☰Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière

The white Byzantine-Romanesque basilica crowning Fourvière Hill, built in the late 19th century as a votive offering for the city's deliverance from plague (and, later, from Prussian invasion). The interior is a jewel-box of polychrome mosaics and gilded chapels. The real reason to come up is the panoramic view over Lyon from the esplanade — on clear days the Alps and even Mont Blanc are visible 200 km to the east. Take the steep funicular from Vieux Lyon up, walk down through the old Roman theatre ruins.