Must-see attractions in Lyon

  • Lyon "Confluences Museum" (France)

    Lyon Confluence

    Lyon

    Lyon's race toward the future is personified in this reborn industrial district near the southern tip of Presqu'île. Once a landscape of empty warehouses…

  • LYON, FRANCE, DECEMBER 22, 2014 : Musee des Confluences just inaugurated. Musee des Confluences is located at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone rivers and a project of the Confluence district
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    Musée des Confluences

    Lyon

    This eye-catching building, designed by the Viennese firm Coop Himmelb(l)au, is the crowning glory of Lyon's newest neighbourhood, the Confluence, at…

  • LYON, FRANCE - JUNE 5: Exterior of St. John the Baptist cathedal in Lyon downtown with people passing by. June 2015; Shutterstock ID 405341626; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Lyon BiT

    Cathédrale St-Jean-Baptiste

    Lyon

    Lyon's partly Romanesque cathedral was built between the late 11th and early 16th centuries. The portals of its Flamboyant Gothic facade, completed in…

  • LYON, FRANCE, March 11, 2018 : Renaissance Architecture of the outsides of Gadagne Museum.; Shutterstock ID 1043863471; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Lyon BiT

    Musées Gadagne

    Lyon

    Housed in a 16th-century mansion built for two rich Florentine bankers, this twin-themed exhibition space incorporates an excellent local history museum,…

  • The Terreaux square with fountain in Lyon city, France; Shutterstock ID 281818262; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Lyon BiT

    Place des Terreaux

    Lyon

    The centrepiece of the Presqu'île's beautiful central square is a 19th-century fountain made of 21 tonnes of lead and sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste…

  • Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere in Lyon, France.

    Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière

    Lyon

    Crowning the hill, with stunning city panoramas from its terrace, this superb example of late-19th-century French ecclesiastical architecture is lined…

  • LYON, FRANCE, OCTOBER 25, 2014 : Statues in the park of Palais Saint-Pierre. This Palace houses Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon and is a former Benedictine convent of the 17th century.; Shutterstock ID 226052629

    Musée des Beaux-Arts

    Lyon

    This stunning and eminently manageable museum showcases France's finest collection of sculptures and paintings outside of Paris, from antiquity onwards…

  • Opéra de Lyon

    Lyon

    Lyon's neoclassical 1831-built opera house was modernised in 1993 by renowned French architect Jean Nouvel, who added the striking semi-cylindrical glass…

  • Parc de la Tête d'Or

    Lyon

    If you're museumed out, head to this lovely space north of the centre, which provides a green haven for nature lovers and families. Spanning 117 hectares,…

  • Mur des Canuts

    Lyon

    Said to be Europe's largest fresco, this magnificent trompe l'oeil shows a slice of daily life among Lyon's residents. The work is packed with intricate…

  • Fresque des Lyonnais

    Lyon

    Well-known Lyonnais peer out from this beautifully executed seven-storey mural, including loom inventor Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752–1834), Renaissance…

  • Musée Lumière

    Lyon

    Cinema's glorious beginnings are showcased at the art nouveau home of Antoine Lumière, who moved to Lyon with sons Auguste and Louis in 1870. The brothers…

  • Atelier de Passementerie

    Lyon

    Preserved for posterity by the Soierie Vivante association, this silk-trimmings workshop functioned until 1979, weaving braids and intricate pictures…

  • Musée Miniature et Cinéma

    Lyon

    This maze-like museum on tourist-busy rue St-Jean provides an unusual insight into the making of movie sets and special effects achieved with the use of…

  • Musée des Arts Décoratifs

    Lyon

    This well-organised museum displays 18th-century furniture, tapestries, wallpaper, ceramics and silver. Ticket includes admission to the adjoining Musée…

  • Musée des Tissus

    Lyon

    Extraordinary Lyonnais and international silks are showcased here. Ticket includes admission to the adjoining Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which displays…

  • Musée Henri Malartre

    Lyon

    Jean-Paul II's Renault Espace, Hitler's Mercedes, 50-odd motorbikes, bicycles and historical modes of Lyonnais public transport are displayed inside this…

  • Musée Gallo-Romain de Fourvière

    Lyon

    For an enlightening historical perspective on the city's past, start your visit at this archaeological museum on the hillside of Fourvière. It hosts a…

  • Musée d'Art Contemporain

    Lyon

    Lyon's contemporary-art museum mounts edgy temporary exhibitions and a rotating permanent collection of post-1960 art. It sometimes closes for several…

  • Place Bellecour

    Lyon

    One of Europe’s largest public squares, gravel-strewn place Bellecour was laid out in the 17th century. In the centre is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV.

  • Palais de Justice

    Lyon

    Facing the river in old Lyon, the grandiose neo-classical Palais de Justice is well worth a gander.

  • Maison des Canuts

    Lyon

    On a 50-minute guided tour, learn about weavers' labour-intensive life and the industry's evolution, see manual looms in use, and browse the silk boutique…

  • Aquarium du Grand Lyon

    Lyon

    Just west of the Confluence, Lyon's well-thought-out aquarium is home to some 300 marine species, including more than 5000 fish. Bus 15 links it with…

  • Atelier de Tissage

    Lyon

    Accessible strictly by guided tour, this wonderful old workshop houses looms that produce large fabrics. It's best visited in conjunction with the nearby…

  • Le Petit Musée Fantastique de Guignol

    Lyon

    The star of this tiny, two-floor museum is Guignol, the Lyonnais puppet famous for its slapstick antics and political commentary. Various animated scenes…

  • Théâtre Romain

    Lyon

    Lyon's Roman theatre, built around 15 BC and enlarged in AD 120, sat an audience of 10,000. Romans held poetry readings and musical recitals in the…

  • Musée de l'Imprimerie

    Lyon

    From early equipment through to computerised technology, this absorbing museum traces the history of the city's printing industry.

  • Place Sathonay

    Lyon

    At the foot of Croix Rousse, this tree-shaded square has a small village atmosphere, with its bars, restaurants and cafes.

  • Jardin Rosa Mir

    Lyon

    The Jardin Rosa Mir is a walled garden decorated with thousands of seashells accessed off a narrow laneway.

  • Mur du Cinéma

    Lyon

    Lyon's cinematic story is told in still-image form here in one of the city's many murals.

  • Parc de La Cerisaie

    Lyon

    This panoramic 4.5-hectare park is one of the hidden gems of Croix Rousse.