21 Can’t-Miss museums in Lyon (France) : Your Ultimate Guide
Our guide features 21 can’t-miss museums in Lyon (France) for your next adventure. Explore the best of Lyon (France) with our list of top-rated museums. For thrill-seekers, we’ve compiled 21 exciting museums. Journey through Lyon (France) and discover 21 fascinating museums with unique stories.
Information about Lyon (France)
The French city of Lyon is located in the eastern region of France between Marseille and Paris, and it is the third largest city in the country, with a population density of 491,268 people, and this city has a long history dating back more than 2000 years, as it was founded by the Romans, so you will see many Historical evidence such as palaces, towers and cathedrals, and this city is now considered the oldest Roman archaeological site after Rome itself. Apart from its architectural evidence, the city also has a lot of recreational places, parks, gardens, theatres, cinemas, amusement parks and many others, as well as an endless range of picturesque landscapes such as towering hills, vast plains and some rivers. As for the climate of this city, it is colder than other French cities in the winter, due to its location, but the weather is beautiful and warm in the summer.
A list of the best Museums in Lyon
We’ve carefully curated a list of the top 21 museums in Lyon (France) , based on visitor ratings and reviews. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, our guide will help you plan the perfect outing. Our team has scoured the city to find the best museums, from museums to restaurants to gardens. Let us be your guide to Lyon (France) ‘s museums scene and experience the sights and flavors that make it unique. Don’t waste your time searching for the best spots – we’ve done the work for you. Trust our expertise to make the most of your time in Lyon (France) .
1- Galerie Estades
Galerie Estades – The Michel Estadis Museum of Art – founded in 1998 – offers the possibility of discovering artists and artworks of the contemporary trend, through sculptures, paintings and more. It is worth noting that Michel is an art expert since 1986 and has established several exhibitions, and this particular exhibition is concerned with modern artists and contemporary art. The gallery also promotes the art of many living artists, painters and sculptors, and the museum strives to uncover contemporary talents.
Place address: Galerie Estades, 61 Quai Saint-Vincent, 69001 Lyon, France
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2- Museum of Cinema Miniature
Museum of Cinema Miniature – This museum is the only one of its kind in Europe, as it was established in 2005. The museum contains two permanent groups, the first is a group dedicated to the art of miniatures, and the other is a group of techniques and special effects that are used in films. You can see masks, prostheses, lining background, animations and miniature vehicles. Miniature sets, matte paintings, life-size decorations, models, costumes and many other amazing things that are of interest to both children and adults.
Place address: Museum of Cinema Miniature, 60 Rue Saint-Jean, 69005 Lyon, France
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3- OL Le Musee
OL Le Musee – It is the Olympic Lyon Sports Club Museum, where you can discover a unique and unexpected place of a mixture of passion and feelings, especially if you are a sports fan and a football fan. In this museum, you can learn about the history of the club and the stories and stories it went through. The museum is full of pictures, clothes, cups, medals, and many other wonderful things that you will find only in this unique museum.
Place address: OL Le Musée, 10 Avenue Simone Veil, 69150 Décines-Charpieu, France
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4- Fresque des Lyonnais
Fresque des Lyonnais – mural located in Lyon with an area of eight hundred square meters. This wonderful mural represents thirty well-known personalities in Lyon, including twenty-four historical figures and six contemporary figures. This charming mural was painted between 1994-1995 by Cité Création.
Place address: Fresque des Lyonnais, 2 Rue de la Martinière, 69001 Lyon, France
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5- Montluc prison
Montluc prison – This military prison was built in 1921 and is located opposite the castle of the same name in one of the industrial areas of Lyon. After the Armistice Agreement of 1940, the prison received a number of regular prisoners, military prisoners, and “anti-patriotic activities”. After invading the southern region in November 1942, the Germans took over the prison and put it under their control. It then became a concentration camp for resistance members, hostages, and victims of racial persecution. The prison is now one of the sites run by the Ministry of Defence, which is classified as a large memorial site.
Place address: Montluc prison, 4 Rue Jeanne Hachette, 69003 Lyon, France
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6- Musee Lumiere
Musee Lumiere – The Lumière Museum presents the most famous inventions of the Lumière brothers, who in 1895 invented the idea of cinematography. The museum also displays the history of cinema, the history of the first colored images, their inventors, and many other things. If you want to enrich your knowledge of cinematic history and how it developed, you only have to visit this distinguished museum.
Place address: Institut Lumière, Rue du Premier Film, 69008 Lyon, France
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7- Fire Brigade Museum
Fire Brigade Museum – The Fire Brigade Museum located in the city of Lyon is one of the most famous museums in the city, and it is a disguise entirely dedicated to displaying the profession of firefighters. The museum includes many holdings that serve its idea, such as firefighters’ clothes, some fire engines, equipment needed to put out fires, helmets, etc., as these holdings date back to the period between the Middle Ages to the present day! Visit it with your family or friends and enjoy getting to know this wonderful museum that is suitable for adults and children at the same time. It is an entertaining and educational place that cannot be missed when going to Lyon, France.
Place address: Fire Brigade Museum, 358 Avenue de Champagne, 69009 Lyon, France
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8- Centre dhistoire de la resistance et de la deportation
Centre dhistoire de la resistance et de la deportation – It is a museum established in 1992 to chronicle the history of the French Resistance and deportation in World War II. It is a wonderful museum that contains historical documents related to the French resistance to the Nazi occupation, dating back to the days of the World War, in which Lyon played a central role. To learn more about the role that France played in World War II in a broader way, you only have to visit this museum, which will enrich your historical information.
Place address: Centre d’histoire de la résistance et de la déportation, 14 Avenue Berthelot, 69007 Lyon, France
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9- Epsilon Vega
Epsilon Vega – Epsilon Vega are two French artisans who work with watches. Epsilon Vega gives a second life to antique mechanical watches by transforming them into high quality jewelry. It is worth noting that all of these jewelry are handmade in Lyon. The concept of Epsilon Vega is inspired by fairy tales such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Jules Verne or Edgar Poe. Be sure to visit this store and take a look at the wonderful pieces that are worth seeing, and you can buy one of these pieces as a gift or as a souvenir to take home.
Place address: EPSILON VEGA, 4 Rue de la Fronde, 69005 Lyon, France
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10- Musee des Beaux Arts
Musee des Beaux Arts – The Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon is the largest French museum outside Paris in terms of the richness of its collections, as the continuous enrichment of the art collection in the museum puts the museum on the international art scene. The museum is housed in a Benedictine monastery that dates back to the 17th century, and the abbey now includes a peaceful garden featuring various sculptures. The museum’s exhibits are divided into five sections and seven galleries that display works of art from all major civilizations and schools of art, from ancient times to the present day. Throughout the year, the museum offers its visitors an exceptional tour that extends to 5,000 years of art history. The museum also organizes major temporary exhibitions, in addition to cultural activities that attract all audiences.
Place address: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, 20 Place des Terreaux, 69001 Lyon, France
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11- Gallo Roman Museum of Lyon Fourviere
Gallo Roman Museum of Lyon Fourviere – Opened in 1975, this museum displays a permanent collection consisting of Roman, Celtic and pre-Roman materials such as inscriptions, statues, jewelry, everyday objects, weapons, coins and other artifacts from ancient Rome. The museum is a reflection of Lyon’s Roman past. The museum also regularly hosts many temporary shows.
Place address: Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière, 17 Rue Cleberg, 69005 Lyon, France
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12- The Confluences Museum
The Confluences Museum – This museum is a huge structure of metal and glass, as it offers you a journey through time and across continents to observe the world around us. In an area of 3,000 square metres, the museum’s permanent collection tells the great story of human adventure from our origins to the present day. Where the museum has a group of exhibitions filled with unique pieces, which revolve around various questions about the origin and destiny of humanity, about the diversity of cultures and civilizations, and about the position of man in the chain of life.
Place address: Confluence Museum, 86 Quai Perrache, 69002 Lyon, France
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13- Musee d’Histoire de Lyon
Musee d’Histoire de Lyon – This museum presents the history of the city of Lyon in a sequential chronological order from ancient times to today. This museum has been located in the Gadagne Hotel since 1912. The museum displays many things, including inscriptions, plans, documents and many other historical things. If you want to know more about the history of Lyon, do not hesitate to visit this museum.
Place address: MHL – Musée d’Histoire de Lyon, 1 Place du Petit Collège, 69005 Lyon, France
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14- Musee de limprimerie et de la communication graphique
Musee de limprimerie et de la communication graphique – The Museum of Typography and Graphic Communication is one of the museums of the city of Lyon whose main mission is to enrich, preserve, document and valorize the common and official heritage. The museum aims to promote the written heritage and graphic arts. Since the museum opened in 1964, the number of visitors in 2007 reached approximately 16,819 visitors.
Place address: Musée de l’imprimerie et de la communication graphique, 13 Rue de la Poulaillerie, 69002 Lyon, France
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15- Taverne Gutenberg
Taverne Gutenberg – The three-storey building in downtown Lyon has become a public attraction, welcoming more than 50 artists who paint and imagine new artistic routes through the building. Designed by French-Filipino designer Maya de Boville and artist Henri Lamy, the building is ideal for exhibitions, concerts, or just to grab a coffee and admire the artworks scattered around.
Place address: Taverne Gutenberg, siège social, 10 Impasse des Chalets, 69007 Lyon, France
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16- Musee des Tissus et des Arts Decoratifs
Musee des Tissus et des Arts Decoratifs – The Museum of Textiles and Ceramic Arts is housed in two private 18th-century mansions in Lyon. Founded in 1864, the museum houses one of the largest international collections of textiles. The history of this group extends back four thousand years, from ancient times to the present, and the wide range of technologies covers all geographical regions of the world. The history of Lyon’s silk industry is particularly featured in the collection.
Place address: Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs, 34 Rue de la Charité, 69002 Lyon, France
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17- Tony Garnier Urban Museum
Tony Garnier Urban Museum – It is a museum in which you can discover the works of the artist Tony Garnier, a central figure in Lyon’s architectural and social history. And all this through an open-air tour, as the museum contains 25 painted murals, and you will also discover the works of Tony Garnier, his project in the industrial city, his major works for the city of Lyon, and also the ideal cities envisioned by international artists.
Place address: Tony Garnier Urban Museum, 4 Rue des Serpollières, 69008 Lyon, France
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18- Puppetry Museum
Puppetry Museum – The Museum of Puppetry reveals a world where scenes and emotions meet; Did you know that the oldest doll in the world was found in the Czech Republic and dates back to 25,000 BC? In this amazing place, the puppet takes on different roles and functions according to the era, culture, or context. It will play frightening, entertaining, sad, and surprising roles. If you are in Lyon, you must set aside time to visit this charming museum.
Place address: 1 Pl. du Petit Collège, 69005 Lyon, France
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19- La Maison des Canuts
La Maison des Canuts – wonderful and interesting museum dating back to the nineteenth century, and through it you will learn about the invention of hand knitting, the history of silk and the lives of weavers. There are guided tours in French, but there is also information in English to follow the tours, and these tours show everything in the building while tracing the trace of silk production in Lyon five centuries ago.
Place address: La Maison des Canuts, 10 Rue d’Ivry, 69004 Lyon, France
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20- Musee des Automates Vieux Lyon
Musee des Automates Vieux Lyon – The museum presents a collection of animated figures, all made in workshops and theatres. It is a museum in which you can discover a group of 250 puppets all moving in the museum’s workshop in 7 different rooms and in 20 moving scenes. The museum also offers special activities for children every week which includes a guided museum tour as well as a puppet making workshop.
Place address: Musee des Automates Vieux Lyon, 100 Rue Saint-Georges, 69005 Lyon, France
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21- Little Guignol Museum
Little Guignol Museum – The Small Guignol Museum is located in the old city of Lyon and has been in existence since 1995. The idea of this museum is to display the history of the Guignol doll and the wonderful French dolls and brides. The Guignol Museum contains many dolls that were used in films in addition to regular dolls. There is an audio explanation recorded in English for tourists from different regions. It is a really wonderful place and you must visit it with your family or friends when you go to France to learn about the reason and how to use these dolls.
Place address: Little Guignol Museum, 6 Rue Saint-Jean, 69005 Lyon, France
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Conclusion
As you embark on your journey to explore Lyon (France) , we hope you discover new perspectives, make unforgettable memories, and form deep connections with the people and places around you. Our guide is just the beginning of your adventure, so be sure to keep an open mind and heart as you explore this wonderful region. Remember to take in the sights, sounds, and flavors that make Lyon (France) so unique, and don’t be afraid to step off the beaten path and discover the hidden gems that await. Whether you’re traveling solo, with friends or family, or on a romantic getaway, Lyon (France) promises to be a destination that will leave you enchanted and inspired. Thank you for choosing to explore Lyon (France) with us, and we look forward to hearing about your travels. Safe travels and happy exploring!