Discover the French City of Lyon with TourFrance.com

Plan your trip to Lyon, France and enjoy its many historical monuments, religious strictures and tourist attraction. At TourFrance.com you can get free Lyon travelling tips and information regarding the city's top sites and finest areas. With our travelling site you can book flights, cars and hotels in Lyon and make sure your trip to France will be safe and enjoying.

Even if you are accustomed to impressive European cities full of museums, cultural heritage and historical sites, Lyon will overwhelm you with tourist attractions. This city is the second largest metropolitan area in France and is packed with monuments, buildings and architectural sights.

Lyon Attractions

The Place Bellecour is a huge plaza with a statue of king Louis XIV riding his horse in the center of it. The plaza's uniqueness lies with its emptiness - the area inside the square is completely clear, without any vegetation, flowers or sculptures, and it leaves a powerful impression.

The city also has many religious monuments and important churches. The Roman, Catholic Lyon Cathedral (also known as Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste) was completed in 1476. It is home to the city's Archbishop and has a famous astronomical clock, which makes a popular tourist attraction. The Fourviere Basilica (Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere) isn't the biggest of the grandest in Lyon, but it has become a main symbol of the city. The basilica has four towers that rise over the city and it offers magnificent views and you can take a walk through the Roman ruins or visit the Gallo-Roman Museum right next to it. The charming church of Saint-Martin d'Ainay is a small yet fortified Romanesque church, built at the 10th century to protect those who reside in it.

Story-lovers will find many living legends within the ancient parts of the metropolitan. Old Lyon is a combination of a medieval and Renaissance influences and it looks very much as it did centuries ago. This area was built on the bank of the Saone River and includes building which are over 500 years old. The narrow streets where once German, Italian and Flemish merchants seeded fortune and greatness now have many colorful shops and a lovely insight of past times.

Find the time to visit the historical court house known as the Palais de Justice or "The 24 Columns", which is a remarkable building which leaves a long-lasting impression. The prominent architect Louis-Pierre Baltard who planned and supervised the construction of the building between 1835 and 1842 made it in "neo-classical" architecture style, which was popular during his time. Nowadays the building is still active, and it hosts the court of appeal and the criminal court.

Once you've had your share of chapels, museums and historical monuments, don't miss the exquisite Parc de la Tete d'Or. This park is the biggest urban park in the whole country of France. It covers over 100 hectares and includes the rose garden, the lovely botanic garden, huge greenhouses and many beautiful natural views. At the center of this garden stands a large peaceful lake where boats and kayaks sail. There's also a small zoo inside the park and it is a perfect place for families to enjoy some outdoor activities.

As stated earlier, this city offers many options for tourists - be it sightseeing, shopping or varied activities. If you want to know more about what the city has to offer, check out 10best.com for more useful information.