A Roman city founded more than two millennia ago, Lyon is to be savored nose to tail, past to future, literally and figuratively. If the city’s middling Attractions (#41) and Museums (#59) rankings rise with the plentiful planned investment, that’s just icing on the gâteau. Locals are buzzing about the new OL Vallée development with its massive gym and pool, five indoor football pitches, a 32-lane bowling alley, escape rooms and the City Surf Park. More new investment is pouring into La Confluence, a 150-hectare urban redevelopment that not only brings together Lyon’s two fabled rivers—the Rhône and the Saône—but also gives new life to a tract of prime but neglected industrial real estate. The jewel in the new development’s crown is the Musée des Confluences, an architectural enigma glittering at the very point where the rivers meet, with an outstretched park disappearing into the flows. Hotels are opening fast, too, including four Hilton brands. You’ll also hear much more about Lyon’s biking infrastructure (still only ranked #39 but poised to rise). With 1,200 kilometres of bike lanes (a third of which are protected from cars), the new Lyon Routes will add 250 kilometres of bike-only roads to connect the city’s suburbs to its heart.