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Rhône river bank at sunset. © Vincent Formica – Lyon Tourist Office

Lyon is a city synonymous with the silk industry, the French Resistance and a reputation as the 'gastronomic capital of the world' and is located between the Rhone and the Saône rivers in the south west of France. Lyon is home to some of the finest restaurants and chefs in the country and forms the second largest metropolitan area in France after Paris.

This gastronomic wonder's culinary history came about in the first half of the 20th century when many bourgeois families fired their in-house cooks. These women went on to revolutionise Lyon's cuisine by setting up their own restaurants and cooking for some of the finest French dignitaries of their time.

Besides the many restaurants, bistros and cafés that entice people to this endearing city, Lyon boasts three large city parks, some 30 museums and countless monuments symbolising Lyon's development through the ages. It is home to the world famous Lyon Opera House whose orchestra's reputation has travelled far beyond French borders. UNESCO also lists Lyon as a World Heritage site due to its rich and diverse 2,000-year old history, evident in its awe-inspiring Romanesque architecture.

By day Lyon can be viewed by boat on a trip down its rivers and at night dinner cruises add an element of fantasy to the city. Lyon is a city rich in food, history and culture, making it a hidden treasure in the French landscape and living up to its Roman name, Lugdunum, meaning 'the hill of light'.