The centre of Lyon is the
Presqu'île
, or "peninsula", the
tongue of land between the rivers Saône
and Rhône, just north of their
confluence. Most of it lies within
the 2e
arrondissement , but
it's known by its
quartiers ,
which include
Bellecour ,
around the central square, and
Perrache
around the station. At the top end
of the Presqu'île, as the Saône
veers west, is the 1er
arrondissement
, known as
Terreaux , centred
on place des Terreaux and the Hôtel
de Ville. On the west bank of the Saône
is the old town, or
Vieux Lyon
, at the foot of Fourvière, on
which the Romans built their capital
of Gaul, Lugdunum. Vieux Lyon is
made up of three villages: St-Paul,
St-Jean and St-Georges, and forms
the eastern end of the 5e
arrondissement
. The 9e lies to its north.
To the north of the Presqu'île
is the old silk-weavers' district of
La Croix-Rousse , the 4e arrondissement
. Modern Lyon lies east of
the Rhône, with the 7e and 8e arrondissements
to the south, the 3e arrondissement
in the middle, with La Part-Dieu
TGV station amidst an assertive
cultural and commercial centre, and
the 6e arrondissement , known
as Brotteaux , to the north.
North of Brotteaux is Lyon's main
open space, the Parc de la Tête
d'Or . The district of Villeurbanne
, home to the university and the Théâtre
National Populaire, lies east of the
6e and the park.
