Lyon is one of the biggest contemporary cities of France. Apart from modern buildings in the district Confluence, you will also find there remains evidencing its ancient and modern times history. What’s more there to admire?
First notes about the city come from the year 43 B.C., when on one of the hills ancient Romans founded the borough Lugdunum. In short time, the town had become one of the most important centre of Gaul. Through centuries, it had been passed from hand to hand until it finally landed under French reign in the 14th century. Nowadays, Lyon is huge, industrial city, in which textile business is blossoming. If you expect to see typical industrial view, you will be disappointed. Greenery of numerous parks, richly decorated facades of historical buildings and beautiful landscape will make you fascinated with that place.
A must see place in Lyon in built on a hill basilica of Virgin Mary (La basilique de Notre-Dame de Fourvière) from the 19th century. Not only building itself is interesting, but also a view for the city that can be admired from there. Make sure to take your camera with you! Move forward to the western bank of the river Saône, where you will find remains of ancient buildings such as an amphitheatre, an aqueduct, and then to the historical district Vieux Lyon, which is on the UNESCO world heritage list, where dominant is gothic and Renaissance architecture. If you prefer modern architecture, you will most probably like Le Orange Cube, the building designed by Jacob+MacFarlane studio, which is looking like a cheese full of holes. You will find it by Quai Rambaud.
Where to eat in Lyon? Best in traditional restaurants called bouchons, that has existed in the city since the end of the 19th century. In such places you can expect many traditional dishes from the region – tasty, homely, based on easy-to-find ingredients and cheap. What to order? Lyon salad (salade lyonnaise) with bacon, croutons and egg, saucisson chaud, which is cooked sausage with potatoes, quenelle de brochet, dumpling with pike filling and shrimps sauce (Nantua), as well as gratin dauphinois – gratin made of potatoes and cream.
