Lyon, France

Most French people find themselves in LYON for business rather than for recreation: it's a get-up-and-go place, not a lie-back-and-rest one, with an almost Swiss sense of cleanliness, order and efficiency. But as a wonderfully manageable slice of urban France, Lyon certainly has its charms. Foremost among these is gastronomy; there are more restaurants per Gothic and Renaissance square metre of the old town than anywhere else on earth, and the city could form a football team with its superstars of the international chef circuit. As if that weren't enough, Lyon's distinctive older quarters and its winding, secret traboules are an urban explorer's paradise.