His original creations are colourful and deftly crafted, clearly showing how much time and effort Bouillet has put in to his work. Opened originally by Henri Bouillet in the Place de la Croix-Rousse, he handed the reigns over to his son Sébastien in 2000 following his successful training with some of France’s finest pâtissiers. Don’t be surprised if the intensity of the aroma from the cheese stalls stops you dead in your tracks.īoulevard de la Croix-Rousse, 69004 Lyon An eight-minute walk to Sébastien BouilletĪ local institution on le plateau since 1977, Sébastien Bouillet’s chocolaterie and pâtisserie is a sweet distraction from the nearby farmers market.

The seemingly endless rows of stalls are made up largely of friendly local producers selling a rich abundance of fresh vegetables, meat, cheese, fruit and bread. This is a food-obsessed city and the Marché de la Croix-Rousse on le plateau is a classic bustling French farmers market featuring over 100 vendors, stretching for a kilometre down the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse. Rue Lucien Sportisse, 69001 Lyon A ten-minute walk La Marché de la Croix-Rousse These days it’s a quiet place to visit but changes wildly in complexion during the annual Fête des Lumières light festival (5-8 December) when it morphs into a bright neon art installation.

It was here in AD 177 that the first Christian Martyrs were thrown to the lions including, most famously, St Blandine. The name is derived from Lyon’s role as the ancient capital of the Three Gauls (Lugdunensis, Belgica and Aquitania) – the three provinces of Roman France. Dating from around 20 BC, this ruined amphitheatre is less heralded than its more spectacular companion at Fourvière but its age is equally as hard to comprehend. Place Sathonay, 69001 Lyon A three-minute walk Amphithéâtre des Trois GaulesĪfter a short climb up a pretty stairway from Place Sathonay, the Roman relic Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules slowly reveals itself. As well as a good place to rest one’s feet and escape the noise of the city, it has some interesting bistros – Bel Ami, a wine bar that also serves up original Franco-Spanish tapas, is one of the best. Surrounded by vibrant café terraces and usually filled with locals enjoying a gentle game of pétanque, it offers a particularly charming snapshot of French life. Time slows down in Place Sathonay, a shaded and secluded square not far from the Saône river. Located in a small, quiet square just a few minutes north of Place des Terreaux, watching the world go by with one of their generously-sized cakes is one of many indulgent reasons to visit.ģ rue de l’Abbé Rozier, 69001 Lyon, +33 4 27 01 48 71, A four-minute walk to Place Sathonay Serious about their coffee and where it comes from, this roaster and café’s coffee is all organic or sourced from farms with sustainable agricultural practices.

If summiting the hill is a little taxing early on in the day, then Mokxa is a cosy little place to stop for a caffeine boost. The summit of the hill, le plateau, has a more village-like atmosphere – and is where the Croix-Rousse Market takes place, six days a week. Once used by the silk workers to transport their goods from one place to another without being exposed to the elements, the passageways, or traboules, now act as a historic curiosity. The first is the hills (les pentes), a maze of zig-zagging streets and secret passageways, whose distinct appearance has undoubtedly contributed to a bohemian atmosphere. Croix-Rousse is divided into two separate areas. Nevertheless, the arrondissement – undoubtedly due to a lack of pressure generated by over-tourism – has been left to develop organically and embrace its quirks. Nicknamed la colline qui travaille (the hill that works), La Croix Rousse does not have the basilica or convents boasted by its its southwestern sister, Fourvière (la colline qui prie – the hill that prays). While the industry of that era is no longer, La Croix-Rousse maintains an idiosyncratic atmosphere among Lyon’s arrondissements. Perched atop a hill above the city centre, the area was home to thousands of silk workers in the 19th Century, helping the city cement its reputation as a European nexus for textiles. Though the history of Lyon stretches back over 2,000 years to its origins as a Roman settlement, its Croix-Rousse neighbourhood can be mostly defined by the last 200 years. 1 November 2019 The hardest-working neighbourhood in Lyon couples its gastronomic future with respect for an industrious past

Dom hill amphitheatre 2016