Flights to Lyon with Air France

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Capital of Roman Gaul and a UNESCO World Heritage site!

The city of Lyon has been a major urban centre for millennia. Its strategic setting on a natural corridor running north-south to the Mediterranean led to it being developed as the capital of the Roman province of Gaul, and a major communications hub. This ensured the city's prosperity over the intervening two thousand years, as can be seen in its beautiful architecture from every major period.

Regular flights to Lyon from Dublin with Air France can take as little as 3 hours 50 minutes (which includes a connection in Paris). Lyon's international airport, (named after the famous aviator and author of 'the Little Prince'),Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport is located around 15 miles from this city of 500,000 inhabitants.

Any time of the year is suitable for a trip to Lyon, as there are no great extremes of temperature or precipitation and there's plenty to do in the city and environs in all four seasons.

The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998 due to its concentration of outstanding architectural jewels, notably in the old Roman district on La Fourvière Hill, the old town (Renaissance Vieux Lyon), the so-called silk district (Croix-Rousse) and the Presqu'île area.

La Fourvière hill is now topped by a huge Roman Catholic basilica (Notre Dame de Fourvière) built on the site of the old Roman forum. Extensive remains of Roman baths and two Roman theatres can still be seen here too. Vieux Lyon is one of the most complete Renaissance districts to be found anywhere in Europe, with prime examples of this architectural style being the Hôtel Bullioud and the Hôtel de Gadagne. Just north of Vieux Lyon is la Croix Rousse, once home to silk workers who helped drive Lyon's economic success story. Don't miss the mur des Canuts, an enormous mural depicting the history of the Canuts (silk weavers). Both these districts contain many 'traboules', narrow passageways through buildings running downhill to the river. These are particularly characteristic of Lyon and many may still be seen today. Lastly, the Presqu'île district, the heart of Lyon, contains many city landmarks, including Place Bellecour, the Hôtel de Ville (city hall), the Place des Terreaux and numerous mansions, arts venues, museums (notably the Fine Arts museum), public squares and sophisticated cafés and up-market retail outlets.

Lyon - eat like a King and see the real stars of the silver screen!

Lyon has a well-merited reputation as a foodie paradise, which dates back at least to the 18th century. Nowadays the city hosts multiple Michelin-starred establishments, along with many 'bouchons', which serve up traditional Lyon dishes like boudin noir (black pudding with apples), andouillette sausage, fish dumplings (quenelles), chicken cooked with morel mushrooms and bugnes (Angel Wings). Lyon is also within striking distance of several major wine-producing regions, namely Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône and Bourgogne.

Cinema-goers have a special reason to be thankful to the city, for it's here that the world's first film-makers, Auguste and Louis Lumière, worked on their ground-breaking invention, the cinematograph. Their story is told in the Institut Lumière, based in the house where they grew up. Film buffs will also enjoy the Musée Miniature et Cinéma, a collection of miniature scenes and special effects props.

Lyon is also a very green city, with some splendid parks and gardens, such as:

• Parc de la Tête d'Or
• Jardin Rosa Mir
• Parc des Hauteurs
• Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage

If you still feel the need to really get out into the great outdoors, Lyon is ideally-placed for day-trips to vineyards, the foothills of the Alps and the largest ornithological park in France at Villars-les-Dombes.