Join Us in France · Sunday, August 16, 2026
Mikayla Sibner explains Lyon's traboules, secret passageways between buildings, which were historically used to bypass streets and move goods efficiently. Annie Sargent notes that many are now marked and accessible during specific hours, forming a key part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Vieux Lyon.
“So les traboules are secret passageways between buildings, and you basically enter one end. You walk into a random door. Well, not random, they're clearly marked.”
“It was a way of bypassing having to go and snake around from street to street. It was a way to go directly to the river or to take merchandise without having to go back and forth, and these are very, very long streets, so having those shortcuts was really helpful.”
“There's an agreement with the co-owners association of the buildings with the city. So, for the ones that are open, there are specific hours that it is open for.”