Lyon travel guide

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Lyon, also known as Liyon in Arpetan, is a city in east-central France in the region Rhône-Alpes. Lyon is the second-largest French urban area, the first being Paris and the third Marseille. It is a major center of business, situated between Paris and Marseille, and has a reputation as the French capital of gastronomy. The local professional football team, Olympique Lyonnais, has increased the profile of Lyon internationally through participation in European football championships. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais.

Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Lyon is also a major industrial center specializing in chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. Lyon was historically known as the silk capital of the world. The city is known as the culinary capital of France. It also hosts numerous international headquarters like Interpol, Euronews, International Agency for Research on Cancer or Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon. The city is known for its historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fast Facts

→ Sightseeing
Some of the enthralling places, not to be missed in Lyon include the Place Bellecour, which is a large plaza located centrally in the city. It is indeed the largest clear square without any patches of greenery, trees or any other kind of obstacles in entire Europe. Sainte Marie de La Tourette is a Dominican priory, which was designed by the famous architect Le Corbusier. Constructed between 1956 and 1960, La Tourette is deemed to be one of the most important buildings of the late Modernist style.

The Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière is a World Heritage site in Lyon, the sight of which is mesmerizing. Moreover, don’t forget to visit the Saint-Jean and the Croix-Rousse areas, which are known for their narrow passageways (traboules) that pass through buildings and link the streets on either side. These were also designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998.

→ Dining
Lyon is acclaimed as the gastronomy capital of France. The title has been endowed to the city due to the fact that many of France's finest chefs reside here and in the neighboring regions. Moreover, the two of France's best known wine - growing regions are also located near Lyon, i.e. the Beaujolais towards North, and the Côtes du Rhône towards South. The visitors have ample opportunity to pamper themselves with delicious French delicacies at some of the finest and traditional restaurants here. The Bouchons are famous here, which are cordial restaurants serving local dishes and wines.

→ Cultural Landmarks
The city of Lyon is a cultural center since ancient times. Cinema is almost synonymous with the city as it was invented by the Lumière brothers in 1895. The Musée Lumière showcases many their first inventions, which can be viewed by enthusiasts. Apart from this, the church of Saint Francis of Sales is also one of the most visited sites due to its large and unaltered Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ. Lyon is also known for its unique and traditional painting style of "trompe l'œil", which is quite evident around the city. Another intriguing spot in the city is the African Museum of Lyon. It is one of the oldest museums developed in Lyon.



Entertainment

• ART AND CULTURE
Lyon is one of the most famous cities in France for its artistic and cultural activity. The capital of Gaul, the contemporary city has succeeded in gracefully combining ancient and modern components, and has earned the classification of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can explore the celebrated old neighborhoods of Lyon, enjoy the city's museums, artistic and historical, and search through the many libraries or take in the great variety of educational attractions.

• THEATER & DANCE
There are many stages for theater and dance performances in Lyon, which are usually well-appreciated and frequented by the population. The best-known are the Theâtre des Jeunes Annees, the Theâtre National Populaire, the Maison de la Danse, the Theâtre des Celestins, and the Theâtre de la Croix-Rousse.

• NIGHTCLUBS AND SHOWS
There are many places to go out at night and have fun in the town with your companions. There are excellent evenings to be had at Duplex, Eden Rock, or the Republique. The atmosphere of these nightspots is young and energetic.

Of course there are also places for more intense partying or drinking. The rue Sainte Catherine is unbeatable for mythic nights. Bars line the street, creating an energetic buzz all night. Start at Ayers Rock and keep moving down the street for an intense evening! A final suggestion for the night: varied bars and pubs follow each other from Saint-Jean to Vaise along the Saône riverside. Cruise through to find an appealing one.

• SPORTS
Lyon has something to offer the sports lovers with the Gerland stadium for the Olympique Lyonnais and the Astroballe for ASVEL Basket. It also has many other stadiums, gymnasiums, and sports cafes, notably the Victoire.



Food

France is undoubtedly one of the most gastronomical countries in the world. And among the world’s major culinary capitals, Lyon is certainly one of the most important. After all, who has not heard of beaujolais or of Lyon’s famous quenelles?

Thanks to its geographical position, Lyon has served as a meeting point for many different culinary influences over the years. Côtes du Rhône and Beaujolais wines are a permanent feature of the Lyon restaurant table. It is not for nothing that Lyon is called the city of three rivers: theRhône, the Saône and the Beaujolais! Even if the city’s restaurants give local specialties more than their fair share of attention, particularly when it comes to poultry and cooked meats, the fact that Lyon is a large regional capital means it can offer a wide selection of exotic restaurants, reflecting the diversity of contemporary France.

As for cafés and bistros, Lyon boasts numerous establishments from the simple, traditional bistro to the super-modern bar. It should be added that France and particularly the Lyon region have the highest rate of cafés per head in the whole of Europe!



Shopping

Lyon is a real shopper’s paradise. The most attractive and practical shopping streets are to be found in the area of the Presqu’île. At its heart, you will find Rue Victor Hugo and Rue de la République. Here you can admire a variety of attractive shops and find the big department stores like Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and Habitat. At the golden triangle, formed by the Rue Emile Zola, Rue Gasparin and Rue Président Herriot, the elegant 19th century buildings make an appropriate setting for the fashionable and luxury boutiques frequented by an international clientele (Cartier, Hermès, Lacroix, Vuitton).

If you are in search of antique furniture and objects, visit the Rue Auguste Comte and the Antique Dealer’s Market (Cité des Antiquaires). For furniture and home decoration stores, the best place to go is Cours de la Liberté. Part-Dieu is the Europe’s largest town-centre shopping mall with its 260 stores.



Activities

◊ The Fourvière Festival in July : - Operas and plays in a roman archaeological site.

◊ The Vienne Jazz Festival : - (24 km from Lyon) in June and July.

◊ Biennial Dance Festival.

◊ The Tête d’Or Park : - Free zoological garden with African plains, botanical greenhouses, boats and pedalos on the lake and cycle track.

◊ Cycle path along the banks of the River Rhone with self-service rent-a-bikes available opposite the CIEF.



Local Transport

♦ By Metro
Lyon’s metro and bus systems are interconnected and you can get to most places in the city with one, daily ticket. Tickets can be used on metro trains, trams, buses and funicular railways, with the metro running from 05:00 to midnight and buses finishing at about 20:00. The metro system itself is spotless and boasts 40 stations and four separate lines. The funiculars run to the Roman theatres and Basilica.


♦ Taxis
There are a number of reputable taxi firms in Lyon that can be called and booked or hailed from any street for travel to destination where there is no metro, bus or tram line, or if visitors prefer the convenience of taxi travel. Make sure the meter is reset on entering the vehicle and that it is on during the journey; drivers do not expect tips.


♦ By Bus
The bus system in Lyon is part of the city’s metro/bus combination. The main bus station is located at Lyon Perrache railway station, which is just to the south of the city centre.


♦ By Bicycle

Lyon is fairly biker-friendly and there is now a public bicycle service available to travellers in the city, where they can pick up a bike and register their credit card at one place and drop the bike off at another place elsewhere in the city.



Getting Around

• Air : - Flights to and from of European cities land at Aéroport Lyon-St-Exupéry which is 25km (16mi) east of the city. Satobus links the airport with the city centre every 20 minutes between 05:00 or 06:00 to 24:00.
• Rail : - Lyon has two mainline train stations: Gare de la Part-Dieu (metro Part-Dieu), 1.5km east of the Rhône, which handles long-haul trains; and Gare de Perrache (metro Perrache), a stop for many long-distance and regional trains. Destinations served by frequent, direct, high-speed TGV trains include Paris' Gare de Lyon (2hr), Lille-Europe (3.75hr), Nantes (4.5hr), Beaune (2.25hr), Dijon (2.75hr) and Strasbourg (5.25hr).