2019 best city rankings
Lyon breaks all the records

Whilst the cultural practice of French gastronomy is officially recognised by UNESCO as a ‘world intangible heritage’, Lyon has itself been awarded the title of ‘international gastronomical city’ – just one of many distinctions received in 2019!

Home to 150,000 students including 15,000 from overseas, Lyon has once again come out top in 2018-19 for student towns in France according to l’Etudiant student web site.  Following its victory for the first time in 2017, the metropolis continues to be rewarded for its appealing way of life, the quality of courses on offer and the wide range of employment opportunities for graduates.

Ranked first among French cities, Lyons has also made an entry into the New York Times’ prestigious international annual selection of the top 50 places to visit in 2019 in front of Los Angeles, Perth or Hong-Kong.

The list of tourist distinctions continues for the French city with the title of ‘2019 European Capital of Smart Tourism’. This award is the recognition of Lyons’ outstanding achievements as a sustainable tourism destination and as an easily accessible metropolitan area with a pioneering approach to digital innovations as well as being both modern and respectful of its cultural heritage!

Continuing with 2019, the ‘city of light’ has been named by Lonely Planet as one of the guide book’s top 10 places to visit in Europe.

These new international awards confirm Lyon’s place among the top tourist destinations in Europe.

The energy plus the endless list of things to do and international events on offer (museums, the Fête des Lumières, the Nuits de Fourvière performing arts festival, to name just a few) makes Lyon and its renowned quality of life an enticing proposition for students!

In order to help our overseas students settle in to their new home in Lyon, the International Student Affairs team at Institut Paul Bocuse puts on a range of activities throughout the year.  Students are offered opportunities to discover our heritage through visits, invitations to meet food and wine producers and evening tasting events where they can discover the delights of our regional produce!