Holiday Destination: Lyon

Lyon is a city in east central France in the Rhône Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais. Lyon was historically known as an important area for the production and weaving of silk and in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy in France. It has a significant role in the history of cinema due to Auguste and Louis Lumière who invented the cinematographe in Lyon. The city is also known for its famous light festival 'Fete des Lumieres' which occurs every 8 December and lasts for four days, that earned Lyon the title of Capital of Lights. The legend says that the Virgin Mary saved the city from the plague, and to thank her a statue was built and on the day it was erected the whole city was lit by candles that its citizens put at their windows. The local professional football team, Olympique Lyonnais, has increased Lyon's profile internationally through participation in European football championships.

Climate

Summer 27.0 °C (80.6 °F), Winter 0.1 °C (32.2 °F)

Tourist Season

May to September is the best for visiting Lyon.

Accommodation

Hotels and Apartments.

General Information Of Lyon

• Land Area: 18.51 sq mi (47.95 km2)
• Population: 14 Lakh.
• Capital City: Rhône-Alpes.
• Language: English and French.

Tourist Attraction in or Near by Lyon

Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon Musée des beaux arts de Lyon is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. It is housed near place des Terreaux in a former Benedictine convent of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was restored between 1988 and 1998, and despite these important restoration works it remained open to visitors. Its collections range from ancient Egypt antiquities to the Modern art period and make the museum one of the most important in Europe. It hosts important exhibitions of art recently there have been exhibitions of works by Georges Braque and Henri Laurens, then one on the work of Théodore Géricault.

Museum of Textiles and Decorative Arts

The Museum of Textiles and Decorative Arts is a French museum in Lyon, 34 rue de la Charité, in the 2nd district. As its name suggests, the establishment of Charity installed street contains two separate but complementary museums . As the Museum of Decorative Arts closed between 12 pm and 14 pm you can use this time to browse the galleries of fabrics. The idea of ​​grouping in Lyon the most interesting examples of textile art dates back to 1850/1860. Meanwhile, the success of Universal Exhibitions in London inspired the creation of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Lyon Cathedral

Lyon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lyon, France, the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon. It was founded by Saint Pothinus and Saint Irenaeus, the first two bishops of Lyon. The cathedral is also known as a "Primatiale" because in 1079 the Pope granted to the archbishop of Lyon the title of Primate of All the Gauls with the legal supremacy over the principal archbishops of the kingdom.

Light Institute

The Institut Lumière is a French organisation, based in Lyon, for the promotion and preservation of aspects of French film making. The Institut Lumière is a museum that honours the contribution to filmmaking by Auguste and Louis Lumière inventors of the cinématographe and fathers of the cinema. It was founded in 1982 by Bernard Chardère and Maurice Trarieux Lumière, the grandson of Louis Lumière. Bertrand Tavernier is its president. The museum is located within the house of the Lumière family, in the Monplaisir quarter of Lyon. The film La Sortie de l'usine Lumière à Lyon, one of the earliest motion pictures ever made, was shot in the immediate vicinity of the Institut.

Aquarium du Grand Lyon

The Aquarium du Grand Lyon is a large aquarium located in the La Mulatière district of the city of Lyon, near the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers in the Rhône department. Like the Aqualand parks elsewhere in Europe, it belongs to the Spanish group Aspro Ocio. Created by Maurice Chichportiche and opened in October 2002, the aquarium has 40 tanks with a total of 10,000 litres of water, showing visitors 5,000 fish and other aquatic animals from 450 different species. The largest aquarium is called 'Fosse Aux Requins' which houses sharks and rays. It contains a false shipwreck in polyurethane resin. Its glass is 23 centimetres thick to resist the water pressure.

Place Bellecour

The Place Bellecour is a large square in the city of Lyon, France, to the north of the Ainay district. Measuring 312 m by 62,000 mt, it is the largest clear square in Europe, and the third biggest square of France, behind the place des Quinconces in Bordeaux 126,000 mt et the place de la Concorde in Paris 86,400 mt. It is also the largest pedestrian square of Europe, the places mentioned above can accommodate vehicles, as opposed to the Place Bellecour. In the middle is a statue of king Louis XIV mounted on a horse, made by François Frédéric Lemot in 1825. Another statue, representing the Petit Prince and Antoine de Saint Exupery, is located at the west end of the square. Two pavilions are also on the square. The first houses the tourist information office of Lyon, the second an art gallery.

Guignol Theatre

Guignol is the main character in a French puppet show which has come to bear his name. Although often thought of as children's entertainment, Guignol's sharp wit and linguistic verve have always been appreciated by adults as well, as shown by the motto of a prominent Lyon troupe 'Guignol amuses children and witty adults'. A Guignol show being performed in Paris. Laurent Mourguet, Guignol's creator, was born into a family of modest silk weavers on March 3, 1769. His first shows featured Polichinelle, a character borrowed from the Italian commedia dell'arte who in England would become Punch. By 1804 the success was such that he gave up dentistry altogether and became a professional puppeteer, creating his own scenarios drawing on the concerns of his working class audience and improvising references to the news of the day. He developed characters closer to the daily lives of his Lyon audience, first Gnafron, a wine loving cobbler, and in 1808 Guignol.

Parc de la Tête d'Or

Parc de la Tête d'Or, in central Lyon, is an urban park in France, with 117 hectares it is 8.5 times smaller than bois de Vincennes in Paris. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months. Due to the relatively small number of other parks in Lyon, it receives a huge number of visitors over summer, and is a frequent destination for joggers and cyclists. At the northern end of the park, there is a small zoo, with giraffes, elephants, tigers and other animals. There is also sports facilities, such as a velodrome, boules court, mini golf, horse riding, and even a miniature train.

Accessibility

Bus Terminal in or Near by

Interpol

200 Quai Charles de Gaulle
Lyon, France

Arrêt de Bus - Bon Coin

169 Rue Léon Blum
Villeurbanne, France

Airport

Lyon-Bron Airport: For International and Domestic flights.

Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport: For International and Domestic flights.

Railway Stations

Gare Part-Dieu Vivier Merle

5 Place Charles Béraudier
Lyon, France

Galerie Saint Paul

4 Rue Juiverie
Lyon, France