Musée des Conluences,
Lyon’s science centre and
anthropology museum
Outside Amos Rex Art
Museum, HelsinkiHelsinki
Spruced up industrial spaces, an avant-garde
foodie scene and an ever-evolving architectural
landscape — Helsinki is at the vanguard of
creativity and reimagination.
Accessibility: Plans for an Uber boat system
and driverless buses are underway. There are
multilingual ‘Helsinki Helpers’ to guide visitors,
and public transport is free for those in a
wheelchair or with a pushchair. The Whim app
is a one-stop shop for bus and train tickets as
well as taxis, bikes and rental cars.
Sustainabiity: Plans are in place to ensure
the city is carbon neutral by 2035. It’s
increasing accessibility for cycling, walking,
electric vehicles and rail traic. The ‘Think
Sustainably’ programme provides practical
tools so residents, visitors and businesses can
make more sustainable choices.
Digitalisation: The MyHelsinki app is a guide
to the city with recommendations from locals.
A highlight is MyHelsinki Lists — a visual map of
favourite places anyone can create and share.
Cultural heritage & creativity: Find
homegrown design across the city, from
gallery upstarts to gastronomic ‘labs’. For
culture kicks, strip of for a Finnish sauna — this
traditional ritual is still going strong and new
public saunas continue to pop up.
Lyon
Lyon is lauded for its exceptional culinary scene
and compelling history, but the metropolis has
also been busy transforming itself into a smart
city for the 21st century.
Accessibility: Lyon got top billing at the 2017
Access City Awards and has been building a
reputation for easy access. Bike rentals, car
sharing, e-scooters and a river shuttle have
proved popular, and the whole public transport
network, hotels, restaurants and attractions
have been adapted for those with disabilities,
including speaking menus.
Sustainability: Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport is
carbon neutral. There’s a city-wide campaign to
promote sustainability, which labels enterprises
with a sustainable approach. And artists
exhibiting in the city’s legendary ‘Festival of
Lights’ are rewarded for taking responsible
measures when crafting installations.
Digitalisation: On the horizon is the new
ONLYLYON Experience — a system that will
send live info to visitors, including travel
updates and advice about where to go in
the city. There’s also a clutch of apps to help
navigate its corners using augmented reality,
from the historic traboules (passageways) to its
captivating, UNESCO-listed murals.
Cultural heritage & creativity: Lyon’s
culinary credentials are internationally
renowned. Look out for the Bouchons Lyonnais
quality label, which guarantees at least 80% of
ingredients are sourced locally.PARTNER CONTENT FOR EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF SMART TOURISM