Lyon

Lyon, France

Lyon blends 2000 years of Roman and Gallic history with today’s youthful, intellectual attitude amid colleges, museums and galleries. Think Paris with less pretense.

In France, where gastronomy is a revered art, Lyon shines with 1000+ restaurants. Authentiques Bouchons Lyonnais prepare regional tablier de sapeur, salade lyonnaise or cervelle de canut .

Celebrity chefs, Paul Bocuse, Alain Chapel and Nicolas le Bec offer elegant restaurants here. Bocuse's premier l'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, bears Michelin Guide’s coveted 3-stars. His brasseries offer more affordable dining. Try local Beaujolais or Côtes-du-Rhône wines.

Le Grand Tour Bus allows hop on and off privileges with commentary. For memorable souvenirs, consider gastronomical books from Badiane gourmet bookstore, cooking school and cuisine-centered gallery.

Adjacent Museums of Fabrics and Decorative Arts trace Lyon’s silk industry. Maison des Canuts Museum delineates silk weaving techniques. 200 years after first satirizing deplorable Canut working conditions, Guignol, the rebellious yet adorable puppet show, remains popular today.

At Café Cousu, rub elbows with designers creating unique garments in Village des Créateurs. 150+ Trompe l´oeil walls include The Silk Weavers’ Mural on Rue Denfert Rochereau. City-wide cinema mania includes six film festivals, Lumière and Film Set Museums.

Lyon reveres its architects and architecture, including Gillet’s bird-shaped airport, Le Crayon (pencil) Credit Lyonnais tower, Calatrava’s train station, the National Opera House’s strange conglomeration and Gallo-Roman theaters still hosting concerts.

Enjoy elegant Cartier, Hermès, and Vuitton shopping at the Golden Triangle and stunning night lighting at the renovated Place des Terreaux which features Bartholdi’s fountain.