Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Museum of Decorative Arts fills a luxurious mansion and is decorated to the
hilt with 18th-century furniture, textiles, and tapestries in a plush domestic setting. Entire
rooms from aristocratic Lyonnaise homes have been re-created, including an 18th-century
kitchen. There's plenty of china and a dazzling display of designer teakettles and coffee
servers. There is zero, zilch, nada English information in this museum.
Cost and Hours: €10, covers both museums, Tue-Sun 10:00-17:30, closed Mon,
Museum of Decorative Arts closes 12:00-14:00, 34 Rue de la Charité, Métro: Bellecour,
tel. 04 78 38 42 00, www.mtmad.fr .
Shopping and Eating on the Presqu'île
There's more to this “almost-an-island” than the sights listed here. Join the river of shop-
pers on sprawling Rue de la République (north of Place Bellecour) and the teeming Rue
VictorHugopedestrianmall(southofPlaceBellecour).SmartclothingboutiqueslineRue
PrésidentEdouardHerriot.Perusethe bouchons (characteristicbistros—especiallycharac-
teristic in the evening) of Rue Mercière.
Passage de l'Argue is an old-world covered shopping passage from the 1800s that
predates shopping malls (78 Rue Président Edouard Herriot).
Grand Café des Négociants isidealforanindoorbreak.This grandcafé, whichhas
been in business since 1864, feels like it hasn't changed since then, with its soft leather
chairs,paintedceilings,andglasschandeliers(daily,2PlaceFrancisqueRégaud,nearCor-
deliers Métro stop, tel. 04 78 42 50 05).
Away from the Center
Resistance and Deportation History Center (Centre d'Histoire de la
Résistance et de la Déportation)
Located near Vichy (capital of the French puppet state) and neutral Switzerland, Lyon was
the center of the French Resistance from 1942 to 1945. These “underground” Resistance
heroes fought the Nazis tooth and nail. Bakers hid radios inside loaves of bread to secretly
contactLondon.BarmaidspassedalongtipsfromtipsyNazis.Communistsinblackberets
cut telephone lines. Farmers hid downed airmen in haystacks. Housewives spread news
from the front with their gossip. Printers countered Nazi propaganda with anonymous
pamphlets. Without their bravery the liberation of France would not have been possible.
Cost and Hours: €4, Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon-Tue, 14 Avenue Berthelot,
tel. 04 78 72 23 11, www.chrd.lyon.fr .
Getting There: For most, the easiest way to reach the museum is to ride the Métro
to Perrache Station and transfer to the T2 tramway (cross the tram tracks after exiting the
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