Fourvieve is the hill overlooking Old Town Lyon and there are multiple ways to get to the top. You can go on foot or you can go via car or you can go with public transportations. We choose the last option and one specific mode of transportation, a funicular. There are two of them going up in different direction so we decide to take one up and the other one down.
Unfortunately it is a popular way to go up the mountain and quite busy and we have to wait a couple turns until we are able to climb to the top.
The funicular itself is quite old, built in 1900 and then refurbished in 2018. We are looking forward to the short climb up the incline and it is interesting but soon we are on the top and ready to explore.
One of the major attractions here is right next to the funicular station, the Fourvieve Basilica anchoring the plaza where we exit.
It is a huge basilica, built in the 19th century with private funds, to overlook the town. And it is quite beautifully decorated and we are curious how it looks inside.
And inside it is also surprisingly beautiful with lots of gold and filigree and other interesting details and we decide to spend some time to explore it.
You cannot go to the altar but still can get close enough to see the craftsmanship. And looking up you can see God and the apostles and other religious figures.
There is also a catacomb/underground which houses a collection of Notre Dame paintings from across the world all aranged around an altar.
There is a Madonna statue from Africa and one from Liban between others that are from the Europe or further away. We are not sure why they are here and what they represent but it is quite interesting.
Another attraction that we see from a distance is the Metallic tower of Fourvière, built for the 1894 exposition. It looks quite similar to the Eiffel Tower but on a much smaller scale.
We walk to the nearby overlook which has some great views of the city which is laid out below us. You can see both the old and the new cities, very beautiful. And then it is time to explore the Roman ruins which are described in a separate blog entry.
Returning from the Roman ruins we take a different route to the second funicular route up Fourvieve. Here we plan to take the funicular from the middle station, it is unusual for a funicular to have a middle station so we are not sure if we will even be able to find a place to sit when it will arrive.
Luckily it is quite empty, this line is not as popular as the first one, and we have a great time descending back into the town, now it is time to see the Museum of Film and Miniatures.
