Lyon, in the deepest part of the Rhône valley, has a proud gastronomic tradition. The city centre is on the Presqui'île, a peninsula bounded by the Saône and Rhône rivers. On the westen bank of the Saône, Vieux Lyon is sandwiched between the river and the hill top area of Fourvière.
The city has been registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO as, in addition to its Romanesque and religious heritage, the city's various districts are dotted throughout with many magnificent monuments. There are two Roman theatres that stood on the Fourvière hillside which were built on the site where Lugdunum (as Lyon was first known) was founded in 43 BC. The larger of the two theatres is the oldest in France. The remains of a district which housed artisans can also be seen.
The Vienne Roman Theatre was abandoned since the time of Emperor Constantin at the beginning of the 4th Century, and buried until 1922. Since the end of the war, the famous Jazz à Vienne festival takes place in the theatre every summer.
The Cathedral of St Jean is well worth a visit, as are the Roman remains of the city and the Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine.
Lyon has many areas in which to relax right in the heart of the city, with parks, terraced gardens and squares with cool fountains, as well as the quays of the Rhone and the Saône, outdoor sports areas and cycle paths.
The Alps have demanded much of France's engineers and some of the roads and railways are themselves tourist attractions. Notable examples include the 9km (6 mile) steam locomotive run from La Rochette to Poncharra (about 40km/24 miles from Grenoble); and the 32km (19 mile) track from Saint-Georges-de-Commiers to la Mira (near Grenoble), with 133 curves, 18 tunnels and 12 viaducts.
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Tour Métallique ~ a grey metal structure, similar to the Eiffel Tower, offers spectacular views of the city. The easiest way up is to take the funicular from Vieux Lyon. Note: The lift inside the structure is no longer unseable.
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Place des Terreaux ~ The centrepiece is a fountain, sculpted by Batholdi, the creator of the Statue of Liberty.
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Vieux Lyon ~ The cobbled streets and medieval and renaissance houses are well worth viewing.
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Cathédral St-Jean ~ Built between the 11th and 16th centuries.
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Musée dex Beaux Artes ~ On display are sculptures and paintings from every period of European art, the best collection outside of Paris.
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Le Gros Caillou ~ The Great Stone. Geologists speculate that the rock was left behind after the Ice Age during the Jurassic period, and was discovered by tunnel workers in 1890.
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Roman Theatres ~ There are two Roman theatres on the Fourvière hillside as well as the theatre at Vienne.
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Shopping ~ Stretching across the entire Presqu'île is where you will find a lot of well-known stores, but if you're looking for exotic purchases, the stores in Vieux Lyon offer a superb selection of traditional art and craft objects and textiles from around the world with the perfume of incense in the air. The glass-roofed Part-Dieu retail centre is one of the largest in Europe, with 260 shops and department stores, including Galeries Lafayette, and for those looking for something unusual, Passage Thiaffait on the Croix Rousse slopes is Lyon's little Soho in the historical district abandoned by the silk producers.
