The first act of a festive and popular event directly linked to the environment of the people of the Rhône-Alpes region, with over 150 activities on the banks of the river for this first Rhône et Saône festival from 1 to 3 July.
With summer just around the corner, it’s time to reconnect with France’s largest and most powerful river in the Rhône-Alpes valley.
Festival between Rhône and Saône?
This festival is a time to celebrate rivers and their virtues! For this return to the roots, there’s plenty to choose from: food, fun and dancing at the guinguettes on the banks of the Guillotière (7th arrondissement) and Île Barbe (9th arrondissement) from 1 to 3 July.
a total of 150 events are planned throughout Lyon, including introductions to a variety of water sports, games, parades, shows and even a treasure hunt on the history of water.
All residents of Lyon and visitors from neighbouring towns and cities are invited to get close to the Lyon confluence to discover all its facets, and to understand the diversity and richness at the heart of the city.
Activities and events between the Rhône and Saône
How do you find your way around the three days of entertainment?
Here’s the map and programme for the entre Rhône et Saône festival.
Map of entre Rhône et Saône
Numbering and legend of this summer festival:
The programme at the water’s edge
Would you like to take part, find out more, find out more?
Here are the times and locations to find out about the day’s activities, events and audiences, and the corresponding numbers.
- Thursday to Saturday
- from Saturday to Sunday travel exhibitions
(shuttle, metro, tranway, bus, Vaporetto)
You’ll also find 8 key answers between the Rhône and Saône rivers and other upcoming events:
Getting to the festival
To get to the festival, you can use :
- Greater Lyon public transport (French)
- The river shuttle on the Saône, the Vaporetto
- TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Inoui or Lyria trains from Switzerland
For further practical information on how to get around, see part 2 of the programme above.
Between the Rhône, Saône and Savoir?
Some figures and information about the river and its confluence:
- 140 barges are moored in Lyon, including housing, offices, associations and even… a floating chapel!
- By 2050, the flow of the Rhône could be reduced by 20 to 40%!
- “Les pieds humides” was the nickname given to Lyon’s refreshment stands, because when it rained, customers had their feet in the water! Visit them in the Parc de la Tête d’Or, Place Bellecour, Jean Macé and along the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers.
- Fly boats were invented in 1862 and built in Gerland in the La Mouche district. 5 years later, they took over the Seine at the Paris Universal Exhibition.
- The Rhône rises in the Furka glacier in the Saint-Gothard massif in the Swiss Alps.
- the Rhône covers 814 kilometres and the Saône 473 kilometres.
- Haulage was a technique whereby boats were pulled by horses from the banks. For centuries, the Saône was the main route. So it was a good idea for shops to have “pignon sur Saône“, i.e. to be directly visible from the river.
And last but not least, there’s a little cherry on the top of the hat, in the programme too: you can turn it into a boat and vice versa (page 29).
Along the Rhône
- Map of the Rhône river
- Weather along the Rhône
- Taking the train in Switzerland and France
- Where to sleep in the Rhône valley?
- River tourism map (Rhône)
- Towns along the river
- The Viarhôna, the green bike route along the Rhône river