Lyon: Croix-Rousse Underground Tour｜France

From the bottom of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, I take you on a discovery of a Lyon that is less restrained, less polished, and much more surprising. We will gradually ascend through stairways, traboules, painted walls, and discreet places to explore the underground side of the neighborhood. Here, history is not only found in the monuments: it is also inscribed in the transformed facades, the former uses of the buildings, the galleries, the wastelands, the graphic signs, and the repurposing of urban space.

Along the way, I will show you how the slopes tell a story that is simultaneously working-class, artistic, rebellious, and deeply urban. We will observe the street art, the architecture, and the traces of the district's reinvention, but also quieter, almost hidden places, including an abandoned church that gives the route a unique atmosphere. Between anecdotes, the history of the city, visual culture, and an understanding of the area, this tour offers an alternative way to discover Lyon: more free, more tangible, more attentive to what escapes the hurried gaze.