Lyon, France Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lyon_ville_d_eau.JPG Author: Babinet Damien
Lyon is a city in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, on the east-central part of the country. Lyon itself has a population of around 470,000 but together with surrounding suburbs and satellite towns, the Lyon metropolitan region is the second most populous in France after Paris, with 1.4 million people. Lyon was the silk capital of the world, and the inner city of Lyon is today a World Heritage Site, in recognition of its rich historical landmarks.
Lyon is located near the convergence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. The city center is located on a peninsula, or Presquîle between the two rivers. To the west of the city is Fourvière, a hill with the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviè, along with the palace of the Archbishop of Lyon, and Tour métallique, a television tower that looks like the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Lyon is located in the borderline between Oceanic and Humid Subtropical climates. The warmest months are July and August while the coldest are January and February. The heaviest rains fall in May, June, September and October, with May having the most number of rainy days.
Lyon on Google Maps Street View
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Basilique_de_Fourvi%C3%A8re_from_Saone_%28Lyon%29.jpg Author: Jonathan Martz
Going to Lyon
By Plane
Saint-Exupéry Airport is located 25 km to the east of downtown Lyon. It is connected by regular scheduled flights to a number of cities in Europe. EasyJet flies there from London and Berlin. The transportation between the airport and Lyon city center is still rather slow. From the airport, you can take a bus service called Satobus to downtown. The journey takes 30-50 minutes and costs €8.60. When buying your ticket, it is cost-saving to get a return ticket. Taxis will cost you around €50.
By Train
Getting a train is probably the most convenient way to reach Lyon, especially if you have already arrived in France. (Moreover, the transport from airport to Lyon is so slow.) There are three railway stations in Lyon. The Perrache station is located near the city centre, and is the station to take if you are staying somewhere downtown. The Part-Dieu station is in the heart of the main business district. Both stations are served by the TGV express train from Paris. Then there's the railway station at Saint-Exupéry which services the airport.
You can take the TGV from Paris in 2 hours, and from Marseille in 1 hour 45 minutes.
Place Bellecour, Lyon Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lyon_Place_Bellecour.JPG Author: Welleschik
Most of the major attractions in Lyon can be visited on foot. The public transport provider in Lyon is TCL, which has the reputation of being one of the most efficient in France. The TCL manages the Metro (subway), the trams and the buses.
There are four subway lines in Lyon. Line A from Perrache to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, Line B from Charpennes to Stade de Gerland, Line C from Hôtel de Ville to Cuire and Line D from Gare de Vaise to Gare de Vénissieux.
There are also four tram lines in Lyong, T1 to T4. However, they are more useful to reach the campuses and suburbs.
There are 100 bus lines, including electric buses.
Central courtyard of the Hôtel de ville in Lyon Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monuments_historiques_in_Lyon#mediaviewer/File:Cour_Haute_H%C3%B4tel_de_Ville_Lyon.JPG Author: Prométhée33
Presquîle Heart of Lyon located between the Saône and Rhône.
Place Bellecour The huge public square in Lyon.
Place des Terreaux Public square overlooking Lyon's city hall.
Musée des Beaux Arts Museum housed in a former Benedictine convent, this is the biggest and most important collection of art in France outside of the Louvre.
Opéra de Lyon A futuristic structure completed in 1993.
Musée de l'Imprimerie Museum charting Lyon's contribution to the history of printing.
Musée des Tissus Museum chronicling Lyon's silk industry.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs Museum with a fine collection of tapestries, porcelain, furniture and objets d'art.
Abbaye St-Martin d'Ainay Carolingian church dating to 1107.
La Croix-Rousse Area to the north of Presquîle that was the center of Lyon's silk industry.
Eglise St-Polycarpe Church in the La Croix-Rousse area.
Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules Roman amphitheatre in La Croix-Rousse.
Maison des Canuts Centre exhibiting traditional silk.
La Part-Dieu A new central business district of Lyon.
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière A minor basilica in Lyon built between 1872 and 1896.
Tour métallique de Fourvière Television tower of Lyon that looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower.
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Lyon, France
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Place Bellecour, Lyon
Central courtyard of the Hôtel de ville in Lyon
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