TRAVEL > EUROPE > French Region > FRANCE > Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes > Lyon
la VILLE des LUMIÈRES (the City of Lights)
Boasting two rivers, the Saône and the Rhône, Lyon has double the opportunity to reflect its sparkling lights at night. The peninsula la Presqu’Ile stretches between them both. On the right bank (west), Notre-Dame de Fourvière watches over the city from the hilltop—a great place to take in the view. Take the funicular to the top to visit this cathedral along with Roman ruins.
Lyon is comprised of 9 arrondissements (districts) with two rivers dividing the city into three sections: west of the Saône, the central Presqu’Île (peninsula) between the rivers, and east of the Rhône. Vieux Lyon (old city) and Fourvière Hill are in the 5th and the city center lies within the peninsula of the 1st and 2nd.
The original 5 neighborhoods spiraled out from the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) counter-clockwise, but city expansion has since created a seemingly random order to the arrondissements.
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