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History of silk in Lyon

Guided tours
History of silk in Lyon

The Croix-Rousse district is known for its numerous stairways and passages, and boats a rich past intimately related ton Lyon's silk industry.

If you already know about the canuts, let us tell you about the soyeux

These 'middlemen' played a commercial role in the business providing the canuts with the raw materials they needed for the weaving process.

As they lived mainly at the bottom of the slopes, the canuts had to walk down through the covered traboules to deliver the fruits of their labour, and to submit their fabric for inspection.

During a tour that wille take you from the banks of the Rhône to the bancks of the Saône, take a short cut through the traboules to discover the religious orders and influential families of soyeux.


THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS VISIT

You will be able to discover during this guided tour

  • An opportunity to 'trabouler' without too many stairs
  • The history of silk in Lyon
  • Some of the most beautiful traboules at the bottom of the slopes of Croix-Rousse

The guides

Delphine Delphine

Hej, hallo, hello, bonjour I'm Delphine, one of the twenty or so lecturing guides that work for the Guides' Bureau.Our service is incredibly rich: we all have our own profiles, our own interests, our own areas of study and our own favourite type of public.

And we all have one thing in common: LYON

What I love is the variety of its districts and their architecture, the wealth and diversity of its history and the Men who built it, the beauty of its monuments, particularly the light reflected from the façades that border the Saône early in the morning or at the end of the day; it's a trip in itself!

So after language studies which took me to live in Denmark and Germany, I returned to Lyon to work as a guide to lift the veil on "Myrelingues la Brumeuse"* and to share my enthusiasm with you who have come here to discover it or immerse yourself in it. (*title of a book by Claude le Marguet, set in 1536 in Lyon)

Paa gensyn, bis bald, see you soon, à bientôt !

Laurence Laurence

All I need is a sturdy pair of shoes and a good hat, and I'm ready to take you on a "voyage through our city" I'll be delighted to take you on a discovery tour of our "landmark" sights as well as my own favourites.

In other words, I'd like to help you gain insight into the soul of our city! And on the way, I'll tell you all about the history and art of our UNESCO-listed capital.

Jérôme Jérôme

During tours, people often ask me if I'm a student. I'm too old for that. I'm a historian without the qualifications. I'm an architect without the diploma. But I was born in Lyon, and I enjoy helping members of the public discover this city which is a lot more than just a row of lovely façades.

You have to get a feel for the substance of the past, the depth of roots, the art of construction, the relation with light, the appeal of good food, one's relationship with a site, and the diversity of the different areas.

What you see counts of course, but as far as I'm concerned, a tour is only successful when people have had a good time, when I've managed, throughout the tour, to take them behind the scenes, to give them a sense of how people lived in those days and how we live in the city today.

I'm often delighted to hear people say they want to come back and spend more time here.

Anneliese Anneliese

Lyon has been my city of adoption for several decades now, so as a polyglot with a lovely Austrian accent to boot and a passion for Lyon, I'm here to take you on a discovery tour of the city and its surrounding areas.

I'll be delighted to guide you through this great city, from Roman times to the 21st century!

Claude Claude

Lyon adopted me 34 years ago and I love it!

Studying languages and the history of art as well as having a passion for history determined my career as a lecturing guide.

Although I moved to Lyon by chance, I must admit I love this city and feel happy here!

I love Lyon for its past and present that combine and merge in the melting pot of history, and are also apparent in its incredible vitality that many city's envy!

I adore the uniqueness of Lyon… its glorious Roman past which archaeologists never tire of revisiting, as well as Vieux-Lyon, its Renaissance area (second only to Venice) and its secret and mysterious traboules.

My love for Lyon also resides in my love of food, as this world capital of gastronomy boasts a record of one restaurant for 294 people!

I love Lyon for its culture, its biennials and its museums which are the stuff dreams are made of!

So many reasons that explain why I'm so very attached to Lyon and wouldn't leave it for an empire..., as far as I'm concerned, it's ONLY LYON!

Magali Magali

The decision to change my choice of studies to the History of Art at university, then to attend the School of Art and Communication was an obvious choice.

I completed by studies with a diploma to be a lecturing guide, which is an essential prerequisite when training to be a guide…

Having always lived between Rhône and Saône, I love travelling the length and breadth of Lyon. With each new viewpoint, I add new touches to my internal painting of its landscape.

In a city that lies at the crossroads of so many different influences, I never tire of going from one area to another, experiencing the change of century, architecture and atmosphere.

Discovering Lyon, is also about meeting the locals, past and present, that have marked the city, and to whom we owe our heritage, our particular characteristics, our "lyonnitude".

Bénédicte Bénédicte

My tours invite you to view the city like a tightrope walker balancing between light-heartedness and knowledge, gastronomy and architecture, silk and alchemy, football and botany, cinema and historic periods... And many other subjects that are the essence of Lyon.

Although I'm interested in the world in general, I chose to return to the city where I grew up, not to work but to pursue a passion: guiding visitors through Lyon, my home town. I will take you on a trip through time, from past to future, in a city where you can never be bored, and where there's something of interest for every generation. .

So if you want to discover the different areas in Lyon like a real little "gone" (street urchin), don't hesitate to follow me! I've worn out many pairs of trainers in the traboules and on the slopes of the three hills, I'm acquainted with Guignol's entire repertoire, and know where you can enjoy the best mâchons.

If you're interested, I'll be waiting under the horse's tail!

Charlotte Charlotte

Originally from the countryside surrounding Lyon, I went travelling around the world before returning to Lyon, which many French people rate as the most beautiful city in France, except for their home town of course!

As a child, I always associated Lyon with the zoo in Tête d’Or Park, with its bear, elephants, lions and other animals. Later on, as an apprentice archaeologist in Fourvière, I discovered the city’s history and heritage.

I hope to share my passion for art and history with you during your stay and take you back through time as you discover the birth of this great city in the traboules (hidden passageways) of Vieux-Lyon (Old Lyon), imagine the sounds of the silk looms on the slopes of Croix-Rousse hill (where the silk industry once thrived), and learn about Lyon through its painted walls in the city centre. In short, I want to share my love for the city!

From Fourvière Basilica to the museums in the Presqu’île district, I know how to get children interested in history and heritage, without forgetting the parents of course! My tours are lively and dynamic, so you can feel the heartbeat of my city and feel at home.

Far away from Lyon, my specialism at university was Egyptology, and my second passion is Japan: once you get me started on these subjects it’s difficult to stop me!

Véronique Véronique

When seeking to share Lyon's heritage with people, I like to broach the question from the viewpoint of technical skills and know-how, and even economy, whether it's architecture and town planning, or vineyards and gastronomy.

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As low as

25 people

maximum per group

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Location
& practical information

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Duration

2h visit

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Type

Guided tour on foot

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Meeting place

In front of the Opera house, Place de la Comédie - Lyon 1st

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Access

Metro A > Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel

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