Lyon is France's gastronomic capital, a UNESCO-listed city stacked between two rivers and one steep hill, where Roman ruins, silk-weavers' passages and a self-confident food culture all fit inside an easy walk. Base yourself on the Presqu'ile, the elegant peninsula between the Rhone and the Saone, and treat the city as three layers: Renaissance Vieux Lyon at river level, threaded with hidden covered passages called traboules; the Roman hill of Fourviere above it, crowned by a basilica and two ancient theatres; and the old silk district of Croix-Rousse climbing the northern slope. Eat like a Lyonnais in a bouchon, the small wood-panelled bistros that serve quenelle de brochet, salade lyonnaise, andouillette and tablier de sapeur, and always book ahead because the good ones are tiny. Ride the funicular up the hill, wander down through the traboules, and graze the stalls of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Many bouchons close at weekends and most museums shut on Mondays, so plan around that. Lyon rewards a slow, hungry traveller who lets one long lunch bleed happily into the afternoon.
A full, walkable day in Lyon, free for everyone. Set your pace and start time.
Catch the funicular from Vieux Lyon station; go early for soft light and few crowds, and step inside for the gilded mosaics.
The two Roman theatres are free and open-air; it is a short downhill stroll from the basilica esplanade.
Time your visit to catch the 14th-century astronomical clock chiming; the movements run only a few times daily.
Look for lion-head plaques marking public passages; enter quietly, as many open onto lived-in courtyards.
The vast gravel square is a good orientation point; the tourist office and Ferris wheel are on the south side.
The pink praline brioche is best fresh; take it away and eat it strolling the peninsula's shopping streets.
Reserve ahead and come hungry for the fixed menu of Lyonnais classics; the tablier de sapeur is a house staple.
The gleaming white basilica crowning the hill, with a gilded, mosaic-lined interior and an esplanade giving the definitive panorama over Lyon - take the funicular up and walk down.
Joseph Viola's award-winning bouchon in Vieux Lyon, famous for a rich pate en croute with foie gras and sweetbreads, plus a benchmark quenelle - book well ahead.
One of Europe's largest Renaissance quarters, a warren of cobbled lanes, pastel facades and courtyards best explored slowly on foot, ideally in early morning light.
Hidden covered passageways that tunnel through buildings between streets; look for the small lion-head plaques marking public ones and step quietly through interior courtyards.
The Gothic and Romanesque cathedral of Vieux Lyon, home to a 14th-century astronomical clock that chimes with moving figures a few times a day - check the timings on arrival.
Two well-preserved Roman theatres carved into the hillside, still used for summer festival concerts; free to wander and paired with an excellent Gallo-Roman museum.
A dramatic steel-and-glass science and anthropology museum at the tip where the rivers meet, worth it for the deconstructivist architecture as much as the collections.
A red-checked-tablecloth institution since 1922, all sausage garlands and no-choice menus of Lyonnais classics like tablier de sapeur and cervelle de canut.
A cramped, convivial family bouchon behind the Beaux-Arts museum, celebrated for its volaille au vinaigre (chicken in vinegar sauce) - cash-friendly and always full.
An 1820s bouchon near Les Halles serving generous saladiers lyonnais and a hearty cochonnailles spread from communal tureens on paper-covered tables.
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France