Lost-in-France.com

Category: Travel

Tags: lyon

Walking along the narrow streets of Lyon's Old Town is like leaving the modern world and taking a giant leap back 500 years. Cobblestone streets lined with ancient facades extend for many blocks through the largest Renaissance-era neighbourhood in France. The magical feeling of the past is further enhanced by numerous older structures from the Gothic, Romanesque and even classical Roman times, and by the complete absence of modern buildings.

Old Lyon has a unified historic atmosphere that you don't find in many other large cities of Europe. The Old Town is about one mile long and four blocks wide, with nearly 500 protected buildings which, thanks to careful preservation, have been kept in excellent condition and are very much alive today with unique little boutiques and art galleries. And Lyon, famous as a gourmet center of France, can boast of the many fine restaurants in the Old Town with a variety of cuisines and price ranges.

Lyon also has an attractive modern district next to the historic zone, with up-to-date shops and department stores, gourmet restaurants, broad pedestrian promenades, plazas, parks, museums and beautiful architecture primarily of the 19th century. History buffs will probably want to spend more time in the old section, but this modern side of Lyon is a fascinating place to wander, eat and shop.

The best of both worlds waits for you in Lyon, offering something for everyone in a perfect visitor experience. With a population of 1.26, million Lyon is the second-largest urban area in France, so it definitely has a lot to offer, but fortunately most of the visitor attractions are concentrated in the central square mile.

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