1. See the city from the river in a canoe. Lyon Canoe rents out canoes and paddle boards. They also offer guided trips and paddle-board yoga.
Explore Lyon's traboule passagewaysCopyright: Delphine Castel
2. There is a network of secret passages in Vieux Lyon, in Croix-Rousse, and in the Presqu'île called 'traboules'. They are shortcuts leading via passages and internal courtyards from one street to another. Many are closed to the public, and many others are hidden by forbidding doorways. You can get a map from the Tourist Office and explore them on your own, or join one of the many guided tours on offer.
3. Tucked down a narrow alleyway, Mandragore in Vieux Lyon sells potions, swords, magic leather-bound diaries, wands, Medieval costumes and plastic skulls.
4. Look for Lyon's giant trompe l'oeil frescos and murals. The 'Fresque des Canuts' (the Silk Weavers' fresco) is the biggest in Europe. See it on the corner of Boulevard des Canuts and Rue Denfert-Rochereau in Lyon 4. (Hénon station, metro C.) The Tourist Office has maps to find all of them.
One of Lyon's trompe l'oeil frescosJulia Bidault
5. The Funiculaire de Fourvière is the same price as any other public transport journey and are a fun way to get up the hill to visit the Notre-Dame de Fourvière cathedral and the Roman 'Théâtre Antique de Lyon'. There are also fab views across the city.
The spectacular Basilique Notre-Dame de FourvièreThéophile Fournet OT Lyon
6. 'The Look' is a bar unlike any other. Killer cocktails, fading dusty flower arrangements, matt black paint, and a record player behind the bar spinning old 45s from the 70s keep people in this drinking hole until the small hours.
7. Wine doesn't come in carafes in Lyon, it comes in 'pots' which are traditionally 46cl, ie half a bottle.
8. The canuts (silk weavers) have left their mark on Lyon. Whether it's labour relations, houses, workplaces, or menus, you'll hear them mentioned all the time. They even have a museum, the 'Maison des Canuts' in Croix-Rousse.
