About Lyon
Lyon is a city in central east of France. It is the third largest city in France after Paris and Marseilles. It has played a significant role in the history of France and continues to do so. It is a growing industrial area where there are factories of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biotech. It is also a major hub for business as it is situated between Paris and Marseilles. Lyon also serves as the religious capital for the Roman Catholic Church. It forms the second largest metropolitan city after Paris. Lyon functions as a capital for both the Rhone Department and the region of Rhone-Alpes. Lyon has fantastic historical sites and monuments and has earned a place in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lyon is also known as the silk capital as it is a centre of the fashion industry. It also serves as the international headquarters of the EuroNews and Interpol. Lyon was founded by Lucius Munatius Plancus as a Roman colony in 43 BC. The founder was a lieutenant to Julius Ceasar. Since Lyon was geographically well placed, it soon became the natural communication hub. It also had a confluence of two rivers therefore it became a great navigation place. This way the city grew in importance.
Attractions in Lyon
Lyon has interesting museums that you can visit. Considering the rich history of Lyon, the archaeological museums and the Museum of Miniatures display amazing artifacts that you do not see every day. The Museum of Fine Arts is considered the best in France. It is situated in an abbey of 7000 square meters and it offers an overview of all the art forms of Greece and Egypt till the present day. Since Lyon also manufactured silk in large amounts you can visit the Textile Museum. It is located in a 17th century Villeroy Mansion. The Lumeire Institute might be of interest to you if you are a big cinema fan. The Lumeire brothers were the first ones to make a film in Lyon.
Transport in Lyon
By train
There are two train stations in central Lyon, Part-Dieu and Perrache. There is a third station at Lyon Saint Exupery Airport. The TGV trains depart for Paris for every two and a half hours from the Part-Dieu station. You can reach London in five hours via the Eurostar.
By air
The Lyon Saint Exupery airport is about twenty five kilometres from the centre of the town. You can get to the airport by using the excellent rail links. You could also take the shuttle bus to reach Lyon from the airport. These buses stop at various train stations.
Things to do in Lyon
Sightseeing in Lyon will give you a peek into the history of Lyon. You can see the roman ruins and visit the exquisite hotels. The food in Lyon is par excellence and it has number of restaurants where you can enjoy the local dishes as well as the specialities of France. It is more popular than Paris in terms of restaurants and cuisines. The Roman theatres are one of the most popular sightseeing spots.
Popularity: 2% [?]
July 9th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Sounds like it might be worth a trip - no too far from the UK via eurotunnel