Things to do in Lyon
Attractive sites showcasing Lyon's long history of culture and industry, such as the Textile Museum and Fine Arts Museum, cluster on central Presqu'île and just across the Saône and Rhône. Most are open 10am to 5.30pm, except Monday. Delve into the narrow streets and Traboules Trail (covered alleys) in the atmospheric silk-workers' quarter Croix-Rousse or the smarter medieval and Renaissance Vieux Lyon district. Take a funicular up the landmark Fourvière Hill for panoramic views.
International Museum of Miniatures
Exquisite scale models
A homage to small things, the International Museum of Miniatures was founded
by the miniaturist Dan Ohlmann. It is filled with tiny versions of all sorts
of things and housed in the fully-sized Maison des Avocats in old Lyon.
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Cost
€7; concessions €5.50; children free-€5.50
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-6.30pm (until 7pm weekends)
Address
60, rue Saint Jean, Lyon, 69005
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 72 00 24 77
Museum of Fine Arts
World-class art gallery
Lyon's Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon) is known as Little
Louvre. Its collection includes over 1,800 paintings, objects and sculptures
from Ancient History to the Renaissance, and the only Islamic art collection
in France outside Paris.
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Cost
€7; concessions free-€4; exhibitions free-€9
Opening Hours
Daily except Tue 10am-6pm (from 10.30am Fri)
Address
20, Place des Terreaux, Lyon, 69001
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 72 10 17 40
Fabrics Museum
Rare historic silks
Lyon's Fabrics Museum on the Presqu'île displays one of the world's richest
collections of historic silk tapestries and other precious fabrics. The
18th-century mansion also houses fine furnishings and silverware in the
Decorative Arts Museum.
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Cost
€7; concessions €4.50; under 3s free
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun 10am-5.30pm (Decorative Arts closed 12pm-2pm)
Address
34, Rue de la Charité, Lyon, 69002
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 78 38 42 00
Museum of Roman Gaul
Treasures of Roman Lyon
In ancient times Lyon, known as Lugdunuum, was the biggest city in Gaul. The
Museum of Roman Gaul (Musée Gallo-Romain) has a huge collection of
sculpture, art, coins, pottery and other items from the times of the Roman
Empire.
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Cost
€4; concessions €2.50
Opening Hours
Daily 10am-6pm (closed Mon)
Address
17, Rue Cléberg, Lyon, 69005
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 72 38 49 30
St Jean Cathedral
Masterpiece of medieval architecture
Dominating Vieux Lyon, the majestic St Jean Cathedral includes architectural
styles from a 12th-century Romanesque apse to an elaborate 15th-century
Gothic façade decorated with medallions. Inside is fine stone carving,
beautiful stained glass and an intricate 14th-century astronomical
clock.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 8.15am-12.05pm & 1.45pm-7.30pm; Sat & Sun 8.15am-12.05pm & 1.45pm-7pm
Address
8, Place St Jean, Vieux Lyon, Lyon, 69005
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 78 92 82 29
Place des Terreaux
Lively main square
Grandiose 17th-century Place des Terreaux, focal point of the Presqu'île,
once witnessed mobs and guillotines, but today is lined with parasols and
café tables. Magical pavement water sprays and lights complement Bartholdi's
imposing fountain of horses emerging from foaming water.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Daily all day
Address
Lyon, 69001
Fourvière Hill and Basilica Notre-Dame
Spectacular city views
A funicular climbs from Vieux Lyon to the top of Fourvière Hill, where the
ornate 19th-century Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière stands. The esplanade
behind the city's imposing landmark has a panoramic vista across Lyon which
is especially lovely at night.
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Cost
Panoramic tower: €2; children €1 Esplanade: free
Opening Hours
Basilica: Daily 8am-7pm; Esplanade: Daily 6am-9.30pm (until 10pm 15 May-30 Sep)
Address
8, Place de Fourvière, Lyon
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 78 25 13 01
Resistance and Deportation Museum
History of the Resistance
Located in former Gestapo premises on the Saône's East Bank, the Resistance
and Deportation History Centre (Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la
Déportation) vividly recalls the wartime suffering of Lyon, which was a
centre of the Resistance.
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Cost
€4; concessions €2
Opening Hours
Wed-Fri 9am-5.30pm; Sat & Sun 9.30am-6pm
Address
14, Avenue Berthelot, Lyon, 69007
Telephone
+33 (0) 4 78 72 23 11
Transport
Métro to Jean Macé or Tram T2 to Centre Berthelot.
Website
Traboules Trail
Secretive covered alleys
Follow the signposted traboules on a trail through Vieux Lyon or Croix
Rousse. These hidden covered shortcuts dart through the inner courtyards and
stairwells of large houses. Originally for workers carrying precious silks,
they proved invaluable to the Resistance.
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Cost
Free
Opening Hours
Mostly always open
Address
Start from Gros Cailloux (big rock), near Place de la Croix-Rousse and Place des Terreaux, Lyon, 69005
