Sights and landmarks in Lyon

Sights and landmarks in Lyon

1. See

   Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules

   This Roman theatre is the place where the first Christian martyrs of Gaul were killed. Documents say that it was the largest theatre in Gaul at that time, but nobody knows exactly how far it extends under the neighbouring buildings, nor what remains from the Roman era after centuries of construction. After the closing of the old Fine Arts school (the grey building overlooking the theatre), a debate was initiated about what should be done with this exceptional archaeological site. The theatre can be seen from the street but is not open to the public for safety reasons.

2. See

   Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay

   Basilique St Martin d'Ainay

   The only entirely Romanesque church in Lyon, dating back to the 11th-12th centuries. The abbey of Ainay was one of the most powerful in France between the 13th and the 16th centuries. A must-see for its very nice atmosphere.

   Mon-Sat 08:30-12:00, 14:30-18:00, Sun 08:30-12:00·Free

3. See

   Boat trips on the Saône

   Navig'Inter company

   A boat trip can be a good way to see Lyon from a different point of view. Boats will take you either upstream to Ile Barbe or downstream to the Confluence. Night trips available on Fridays and Saturdays.

   Fri - Sun 11:00-18:00·€10-15

4. See

   Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation

   Museum of the Resistance during World War II

   This museum in the former Gestapo regional headquarters depicts the daily life in Lyon under the German occupation and keeps memories of this tragic period. Often holds exhibitions (mostly photography).

   Wed-Sun 09:00-17:30, closed on holidays·€3. Free for children under 18

5. See

   Church of Saint-Bruno des Chartreux

   église Saint-Bruno des Chartreux

   The only Baroque church in Lyon. The interior is magnificent, especially the altar (by Servandoni, modified by Soufflot, 18th century) and the canopy (by Servandoni).

   Mon-Sat 15:00-17:00·Free

6. See

   City Hall

   Hôtel de Ville

   The city hall, built in the 17th century, has a very beautiful façade on Place des Terreaux. The most notable feature of this façade is the sculpture representing King Henri IV on horseback (in the middle of the upper part). Unfortunately, it is impossible to visit the building except during the "Heritage days" (Journées du patrimoine) in mid-September.

7. See

   Cité Internationale

   This business and residential area in an important urban project for Lyon. Designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano (also known for Beaubourg modern art centre in Paris and part of the Potsdamer Platz area in Berlin), it comprises a convention centre, hotels and luxury apartments just between the Rhône and Parc de la Tête d'Or.

8. See

   Esplanade de Fourvière

   Panoramic viewpoint

   Next to the basilica is the panoramic viewpoint, with the best view over the city. If the weather is clear, Mont Blanc can be seen in the distance. This is a very good point to start your visit of the city because you can really see its general layout.

9. See

   Fourvière basilica

   Built in 1872 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, patron saint of Lyon, this massive church made of white marble has been compared to an elephant with its feet up. It is a typical example of the 19th century "eclectic" style, with architectural elements recalling antique, classical and Gothic eras. The Byzantine-style interior decoration is extremely exuberant, too much so for some people. Tours of the roof and bell towers are available in the afternoons for €6.

   10:00-17:00. Masses: Mon-Sat 07:15, 09:30, 11:00, 17:00; Sun 07:30, 09:30, 11:00, 17:00·Free admission

10. See

    Gratte-Ciel

    The neighbouring city of Villeurbanne can be seen as the 10th arrondissement because the urban continuity with Lyon is obvious. It has, however, a strong identity of its own. As an industrial town, Villeurbanne has always had a very strong left-wing political inclination. It was governed by the Communist party for the first decades of the 20th century. A strong testimony of this era remains in the form of massive Soviet-style buildings erected in the 1930s. The Gratte-Ciel ("skyscrapers") ensemble comprises the city hall, the National Popular Theatre and housing buildings, including the skyscrapers themselves. These are 19 stories high. They are not skyscrapers to American eyes, and were not even in the 1930s, but they were considered huge by European standards at that time.

11. See

    Hôtel-Dieu

    The majestic Hôtel-Dieu was the oldest hospital in Lyon and is one of the largest buildings in Presqu'île. The façade along the river Rhône is over 300 m (984 ft) long. The first hospital was built in 1184-1185; it was modified several times before Soufflot designed the current building, built from 1741 to 1761. The large dome was completed in 1765. The newly built Grange Blanche hospital (today Edouard Herriot) became the main medical centre in the city in the 1930s. Hôtel-Dieu doctors were pioneers in numerous specialities, including radiology (Etienne Destot), oncology (Léon Bérard), surgery (Joseph Gensoul, Matthieu Jaboulay) and orthopedics (Louis Léopold Ollier); they contributed in making Lyon the second medical centre in the country after Paris. The building no longer fit the needs of modern medicine, and the hospital was closed in 2010. It was converted into a shopping mall and the Intercontinental Hotel.

    Courtyard and gardens: daily 09:00-19:00; shops Mon-Sat 10:30-19:00; cafes Mon-Sat 09:00-19:00

12. See

    Ile Barbe

    This charming island on the river Saône is the only inhabited island in Lyon. In the 5th century, one of the first monasteries in Gaul was founded there. It became a powerful Benedictine abbey (from the 9th century) but was finally ruined in 1526 by Protestants, during the religious wars. Of the three churches that existed on the island, only the Romanesque Notre-Dame remains. The island also has other old buildings in a quiet and green environment. The suspension bridge was built in 1827.

13. See

    Institut Lumière - Musée vivant du Cinéma

    This museum in the Lumière brothers' house presents an interesting history of cinema through various items and film excerpts. Also worth seeing for the lovely architecture.

    Tue-Sun 11:00-18:30. Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, and 25 Dec. Open on bank holiday Mondays·€6, under 18 and students €5

14. See

    Jardin Rosa Mir

    This amazing garden was built by a Spanish refugee, Jules Senis, and dedicated to his mother. Senis had cancer and had made the vow of building this garden if he ever came out of the hospital; fortunately, he did. The garden is a fine mixture of mineral and vegetal elements, in a style influenced by Gaudi's works in Barcelona.

    1 Apr-30 Nov, Sat 15:00-18:00·Free

15. See

    Jardin des Curiosités

    Garden of Curiosities

    Small garden hidden in the bottom of a street/car park, behind a metallic door. It was designed by Canadian artists in a surrealistic spirit (recalls Magritte or Dali). Also a very nice viewpoint over the southern part of Lyon.

16. See

    Metallic tower of Fourvière

    tour métallique de Fourvière

    Next to the basilica stands a smaller (86 m, 282 ft) replica of the Eiffel Tower, completed in 1894. Its construction was supported by anticlerical people in order to have a non-religious building as the highest point in Lyon, which it actually is with an altitude of 372 m (1272 ft) at the top. It now serves as a radio and TV antenna and is closed to the public.

17. See

    Montée de la Grande Côte

    This steep street has Renaissance buildings and offers a very beautiful view over the city from its top.

18. See

    Montée du Gourguillon

    This picturesque montée (sloping street on hillside) starts behind Vieux Lyon metro station and ends quite close to the Roman theatres of Fourvière. It was the main link between the river Saône and the top of Fourvière throughout the Roman era, Middle Ages and Renaissance. Nowadays it keeps a medieval spirit. Around numbers 5-7 is Impasse Turquet, a small cul-de-sac named after Etienne Turquet, an Italian who is said to have founded the silk industry in Lyon in 1536. In this small passageway are the oldest houses of the city, dating back to the 13th or 14th century, with wooden balconies.

19. See

    Mur des Canuts

    This painted wall is dedicated to the history and typical architecture of the Croix-Rousse hill.

20. See

    Mur des Lyonnais

    This impressive painted wall portraits some of the most famous people who were born in Lyon, from Renaissance poet Louise Labé to the Lumière brothers, the inventors of cinema, to chef Paul Bocuse.

21. See

    Musee d'art religieux

    Museum of Religious Art

    The small museum holds treasures donated to the church for its construction.

    Daily 10:00-12:30 and 14:00-17:30, closed in January and February

22. See

    Musée Miniature et Cinéma

    Miniature and Movie Museum

    Created by artist Dan Ohlmann, this private gallery shows about 120 miniature models of all kinds of scenes: houses, restaurants, workshops, schools, etc., from Lyon or elsewhere, historical or contemporary. The accuracy of the models is astonishing and some sections will be real fun for children. Movie sceneries, models, costumes, masks and props are also presented, including a wand from the Harry Potter films and the Alien Queen from Alien vs. Predator. The gallery is in a large 16th-century building called Maison des Avocats (Lawyers' house).

    Daily 10:00-18:30 (ticket sales close at 17:30)·€9.50, senior €8, student €7, under 15 €6.50

23. See

    Musée d'Art contemporain

    Museum of Contemporary Art

    It holds temporary exhibitions of Contemporary Art, and selections from its permanent collection of more than 1,400 works.

    Wed-Sun 11:00-18:00·Full price €9; reduced price €6 for people aged 18 to 25 and for holders of a ticket less than 6 months old purchased at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon; free for under 18s

24. See

    Musée de l'Imprimerie

    Printing museum

    An excellent collection of some facets of printing. The collection features some particularly early works and a reasonable amount of supporting material. Unfortunately, the collection is quite biased towards local Lyonnaise history and thus coverage of printing as an art remains regrettably rather spotty overall. Minimal coverage of photographic processes, weak coverage of typography, zero technical information about later post-physical developments such as postscript and TeX, etc. There is no disabled or child-friendly access (no lifts, and no strollers allowed for fire safety reasons). Budget about an hour and a half if you are in to this sort of thing, 45 minutes otherwise.

    Wed-Sun 09:30-12:00, 14:00-18:00, closed on holidays·€5

25. See

    Musée des Arts Décoratifs et Musée des Tissus

    Decorative Arts museum and Fabrics museum

    Great if you are into old European oil paintings, or relocated Egyptian, Greek or Mesopotamian antiquities. An impressively large local numismatic gallery. Housed in an interesting building with a pleasant courtyard. Probably disappointing if you have come from larger museums such as those in Paris, unless you have a specific local history or antiquarian focus.

    Closed for renovations until 2024

26. See

    Musée des Confluences

    The spectacular building at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saone is built in a deconstructionist style and has expositions on science and mythology.

27. See

    Musée gallo-romain de Fourvière

    The second largest museum in France, it has all kinds of things relating to Rhone-Alps history. A free visit to the Roman theatres may be just as interesting for those not into the details.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed 1Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov and 25 Dec·€4, reduced fee €2.50, under 18 and disabled free; free for all on Th

28. See

    Musée urbain Tony Garnier

    This museum was created during the renovation of the États-Unis neighbourhood in the 1980s and 1990s, and the inhabitants were strongly involved in the project. The museum comprises a recreated apartment of the 1930s, which shows how life was like in these very modern housing units, and the 25 wall paintings depicting Garnier's work and ideals. You can also see the walls on your own but you will miss the interesting comments on the history of the area and the social project behind it.

    Visitor centre: Tue-Sat 14:00-18:00, guided tours Sat at 14:30 or by appointment for groups of 10 or more·Guided tours: €6, under 18 €4, children under 5 free; audioguide: €5, under 18 €3, children under 5 free

29. See

    Musées Gadagne: Historical museum of Lyon and International puppet museum

    These museums dedicated to the history of the city and to puppets (like the famous Guignol from Lyon). The building is a magnificent Renaissance palace that is worth a visit. A nice garden and cafe have also been created at the top of the building (free access). Unfortunately there is no view, however. Temporary exhibitions are shown. The puppet museum is mostly for kids and is skippable if you don't read French and don't have a fascination for either the local puppet tradition or seeing a small number of typical pieces from the most known and easily collected traditions (Turkey, Java, Japan, Siam). Wheelchair or pram access is possible to the historical museum through a labyrinthine series of lifts, though only to portions of the puppet museum.

    Wed-Sun 11:00-18:30 except public holidays·1 museum: €6 including audioguide, 2 museums: €8, 2 museums + temporary exhibition: €10. Under 26 and disabled: free

30. See

    Opera house

    Opéra Nouvel

    Opposite the City Hall stands the opera house. The 1826 theatre built by Chenavard and Pollet was completely redesigned by Jean Nouvel who kept only the façades and the foyer on the first floor. The building was reopened in 1993. The history of these works was epic: a lot of technical problems occurred and the final cost of the project was six times the initial estimate. Today, the glass top has become a classical landmark of the city but the interior design is criticised, for both aesthetic and functional reasons.

31. See

    Palais de Justice

    The historical court house, also named "the 24 columns", was built between 1835 and 1842 by architect Louis-Pierre Baltard. It is a fine example of French "neo-classical" architecture. It now hosts only the criminal court (Cour d'Assises) and the court of appeal. The other jurisdictions moved to a new building in Part-Dieu in 1995. The most famous trial held there was that of the former head of the Lyon Gestapo, Klaus Barbie, in 1987. The building is undergoing major refurbishment works.

32. See

    Parc Sergent Blandan

    A park built on the grounds of former military barracks. It includes a large skatepark and many sports playgrounds. Still under development, it should cover 17 hectares when completed.

33. See

    Parc de Gerland

    The Rhône banks promenade ends here. This park does not have the majesty of Parc de la Tête d'Or but it is far less crowded and boasts some nice examples of modern landscaping. Still under development, it should cover 80 hectares when completed.

34. See

    Parc de la Tête d'or

    Completed in 1862, this English-style garden is one of the largest and arguably one of the most beautiful urban parks in France. It is a popular place for families as well as joggers. The highlights of the park include the large greenhouses, the botanical garden, the rose garden and the "African plain" in which animals wander in a natural-style environment, perfect for children.

    15 Oct–14 Apr: 06:30–20:30, 15 Apr–14 Oct: 06:30–22:30·free of charge

35. See

    Parc des Hauteurs

    This park between the metal tower of Fourvière and the Loyasse cemetery is a promenade with a nice footbridge offering great views towards the Monts d'Or and Beaujolais. There is an aerial adventure course and a skiing and mountain bike slope.

36. See

    Place Bellecour

    The largest clear square in Europe. In the centre stands the equestrian statue of Louis XIV ("under the horse's tail" is a usual meeting point for locals). Apart from this, it is rather empty, windy and not so pleasant. A renovation project is under way. Between the southeast corner of Place Bellecour and the river Rhône is Place Antonin Poncet. There was a hospital there (Hôpital de la Charité), built in 1622 and demolished in 1934. The only remain is the bell tower (Clocher de la Charité) built in 1667.

37. See

    Place Sathonay

    A charming neighbourhood square planted with old plane trees. Just sit at a terrace, watch the locals playing pétanque and enjoy the mood.

38. See

    Place des Jacobins

    The state of this square is typical of the "automobile-friendly" urban planning of the 1960s: it is covered with tarmac, too much so given the reasonable traffic around it. A renovation project is under way, which should give the square a greener aspect. The main interest is the central fountain (1885) by architect Gaspard André and sculptor Degeorges. The four statues portray Lyon-born artists: painter Hippolyte Flandrin (1809-1864), engraver Gérard Audran (1640-1703), sculptor Guillaume Coustou (1677-1746) and architect Philibert Delorme (1510-1570).

39. See

    Place des Terreaux

    This large square was completely redesigned in the 1990s by the artist Daniel Buren. On the East side stands the City Hall. On the North side, you will find the fountain sculpted by Bartholdi, the 'father' of the Statue of Liberty; this fountain was moved from the West side when the square was renovated. It now faces Palais St Pierre, which hosts the Museum of Fine Arts.

40. See

    Place du Change

    The largest square in the area has two remarkable buildings. The Loge du Change, on the west side, was partially built by the great architect Soufflot. It is now a Protestant church known as Temple du Change. It can be visited on Saturdays. Religious services on Sundays, 10:30. Opposite is the Maison Thomassin, with its Gothic-style 14th-century façade. The Thomassins were a powerful merchant family in the Renaissance. Above the 2nd floor windows are the arms of the King of France, of the Dauphin (heir of the Kingdom) and of Duchess Anne of Brittany. Unfortunately, the courtyard is closed to the public.

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Lyon (CC BY-SA 4.0).