Once the capital of the Gauls and the second largest city in France, Lyons is one of France’s main economic and cultural centres. From historic quarters, listed by UNESCO (Croix-Rousse, Old-Lyons and peninsula), via the “traboules” (old passageways) and Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque churches, not forgetting the symbolic Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica, this city of a thousand splendours has infallible charm. It is the birthplace of Saint-Exupéry and Guimard where culture is always to the fore (museums, theatres, the opera) and gastronomy a way of life, from the “bouchons lyonnais” bistros to great restaurants.