A passage through buildings linking streets

Lyon Traboules Quiz: Secret Passageways of Vieux Lyon

This Lyon traboules quiz slips through the secret passages of France's silk city. Play 10 interactive questions on the Latin roots of the word traboule, Renaissance Vieux Lyon, the Long Traboule, the Tour Rose, silk workers called canuts, the Cour des Voraces stairway, the canut revolts, Resistance fighters in World War II and the Festival of Lights.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which French city is famous for traboules?
What
What is a traboule?
Word
From which Latin idea does traboule come?
Quarter
Which old quarter has many Renaissance traboules?
Silk
Which workers used traboules to carry cloth?
Hill
Which hill was home to the silk weavers?
Stairs
Which courtyard has a grand open staircase?
Revolts
When did the canut revolts take place?
War
Who used traboules in World War II?
Lights
Which December festival lights up Lyon?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which French city is famous for traboules?
Answer: Lyon
It lies where two rivers meet.
Q2: What is a traboule?
Answer: A passage through buildings linking streets
Many pass through courtyards.
Q3: From which Latin idea does traboule come?
Answer: Passing through
It is from trans-ambulare.
Q4: Which old quarter has many Renaissance traboules?
Answer: Vieux Lyon
It is on the Saône's west bank.
Q5: Which workers used traboules to carry cloth?
Answer: Silk weavers called canuts
They kept silk dry from rain.
Q6: Which hill was home to the silk weavers?
Answer: Croix-Rousse
Tall windows lit their looms.
Q7: Which courtyard has a grand open staircase?
Answer: Cour des Voraces
It is linked to workers' revolts.
Q8: When did the canut revolts take place?
Answer: The 1830s
Silk workers protested low pay.
Q9: Who used traboules in World War II?
Answer: Resistance fighters
They helped people escape patrols.
Q10: Which December festival lights up Lyon?
Answer: Festival of Lights
Families put candles in windows.

Secret Passages of France's Silk City

Lyon is famous for traboules, passageways that cut through buildings and courtyards to link one street with another. The word comes from the Latin for passing through. Many are in Vieux Lyon, the Renaissance quarter on the west bank of the Saône, including the Long Traboule running through several courtyards.

On the Croix-Rousse hill, silk weavers called canuts worked at tall looms. Traboules let them carry finished silk down to merchants while staying sheltered from rain. In the 1830s the canuts rose up in revolts over low pay, and the Cour des Voraces, with its monumental open staircase, is linked to this history.

In World War II, Resistance fighters used traboules to slip away from patrols. Some passages are open to visitors at set times, with residents asking for quiet. Each December, Lyon's Festival of Lights sees families place candles in windows while artists light up buildings across the city.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

What traboules are
Where they are found
Who used them
Which events they witnessed
How Lyon celebrates today

Did You Know?

Lyon's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Tour Rose is a pink tower in a Vieux Lyon courtyard.
Lyon is famous for its bouchon restaurants.
Funicular railways climb to Fourvière.
Murals on Lyon's walls show famous locals.