Understand
[edit]The city centre of Villefranche is condensed in the old ramparts of the city. Its nerve centre is the rue Nationale where many shops are located. There are many institutions there such as the courthouse, the town hall or the sub-prefecture, and cultural buildings such as the tourist office, the Beaujolais wine area or the theater on the Place des Arts. The covered market is also nearby.
Get in
[edit]It is about 30 km north of the city of Lyon.
By plane
[edit]- 1 Villefranche train station (Gare de Villefranche-sur-Saône), 113, place de la Gare.
By car
[edit]Villefranche is bordered by the A6 motorway, which provides access from the north: Paris, Burgundy, and Alsace; and from the south: Lyon.
The A46 allows you to avoid Lyon from the south: Marseille, and Spain; from the east: Geneva, the Alps, and Italy.
Get around
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In this area, parking is regulated. Long-term parking is prohibited.
See
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- 1 Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame-des-Marais (Collégiale Notre-Dame-des-Marais). Gothic church whose 72 -meter spire dominates the city. Listed in the inventory of Historic Monuments in 1840.
- 2 Paul Dini Museum (Musée Paul Dini), Place Faubert, ☏ +33 4 74 68 33 70. W-F 11:00-18:30, Sa Su 14:00-18:30. Museum of paintings by artists from Lyon and the Rhone-Alpes region from 1875 to the present day.
- 3 Rue Nationale. Shopping street and main artery of the city. Many remarkable facades dot it.
- 4 Espace Pierres Folles (Crazy stones space), St-Jean-des-Vignes. Geological and viticultural museum and botanic garden.
- 5 La maison du terroir beaujolais, Place de l'Hôtel de ville, Beaujeu. Mar-Dec: M-Sa 10:00 – 12:30, 14:00 – 18:00; Su holidays 10:00 – 12:30, 15:00 – 18:00; Jul Aug: closes at 19:00. Visitor centre and exhibition space.