Things to do · Lyon · France
17 best things to do in Lyon
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Karldupart, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Lyon are Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Vieux Lyon and the traboules and Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Of the 17 picks below, 10 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- Saint-Jean Cathedral
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière | Fourvière | 1 hour | Free |
| Vieux Lyon and the traboules | Vieux Lyon | 2 hours | Free |
| Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse | Part-Dieu | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Roman theatres of Fourvière and Lugdunum museum | Fourvière | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Saint-Jean Cathedral | Vieux Lyon | 45 minutes | Free |
| Place Bellecour and the Presqu'île | Presqu'île | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Place des Terreaux | Terreaux | 30 minutes | Free |
| Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon | Terreaux | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Musée des Confluences | Confluence | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Parc de la Tête d'Or | 6th arrondissement | Half a day | Free |
| Croix-Rousse and the Mur des Canuts | Croix-Rousse | Half a day | Free |
| Fresque des Lyonnais | Terreaux | 20 minutes | Free |
| Institut Lumière | Monplaisir | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Musée Miniature et Cinéma | Vieux Lyon | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Gadagne museums | Vieux Lyon | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Centre for the History of the Resistance and Deportation | 7th arrondissement | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Berges du Rhône | Guillotière | 1–2 hours | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Religious site · Fourvière
1.Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Built between 1872 and 1896 on the hill above Vieux Lyon, the white basilica has a lavish interior of mosaics, gilding and marble. The esplanade beside it is the city's main viewpoint, looking over the rooftops, the two rivers and, on clear days, Mont Blanc.
Take the funicular up from Vieux Lyon and walk down through the Jardin du Rosaire for views on the way.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Vieux Lyon
2.Vieux Lyon and the traboules
The Renaissance quarter along the Saône is threaded with traboules, covered passages that cut through buildings and courtyards from one street to the next, once used by silk merchants. The Longue Traboule between rue Saint-Jean and rue du Bœuf is the best known, with a tower staircase in its courtyard.
Push gently on doors marked with the traboule sign; many open to visitors during the day, but keep quiet as residents live here.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Market · Part-Dieu
3.Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Named after the city's most famous chef, this covered market gathers dozens of top producers: cheesemongers selling runny Saint-Marcellin, charcutiers, pâtissiers, oyster bars and chocolatiers. Many stalls serve food and wine on the spot, especially at weekend lunchtimes.
Go on a Saturday or Sunday late morning for oysters and white wine at the counter, as locals do.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Free
Historic site · Fourvière
4.Roman theatres of Fourvière and Lugdunum museum
Lugdunum was the capital of Roman Gaul, and its Great Theatre, built around 15 BC, and the smaller Odeon still stand on the hillside below the basilica. The museum built into the slope next door displays mosaics, inscriptions and the bronze Claudian Tablet.
The theatre site is free to walk around; in summer it hosts concerts during the Nuits de Fourvière festival.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
Religious site · Vieux Lyon
5.Saint-Jean Cathedral
Lyon's cathedral, built between the 12th and 15th centuries, mixes Romanesque and Gothic styles and has medieval stained glass. Its astronomical clock, dating back to the 14th century, shows saints' days and sets moving figures in motion at certain hours.
Ask at the entrance when the clock's automata next perform; the show lasts a few minutes.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Street · Presqu'île
6.Place Bellecour and the Presqu'île
Place Bellecour, a vast square of red gravel with an equestrian statue of Louis XIV, is the starting point for walks along rue de la République and rue Victor-Hugo, past 19th-century façades, shops and cafés, towards the Place des Jacobins and its fountain.
Look up at the façades on rue de la République, among the best Second Empire architecture in the city.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Architecture
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Landmark · Terreaux
7.Place des Terreaux
The square in front of the 17th-century Hôtel de Ville is dominated by the Bartholdi Fountain, sculpted by the creator of the Statue of Liberty, with horses representing rivers. The Musée des Beaux-Arts fills its south side, and café terraces line the rest.
Come after dark, when the fountain and the city hall are lit.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- After dark
- History
Museum · Terreaux
8.Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
Set in a former Benedictine abbey on the Place des Terreaux, this is one of France's largest fine-arts museums outside Paris, with Egyptian antiquities, old masters, Impressionists and works by Picasso and Matisse. The cloister garden in the centre is free and open to all.
Even if you skip the museum, sit in the shaded cloister garden for a quiet break.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Confluence
1.Musée des Confluences
Opened in 2014 at the point where the Rhône and Saône meet, this deconstructivist cloud of glass and steel holds a science and anthropology museum covering the origins of the universe, life on Earth and human societies, with fossils, a mammoth skeleton and ethnographic collections.
Go up to the roof terrace for a view of the river confluence.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Nature
Park · 6th arrondissement
2.Parc de la Tête d'Or
One of the largest urban parks in France, covering more than 100 hectares, with a boating lake, a free zoo with an African plain, botanical gardens with large greenhouses, rose gardens and pony rides for children.
Enter by the Porte des Enfants du Rhône and rent a rowing boat on the lake on summer afternoons.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Couples
Neighbourhood · Croix-Rousse
3.Croix-Rousse and the Mur des Canuts
The silk weavers' hill rises north of the Terreaux. Climb through the Cour des Voraces, a courtyard with a monumental six-storey open staircase, to the plateau, where the Maison des Canuts demonstrates a working Jacquard loom and the Mur des Canuts mural shows the district in trompe-l'œil.
Walk up through the traboules and stairways of the Pentes and take metro line C back down.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Views
- Off the beaten path
Street · Terreaux
4.Fresque des Lyonnais
A trompe-l'œil mural covering a whole building on the Saône quay depicts about 30 famous people from Lyon's history, including the Lumière brothers, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry with the Little Prince and chef Paul Bocuse, at windows and on balconies.
Combine it with a walk along the Saône quays towards Vieux Lyon.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Kids
- Photo spot
Museum · Monplaisir
5.Institut Lumière
The Lumière family's Art Nouveau villa houses a museum of the Cinématographe and early cinema, next to the factory where Louis and Auguste Lumière filmed workers leaving in 1895, one of the first films ever shown. Its cinema screens classics, and a film festival takes place each autumn.
Check the cinema programme; screening a classic on the site of cinema's birth is a memorable evening.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Museum · Vieux Lyon
6.Musée Miniature et Cinéma
In a Renaissance building in Vieux Lyon, this museum displays hyper-realistic miniature scenes alongside original props, costumes and special-effects pieces from well-known films.
A good choice for a rainy afternoon in Vieux Lyon with children.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Art
Museum · Vieux Lyon
7.Gadagne museums
The largest Renaissance building in Vieux Lyon houses two museums: one on the history of Lyon and one on puppetry, including Guignol, the puppet character created in Lyon in the early 19th century. A terrace garden café sits at the top.
End with a drink in the hanging garden café on the upper level.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
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Museum · 7th arrondissement
8.Centre for the History of the Resistance and Deportation
Housed in a former military medical school used by the Gestapo during the Occupation, the CHRD tells the story of Lyon, a centre of the French Resistance, through documents, testimonies and the experience of daily life under occupation.
Allow time for the recorded testimonies, which bring the exhibition to life.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Waterfront · Guillotière
9.Berges du Rhône
Several kilometres of the Rhône's east bank have been turned into a promenade for walkers, cyclists and skaters, with lawns, playgrounds and moored barges (péniches) that serve as bars and clubs in the evening.
Rent a Vélo'v bike and ride from the Parc de la Tête d'Or south to the Confluence along the river.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- After dark
- Active
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Musée des Confluences, Fresque des Lyonnais and Institut Lumière |
| History | Vieux Lyon and the traboules, Roman theatres of Fourvière and Lugdunum museum, Saint-Jean Cathedral and Place des Terreaux |
| Views | Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Roman theatres of Fourvière and Lugdunum museum and Croix-Rousse and the Mur des Canuts |
| Outdoors and nature | Roman theatres of Fourvière and Lugdunum museum, Musée des Confluences, Parc de la Tête d'Or and Berges du Rhône |
| Food and markets | Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse |
| After dark | Place des Terreaux and Berges du Rhône |
| With children | Musée des Confluences, Parc de la Tête d'Or, Fresque des Lyonnais and Musée Miniature et Cinéma |
| On a rainy day | Saint-Jean Cathedral, Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and Musée des Confluences |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Lyon?
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Built between 1872 and 1896 on the hill above Vieux Lyon, the white basilica has a lavish interior of mosaics, gilding and marble.
+What can you do for free in Lyon?
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Vieux Lyon and the traboules, Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, Saint-Jean Cathedral and Place Bellecour and the Presqu'île. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Lyon when it rains?
Head indoors to Saint-Jean Cathedral, Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and Musée des Confluences.
+What is there to do in Lyon at night?
Place des Terreaux and Berges du Rhône are best after dark.