As experience has taught us, the city hop on / hop off bus tour is the thing to do to introduce you to the sights of a new place. The Lyon tour started from Place Bellecour, a short tram/metro ride from our hotel.
It then took us north through some fine streets to Pl. des Terreaux and the city's opera house.
Then down to Quai Saint-Vincent, on the river to view one of the city's finest 'Murs Peints'
This mural on Rue Martinière depicts 31 famous people from in and and around the city.
It then took us over the bridge, Pont Alphonse Juin, to catch a glimpse of Vieux Lyon,the cathedral and the basilica before heading down tho the 'confluence'.
The southern part of the city's middle island, Presq’île, is the confluence of both the Saone and Rhone River. where they merge and proceed as River Rhone. Until 1995, the area was very industrial but with its decline the city hatched a plan to revitalize the area by introducing a district for modern living and contemporary architecture which gave rise to some of its most iconic buildings.
Such as the green cube, the Euronews headquarters,
'Le Cube Orange' the head office of the Cardinal real estate group,
and the very controversial 'Musée des Confluences' among others.
We then recrossed the river Saône to make our way up to the high ground and 'Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière' which we had visited the day before.
We then drove back down to the river over Pont Kœnig with a glimpse of Fort Saint-Jeanand before leaving the bus for a closer look of the painted mural and an end to the tour.
