Lyon

This 2,000+-year-old city manages to combine the modern and ancient with ease. The Roman Theatres at Fourvière, first started in 43BC, are symbolic of the history of the city. Here you can visit ruins of three ancient Roman structures - a theatre, odeum and temple. The 'Traboules' of the old town are internal passageways that were originally used by silk manufacturers and other merchants to transport their products. These contain lots of delightful architectural idiosyncracies as well as spiral staircases. The city is often called the gastronomy capital of the world with many Michelin-starred restaurants as well as the local traditional restaurants, known as bouchons.

If you are keen to discover more of France, we can also help you arrange Bordeaux city breaks and hotels in Avignon.

• Flight time from London: 1 hour 35 min
• Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport: 28km from the city centre; transfer time about 30 min
• Nearest railway station: Gare de Lyon Part-Dieu
• Currency: Euro