France's second city, Lyon lies at the crossroads between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean and has always been a prosperous city. The capital of the Gauls benefits from a high level of infrastructure and high-tech industry and has developed into an international city with a flourishing tourism industry. It is difficult to resist this decidedly beautiful city which has the added attraction of being close to the ski resorts of the Alps...
Lugdunum, its Roman name, was already a strategically-positioned commercial centre on the Rhône controlling trade between North and South. During the Renaissance, the capital of the Gauls, located in the Kingdom of Burgundy in the Middle Ages, became an important financial centre with prosperous industries, including silk, which made Lyon famous. Today Lyon is at the heart of a metropolis of 1.7 million inhabitants and is an important centre for the mechanical, pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. As well as being an important air hub linking all the great European cities, Lyon has several flourishing business districts: La Part-Dieu, Lyon Confluence and the Cité Internationale. Host to many major events, the city is also an important tourist destination, thanks to its preserved character.
Listed by UNESCO, Lyon comprises many major sites such as Saint-Jean Cathedral, the renowned Fourvières Basilica, the Roman Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls as well as the majestic squares of Bellecour or Place des Terreaux. Among its major events you will find the Festival of Lights, which draws more than 4 million spectators each year, and the bi-annual Dance Festival. Birthplace of the founders of photography, the Frères Lumière, Lyon pays homage to the cinema with numerous festivals. Lyon is also a gastronomic town with its famous bouchon restaurants where you can taste quenelles, pork scratchings and gratins of cardoons downed with Beaujolais or Côtes du Rhône, all served on a chequered tablecloth!
For a comprehensive guide to this destination, visit lyon-france.com
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Lyon Airport
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