Lyon Private Old Town and Hidden Renaissance Walking Tour

Overview

On this private walking tour through Old Lyon, discover how merchants, bankers, printers and pilgrims transformed the city into one of the great crossroads of the Renaissance. Begin at Saint-Jean Cathedral, whose Romanesque and Gothic architecture reflects centuries of prosperity and ambition. Learn how Lyon emerged as a major commercial center in the 15th and 16th centuries. Stroll through the narrow streets of Old Lyon and admire the magnificent residences built by powerful Italian families such as the Gadagne and the Gondi. Continue through the hidden traboules, the secret passageways that allowed merchants, craftsmen and residents to move goods and people through the city. Discover how Lyon also became a center of printing, scholarship and humanism. Printers, booksellers and intellectuals helped spread Renaissance ideas across Europe, making the city one of the continent's great capitals of knowledge. End your tour at the Église Saint-Georges, a peaceful and symbolic site.