Lyon is often considered the second city of France after Paris. With almost 2.5 million people and a couple of other large cities nearby, its history, culture, and cuisine make it one of the more popular areas for tourists to explore.
One of the best ways to get to know Lyon is to use an expert travel site like hipmunk.com. Hipmunk provides a good example of a site that provides all the hotel and travel options for every budget- and whatever information you might need when it comes to knowing where to visit.
Here are some of the most popular tours that tourists choose to follow in the Lyon Area:
Beaujolais: For hundreds of years, the people in the mountains near Lyons have worked hard to cultivate a special type of grape that is tolerant of the terroir in the region. The resulting wine, Beaujolais has become so popular abroad that the release date is a highly competitive event for suppliers that sell to other countries.
Cuisine of Lyons: For many years after World War II, Lyon was overshadowed by the cuisine that people were trying in Paris. As time went by, many foreigners began to realize that Paris aggregates food from all the French regions. From that point on, each region had tourists taking a fresh look at it. Lyons became a very well-known area, with its Andouille sausage, distinct wines, and sauces. Most hotels in Lyon serve regional fare with a unique twist that is worth following around the city to get the full range of flavors available.
Historic Trail: Lyons was founded by a couple of Romans that were asked to stay out of trouble while Augustus Caesar took on Marc Antony. They therefore have a pretty strong hitorical connection with the Gauls, the Romans, and the Italians. It is a very easy trip to start in Lyons in the morning and end up somewhere in Italy by afternoon. Tours are available for different historic events.
Rivers in the Rhone: Of course the Rhone and the Saône river are favorites of everyone, but there are plenty of other rivers that wind their way through the heart of the area. By following the rivers in the areas outside Lyons, you will find quite a few castles that used to use maps of pieces the rivers and ponds as symbols in order to write about history and lineage. You will also see some of the most stunning countryside in the region.
The Mighty Lords of Ray: Because Lafayette, from the American Revolution, was from the area, there is some awareness of the importance of the region to both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Another American patriot, the first treasurer of the United States, is supposedly descended from the Lords of Ray, who have a minor castle in the Jura area. The Lords of Ray are also known for finding a Shroud in Constantinople that was as famous as the Shroud of Turin until it disappeared a few hundred years ago. They also used to be the Lords of Athens under the crusader kingdom. Looking around the area and asking about its history is its own reward in this region.
Art in the Region: The Musee des Beaux Arts is close to the river and some popular lodging places like the Grand Hotel Des Terreaux. It contains a great deal of art representative of the area. Of course, being in France, you can find modern art shows all year that will allow you to drink wine and maybe discover the next Renoir among the local talent.
Grenache!: When you think about Grenache as a wine, the Cotes du Rhone should leap to mind as the source of the pink and clear wines that are becoming so popular as a dinner wine. Tours are available year-round to take you south of Lyons to enjoy this part of wine country.
Skiing: Can you name a small region that has hosted 3 Winter Olympics? If you guessed the area around Lyons, you would be right. That gives you a lot of world-class ski facilities to choose from in the region. Tours are available all Winter.
