Ile Barbe is a small island in the Saone at the northern edge of Lyon, older and quieter than the city's grand central set pieces. Its name means 'barbarian island', and its history reaches back to an early monastery, traces of which still give the place a slightly removed, contemplative mood.
You do not come for a packed checklist. The island is best folded into a riverside walk or cycle ride through the northern neighbourhoods, with old stone, water views, and a sense of Lyon tapering into village-like calm.