Lyon Holiday

The grand historic French city of Lyon is a cosmopolitan city packed full of art, culture, museums and fine restaurants.

The second largest metropolitan area in France after Paris, Lyon is home to around 1.7 million people and was originally founded in 43 BC as a Roman colony on the site of an old Gaulish settlement. The city became a communication centre in the Roman Empire and the main city of Gaul, with two emperors born there.

Lyon played an important economic role in the history of Europe and became a busy site of trade with Italy, particularly in silks. The rich history of the city has resulted in a collection of impressive buildings and monuments and there is a great deal for tourists to see in and around it.

Lyon, 462km (287 miles) southeast of Paris, is the heart of the Roman Catholic Church in France and the ornate mock-Byzantine Cathedrale de Notre Dame-de-Fourviere, with its iconic basilica, is an impressive gilt, marble and mosaic concoction with stunning views of the city from its observatory. The Cathedrale St-Jean is a confusion of architectural styles and houses an impressive astronomical clock.

The cultural capital of southern France Lyon has a host of museums, excellent theatres and some of France's finest cuisine. The charming Saint-Jean and the Croix-Rousse areas, with their pretty buildings and narrow streets have been designated Unesco World Heritage Sites and the ancient Roman theater-odeum complex and Amphitheatre des Trois Gaules are worth visiting.

During World War II, Lyon was a city divided and now houses an interesting museum of the resistance. Other museums of interest include the printing history museum and the Institut Lumiere, which charts the birth of the film industry.

The Place Bellecour is one of the largest public squares in Europe and is a delightful place to sit and watch the world go by, while the Parc de la tete d-or, the vast urban park, is a pleasant space to walk in and escape the bustle of the city.

Lyon is served by Saint-Exupery International Airport and many budget airlines are now offering flights to the south of France. Getting around Lyon is relatively easy as the city has an extensive tram and bus network in addition to its innovative public bicycle network of 2000 bikes, which can be picked up and dropped off across the city.

The city has a wealth of chic shops, excellent restaurants and bars. Accommodation is plentiful and caters for most budgets, with some impressive hotels in its older buildings. Lyon is warm and pleasant most of the year, with the busiest time at the height of the balmy summer months. The city also plays host to a number of lively festivals each year.

The capital of the Rhone-Alpes region, the area around Lyon is particularly beautiful and the city itself sits where the Rhone and Saone rivers meet. Set against two hills, Lyon is a majestic jewel in an area full of stunning valleys and mountains and is located between the famous Beaujolais and Cotes du Rhone wine-growing regions.