Lyon

Wander through the maze of narrow cobbled streets and vaulted passageways of Vieux Lyon and it doesn't take long to discover that you're in the gastronomic capital of France.

Old Lyon boasts more restaurants per square metre than anywhere else in the world; with menus covering the spectrum from wallet-punishing gourmet to rustic fare served up in a traditional Lyonnais buchon (bistro) and washed down with a carafe of local Beaujolais.

Step back outside and you're surrounded by the richest and densest collection of medieval and renaissance architecture in Europe, and enough museums and galleries to satisfy the largest of cultural appetites.

Equally, Lyon embraces it's future as warmly with international institutions including Interpol and ultra modern business centres being based here, excellent transport links to the north, and an eco-friendly tram system to boot.

The best way to work up a hunger is to climb to the top of Fourvière Hill, to take in the panorama of France's second city, the meandering Saône and Rhône rivers, visit the rococo Basilique de Notre-Dame or the two Roman theatres set into the hillside. The theatres are a relic of the days when Lyon was the capital of Roman Gaul and come alive on summer evenings with classical concerts and plays.

Cross one of the footbridges over the Saône and Presqu'île is the chic centre of Lyon. Boulevards lined with as many trees as boutiques open onto magnificent squares at the heart of the city's cafe culture. It's also home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, rated second only to the Louvre in Paris and beautifully housed in a former Benedictine convent.

After a few days of epicurean excess you may need to give your waistline a well-earned break, and Lyon is a great starting point to explore the snow-capped mountains, hilltop villages and vineyard clad slopes of the Rhône-Alpes region.