From Vieux Lyon, it's a wiggly walk to hilltop Fourvière (though you can cheat and whizz up on the funicular). At the top, as well as views over the city and its sparkling rivers Rhône and Saône, you'll find the ornate 19th-century Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvièère and the important Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine where you can discover the city's 2,000-year-old history. In summer, take your seat at the Roman Amphitheatre, where shows are performed beneath the stars.

Gastro chef Paul Bocuse's food doesn't come cheap, unless you dine in one of his good-value brasseries - try the Nord, Sud, Est or Ouest brasseries, dotted across Lyon. Lyonnais are already talking about the new brasserie on the block, the Ouest Express in the Pathé Cinema complex in Vaise.

For one-off boutiques, your best bet is Vieux Lyon and the arty Passage Thiaffait in Croix Rousse. But for a wide selection, including the Galeries Lafayette (with decent tea shop), head for the huge Part-Dieu mall. Blow your budget on designer-wear along smart rue Emile Zola, rue Gasparin and rue Président Herriot, near vast central square, Place Bellecour. Catch Sunday morning's craft market on quai Fulchiron. Or shop at the city’s busy modern covered market, Halles de Lyon - Paul Bocuse, open daily except Monday and named after the famous chef.

In the central Presqu'île (Peninsula district), between the rivers Rhône and Saône, it's worth popping in to see Impressionist art at the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum), set in a former abbey. But the real show stopper is Lyon's Musée des Tissus (Textile Museum), which unravels the story of Lyon's silk weaving in a 17th-century mansion.

Discover the pretty Beaujolais "golden stone" and Côtes du Rhône vineyards around Lyon anytime, stopping for "dégustations" along the way. But for true madness, visit Lyon on the third Thursday of November for the Beaujolais Nouveau midnight celebrations in taverns all over town. C'est de la folie!

If you head for the Place Bellecour square, walk around 100 metres to the Rhône, then cross the river, you'll end up on a green, riverside path that stretches for miles. No cars, but plenty of bar-restaurant barges. There's even a cluster of nightclubs on the river. Anna Jemison, Liverpool

Where: Left bank of the River Rhône, between Raymond Poincarê bridge, Lyon 6ème and the entrance to the Parc de Gerland, Lyon 7ème.

It's an acquired taste, but I really liked the traditional quenelles dumplings I tried on my first weekend in Lyon. They're like a weird kind of dumpling, and they soak up the flavour of the fishy/meaty sauces and a garlicky cheese called Cervelle de Canuts, which apparently means silk-weaver's brains! Poppy Brackenfield, London

French parks can be over manicured and stuffy. This huge park is much more on a par with English gardens. My kids love boating on the lake and puppet shows on the Place de Guignol. They've also just opened an African Plain with giraffes and zebra. Very cool. Anna Lewis, Lyon

Where: Parc de la Tête d'Or, 69006 Lyon, +33 (0) 4 78 89 02 03

Parc de la Tête d’Or website