Economy in Lyon

Travelers visiting Lyon for the very first time may be surprised by the hectic rhythm of every day life à la lyonnaise – in fact, what other mark could better represent a city breathing business and commerce? Moreover, this breath with arms wide opened seems deep and efficient enough to give Lyon the status of the second city in France in terms of economy. Locals’ affinity for business is far from being a caprice of nowadays generations, but it’s an ancient feature which improved along time and founded a tradition when it comes to business. In the past, the city of Lyon has well known how to play its cards, that is it got all the advantages provided by an ideal geographic situation sprinkled with lots of rivers. Dynamic and leading the hierarchy of European urban centers, Lyon was the first town in changing currency and the very first in opening a bank in France.

Today, this metropolis is a definite leader in economic sectors such as mechanics, textile (another deeply rooted and valuable tradition), chemistry, pharmacy and health. A wide array of tourists arriving in Lyon isn’t interested only in boat tours on the Saône, but also in doing business with some lyonnais enterprise manager. All the more, Lyon is one of European Union main economic wheels.