Parc Sutter: a hanging garden on the Croix-Rousse slopes
Nestled on the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon's 1st arrondissement, Parc Sutter is a public garden that plays with the hill's relief. You enter from the north via Rue de Vauzelles and from the south via Place du Lieutenant-Morel. Between these two entrances there is a real change in level to cross, in a leafy, tucked-away setting. A neighbourhood garden with a peaceful atmosphere, ideal for a green break in the heart of the slopes.
A garden that follows the slope
Parc Sutter owes its charm to its setting on the slopes of the Croix-Rousse. You enter from the north, via Rue de Vauzelles, or from the south, via Place du Lieutenant-Morel, crossing a garden that follows the hill's relief. This change in level gives the place a particular character: rather than a plain flat square, it is a gently sloping walk, with viewpoints that reveal themselves as you go down or up. A small garden, but full of character.
A green break on the slopes
The slopes of the Croix-Rousse are a maze of streets, stairways and small gardens, and Parc Sutter is one of them. It is a tucked-away green space, often discovered by chance and appreciated by locals for its calm. People come to sit, catch their breath and let their gaze drift over the greenery, away from the bustle of the nearby city centre. It is the kind of garden where you quickly feel like a local, in that hillside atmosphere that makes the Croix-Rousse so singular.
On the trail of the traboules
Parc Sutter makes most sense as a stage in an exploration of the Croix-Rousse slopes. The district is explored on foot, through the traboules, stairways and squares that punctuate the hill, and a garden like this offers a welcome breather between two climbs. You can combine it with a look at Place Bellevue or the climb up to the plateau and its market. It is one of those small treasures that make you want to linger, far from the classic tourist routes.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Parc Sutter?
On the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon's 1st arrondissement. Access is from the north via Rue de Vauzelles and from the south via Place du Lieutenant-Morel.
What makes it special?
Its relief: it is a sloping garden, following the Croix-Rousse hill between its two entrances. You cross it like a small walk on a gradient, in a tucked-away atmosphere.
What to combine it with?
With a walk through the Croix-Rousse slopes: traboules, stairways, Place Bellevue, then the climb up to the plateau and its market. It is an ideal green break on that route.
Wikimedia Commons — Thomas ZILLIOX · Wikimedia Commons — Romainbehar
