Stroll the narrow streets of Renaissance Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), and the arty Croix-Rousse district. Make your way up Fourvière hill to see the impressive Roman remains. On the Presqu'île (peninsula), explore the city's crowded shopping streets and beautiful main squares. Visit the gorgeous Fabrics Museum and find out about Lyon's silk tradition. Get stuck into Lyon's cosy gourmet bouchons restaurants, and nightlife from disco to opera.
Squeezed between the rivers Saône and Rhône, Lyon's Presqu'île (or peninsula) is packed with chic shopping, culture, museums and vibrant nightlife. Across the Saône you'll find charming Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), its narrow streets lined with Renaissance mansions at the foot of Fourvière hill where impressive remnants of Roman Lyon survive. Explore the covered, medieval traboules passageways that thread the steep Croix Rousse neighbourhood. Over the Rhône, on the East Bank, are arts venues, restaurants and nightlife better known to locals than visitors.
For a panoramic city view, jump on the funicular to landmark Notre-Dame Basilica on top of Fourvière hill. Close by are the fascinating Gallo-Roman Museum and ruins of the original Lyon. At the foot of the hill, visit Cathédrale St Jean, the medieval masterpiece dominating the Renaissance district of Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon). Here and in the silk-workers' old quarter, Croix-Rousse, nip through traboules, Lyon's unique, covered alleys. On the Presqu'île, Lyon's city centre, dine well at inexpensive bouchons near the beautiful main square, place des Terreaux.
Cross the River Rhône to the impressive Halles de Lyon, a huge indoor daily food market serving France's gastronomic capital. The modern, glass-fronted marketplace offers an immense range of local produce and gourmet specialities. Enjoy free tastings, or grab a bite at restaurants inside the market. In the distinctive Part-Dieu skyscraper nearby – compared to a giant pencil – is a huge stylish shopping mall, or check out the fashion in Passage Thiaffait’s Village des Créateurs in the heart of Croix-Rousse, where up-and-coming deigners exhibit their creations. While on the East Bank, join locals at fashionable bars, restaurants and nightlife in the riverside Brotteaux district.
A modern airport, Lyon St-Exupéry receives flights from about 30 countries and transports almost 8 million passengers a year - 60% of them on international flights. Often known by its former name, Satolas, the airport has excellent transport links.
