The apartment is in a building from the 1550s, and while it has been modernized and made nicely functional, we appreciated that we could see the amazing old masonry and carpentry where it had been left tastefully original. The stairs up to the apartment are dismal and dank, but it's kind of fun because you feel like you're in an old castle. There are some smells here and there we could have lived without, especially something in the bedroom that some potpourri was trying to cover, but it was minor for us. The walk up the block to the apartment was quite difficult for us, but we're a couple in our seventies and no athletes. Overall, we think this apartment is a wonderful headquarters for experiencing the fantastic old Lyon neighborhood.