Lyon

Rambling along the Fourvière hill is a journey back through the mists of time. The Roman ruins here have been lovingly restored, notably the theatre and baths.  The hill is scattered with vestiges of the past, including fortifications. Cresting the hill is the Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière basilica and its breath-taking views of the entire city. And if you look closely, you'll spot a metal tower: the Eiffel Tower's little sister.

One of Lyon's unique, quirky features is its 500 traboules, alleyway passages that cut through entire buildings to offer walkers short-cuts. Many of them are still used and open to the public today. To experience them for yourself, you'll need to head over to Lyon's old town or the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood, home to the Cour des Voraces, the most famous traboule of them all!

Enjoy the wine-tasting experience of a lifetime in the surrounding vineyards. Coteaux-du-lyonnais, beaujolais and côte-rôtie wines are all made here. Tour the region in search of winegrowers and sellers. You’d be mad not to try some of the fantastic, world-renowned wines produced in and around Lyon.

La Commune is a food lover's paradise, just a stone’s throw from the banks of the Rhône. This attractive eatery boasts 15 small food outlets. Each one offers up high-quality dishes that you can eat on site. The chefs use regional produce for their culinary creations. The venue also organises cultural events where you can grab a lunch or dinner that’s a little bit different.

The historic La Sucrière, a renovated sugar warehouse, is now a major venue in the Confluence district of Lyon. Lots of events, including exhibitions and concerts, are held at the former docks. Sometimes they’re used for high-profile local celebrations such as the Nuits Sonores electronic music festival.

If you’d like to sample some local culinary delights, head to a ‘bouchon’, a traditional, Lyonnais café. These small eateries serve up local specialities such as brioche sausage rolls. A plain, pistachio or truffle sausage is rolled in brioche dough and then cooked in the oven. What a treat!

Praline tart is sweet and colourful and gets the taste buds going. The praline is made from almonds which are then coated in pink sugar. And they taste just as good in a brioche or tart. To make a Pink Praline Tart, you fill a pastry case with a mix of sugar, chopped almonds and cream.