of a large part of the Egyptological collections resulting from the excavations that Adolphe Reinach had carried out between 1909 and 1910 in Cospos. These objects being until then kept in the Guimet Museum of Lyon.

The Museum of Fine Arts is also one of the most important museums in France. One finds in particular, works of Picasso, Matisse, Degas, Van Gogh as well as many others. You will also find an Egyptian section, ceramics as well as large pieces of furniture.

The Museum occupied the first place among the most visited museums in the entire Rhône-Alpes Region before the opening, in 2015, of the Museum of Confluences.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts is housed in a former 17th century convent with a rather peaceful courtyard. Moreover, this building is also known as the palace of Saint Pierre.

Discover the Museum of Printing

The printing museum is housed in a renaissance building. It gathers exhibitions that tell the history of techniques and graphic books. Formerly called Hotel de la Couronne, it shelters today, the Museum of Printing.

The building dates back to the middle of the 15th century. At that time, it was a private residence. The building belonged in order, to the families Varey, de Faye, de Thou All of them are great families of merchants from Lyon.

As for the museum, it opened its doors in 1964 in this building. Thanks to the richness of its heritage, this museum has become one of the most important in Europe. During the period 2007-2013, the museum has seen its attendance rate increase exponentially with visitors composed more young people. In 2014, the Museum of Printing celebrated its 100 years of existence and presented once again, its permanent collection and a new name: Museum of Printing and Graphic Communication. This new name evokes his involvement in modernity.

The collections of this museum have witnessed and kept in memory, the developments that have taken place in the graphic industries. You will find there, beside the so-called noble products, namely, the book or the print, all kinds of printed matter such as the bus ticket, the cap of the " Tour de France "or the record cover of the 1960s.

The Place des Jacobins

This square is located in the center of the second district. There are a dozen roads that meet on the Place des Jacobins. In the center, there is a large fountain built in 1885.

Moreover, this fountain is registered as a historical monument.

This place was called in the past, Place Confort. After 1782, it took the name Place des jacobins after the name of the religious who had settled in the tenements on the side of this square.

What is the district of the Presqu'île ?

The Presqu'île extends over the 1st and 2nd districts of the city of Lyon. It is 4.5 km long and extends from the terreaux, at the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill, to the tip of the confluence. It is moreover made up of several districts.

Where to sleep in the Presqu'île ?

If you are looking for a place to stay in Lyon, you have several choices of hotels located in La Presqu'île. Among this great diversity of places, we can quote :

• l’Hotel Vaubecour, located at about 1,6 km from the Fine Arts Museum and 40 meters from the Lyon train station.
• l’Carlton Hotel LyonMGallery Hotel Collection which occupies a building dating from 1894. It is located 5 minutes walk from the metro station of Cordeliers.
• l’Hotel de l'Abbaye which is located about 1.3 km from the miniature museum and cinema

Now you can go and discover the Presqu'ile of France’island.