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Lyon has been a significant city for 2,000 years. It has two great rivers, world-class records in commerce and industry, a Renaissance centre to rival any in Italy and a dedication to cuisine remarkable even by French standards. Go see for yourself, right now while the monumental grandeur stands stark against winter. If it’s wet, first-rate shops, museums, restaurants, theatres and the Paul Bocuse market beckon. Eurostar’s (eurostar.com) fastest trains take five hours from

London, changing in Paris.

Renaissance centre crams in around the Gothic St Jean Cathedral (4). Take the funicular up Fourvière Hill for the all-seeing NotreDame Byzantine basilica, then the great classical amphitheatre and archeomuseum where Lyon began as “Lugdunum” (lugdunum. grandlyon.com). Walk back down the hill, stopping halfway at the Phosphore wine bar for lunch (tetedoie. com; two courses £17).