Discover Lyon
Surprising, unexpected, visionary, human, creative and daring... everyone takes away his own image of Lyon, a city that is now making its mark as one of the most attractive in Europe. A city of two parts, like its rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, and its twin hills - Fourvière “the hill that prays”, and Croix-Rousse “the hill that works” - proud of its monuments, which live happily alongside some highly contemporary buildings, Lyon’s contrasts captivate and excite its guests. Intimate and open, mysterious and radiant, impetuous and nonchalant, its gently offers up its soul and its treasures as you stroll through its streets, down the maze of “traboules” (narrow alleyways) up its slopes and along its bustling quays.
Lyon is the city of the famous “bouchons” (small family restaurants), the capital of gastronomy, at the crossroads of world-famous wine regions, listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the city that invented the silk loom and the cinema, a fashionable city that invites you to stroll, relax and enjoy some unforgettable moments.
Extending out from the hyper-centre, south of the Peninsula, between the Saône and the Rhône, the Confluence, bordered by rivers and wooded hillsides, has entered a phase of change. Today it’s the major urban development project in the Lyon conurbation and one of Europe’s biggest city-centre operations, as it is aiming to double the current capacity of the historic centre. A place with a purpose, it offers a series of large, innovative spaces that literally bring the countryside into the city. Here, Lyon has conquered its rivers. The south side of the Peninsula is a magnificent natural opening and the Confluence is now growing under the High Environmental Quality label. Here, the city harmoniously combines the energy of an urban hyper-centre with the balance of a district in which everything is accessible.
