Grande-Côte ascent

The montée de la Grande-Côte

The Lyon audio-guided tour has you take the montée de la Grande-Côte, the oldest passage of the hill, which connects the bottom of the slopes to the plateau of the Croix-Rousse.

The passage of the first canuts

Lined with typical buildings of the Croix-Rousse, the montée de la Grande-Côte is the oldest passage of the hill. Some of its colourful houses date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: it is here that the first canuts lived, even before the construction of the top of the hill and its working-class district. The street was taken by the demonstrators during the revolt of the canuts in 1831, which makes it an emblematic place of the slopes. A curious detail, the numbering of the houses is done in the direction of the descent, contrary to most climbs in France, where number 1 is at the bottom of the street.

What there is to see

The montée de la Grande-Côte charms with its old colourful houses and its atmosphere laden with history, a witness of the first canuts and their struggles. To descend it slowly allows one to appreciate its charm and its details, like its unusual numbering. It is one of the most emblematic streets of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse.

Practical information

The montée de la Grande-Côte connects the bottom of the slopes to the plateau of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon. It can be walked freely on foot at all hours; sloping, it is easier to descend than to climb, to be taken into account according to your mobility.

Why is the montée de la Grande-Côte emblematic?

It is the oldest passage of the hill, where the first canuts lived, taken during the revolt of 1831.

What is curious about the numbering of the street?

It is done in the direction of the descent, contrary to most climbs in France.