Flights to Lyon with Air France from CAD 668*

Journey to Lyon and embark on a culinary voyage of discovery!

Almost any time of the year is a good time to visit Lyon, one-time capital of Roman Gaul. This city of almost 500,000 people boasts a wide range of attractions which can be enjoyed in any season, with its superb cuisine coming top of the list!

Lyon is just a 9 hour 30 minute flight from Montréal, including a connecting flight in Paris CGD airport. Flights from Vancouver,Toronto and other Canadian cities also feature a stopover in Paris or Amsterdam. The local currency is the Euro, and Canadian tourists do not require a visa for stays of under 90 days.

In France itself, Lyon has a reputation for great food, from the traditional to the more avant-garde. Being located on a natural crossroads in Europe and at the confluence of two large rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, Lyon has always been subject to many influences, including culinary influences. Quality produce was brought up from Provence or sourced locally. A long-established tradition of skilled local chefs, from the 18th and 19th century Mères Lyonnaises to superstar chef Paul Bocuse has done the rest.

If possible, enjoy some of the following specialities in a bouchon lyonnais, a kind of traditional local restaurant.

• Andouillette tripe sausage
• coq au vin (chicken in red wine)
• tablier de sapeur (breaded tripe)
• Quenelles in Nantua (crayfish and cream) sauce
• Coussins de Lyon (marzipan candies)
• bugnes (Angel Wings)

If you feel you need to walk off some of those dishes, then a great place to do it is to go up La Fourvière hill which offers excellent views of the city and something of a history lesson too. The hill is the site of the original Roman settlement, and Roman Baths and two Roman theatres can still be seen here. The Museum of Gallo-Roman civilization explores Lyon's Roman heritage in detail. La Fourvière is also notable for being served by the world's oldest operational funicular lines, which offer a quicker way up to the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Fourvière, When the north tower is open and the weather clear, you can see as far as western Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc.

Lyon - lighting up the modern world in more ways than one.

Lyon has celebrated the city's salvation from the Plague in a very special way since December 8th, 1852, the advent of the modern 'festival of lights'. Originally centred around the inhabitants placing lit candles in their house windows, the event has evolved to include firework and light displays, with local landmarks lit up in ever more creative ways. The festival has become one of the biggest local celebrations in the world, on a par with the Rio Carnival and the Oktoberfest, with up to 4 million in attendance over four days.

Another kind of light, the Lyon-based Frères Lumière (literally, the Light brothers), were the brains behind one of the modern age's most significant developments - the motion picture. The house where they grew up is now the Institut Lumière, a museum which traces the story of the invention of the motion picture film camera. Keeping with the cinematic theme, why not visit the Musée Miniature et Cinéma? This incredible museum contains around a 100 scenes recreated in miniature, along with an exhibition focusing on special effects techniques, with props including the Alien Queen!

Lyon is also the gateway to absolutely stunning scenery in the shape of the Alps, the Rhône Valley and the Massif Central. To make the most of your holiday here, you should consider the extra flexibility a rental car will give you.