Food for curious minds
With more than 20 museums, the city has a wide selection of places to visit, which means that the only difficulty is making a choice! Lyon’s museums focus on very different themes, so it all depends on the tastes and interests of your clients.
Museums that can only be found in Lyon
Musée des Tissus: With the number one collection devoted to textiles in the world, the museum presents 4500 years of textiles production. It offers a chance to discover the history of the silk industry in Lyon and the skills of the canuts (Lyon’s silk workers). Closed for renovation until 2026.
Musée Lumière: Located in the Lumière family home, which was built in 1899, the Musée Lumière retraces the story of the invention of the cinematograph. By perfecting photographic equipment and techniques, Auguste and Louis Lumière developed a new process in 1895 and cinema was born!
Museums that look at the history of Lyon
Lugdunum: Located next to Fourvière’s Roman theatre and odeum, the Lugdunum Museum explores Lyon’s ancient history through items that are representative of this amazing period. Sculptures, mosaics and everyday objects transport visitors back to Roman times!
Musée d’Histoire de Lyon: Housed in Lyon’s largest Renaissance building, this museum looks at the history of Lyon from the Middle Ages to the present time.
Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation: Located in the former Gestapo headquarters, this museum pays tribute to Lyon, capital of the French Resistance, and retraces the history of the city during the Second World War through objects and eyewitness accounts from members of the Resistance.
Art museums
Musée des Beaux-Arts: In a former seventeenth-century abbey, the museum of fine arts boasts one of the most important collections of artworks in Europe (with works by masters such as Veronese, Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin, Gauguin and Monet), ranging from Ancient Egypt to the present day.
Musée d’Art Contemporain: Exhibitions at the contemporary art museum feature artists from the international contemporary art scene. Please note that the museum is only open during exhibition periods.
Museums for the whole family
Musée des Confluences: Inaugurated in 2014, the Musée des Confluences offers a journey through the history of humanity in a futuristic building. Take your clients all the way back to the time of the dinosaurs, as they discover different species, human inventions and the beyond.
Musée des Arts de la Marionnette: This museum explores the art of puppetry. In the city of the famous French puppet Guignol, you can discover puppets from all over the world, past and present.
Musée Miniature et Cinéma: In a Renaissance building in the heart of the old town, film sets and places are recreated with miniature models, while retired film sets and costumes are given a new home. A perfect museum for the whole family!
TOP 5 most visited museums in Lyon:
1- Musée des Confluences
2- Musée des Beaux-Arts
3- Musée Lumière
4- Musée Miniature et Cinéma
5- Musée d’Art Contemporain (only open during exhibition periods
Entry to all of these museums is free with our special tourist pass – the Lyon City Card.
Places to discover
For days out as a family, these three places welcome kids and adults to dive down to the seabed, discover miniature worlds and explore space!
Mini-World: Covering 2500 m², three different worlds depict scenes of daily life with a touch of humour. Thousands of little characters go about their daily lives, hundreds of vehicles move around and magical lights mark the passing of day and night.
Planétarium: For those fascinated with space and infinity, the Planétarium offers total immersion with its exhibitions and astronomy sessions.
Aquarium: Where the Rhône and Saône meet, the Aquarium’s 40 tanks and 3500 fish from 300 species offer an amazing aquatic journey, from the surrounding rivers and lakes to the tropical waters.
OL Le Musée
Like any great club worth its name, Olympique Lyonnais now has its own museum, in the heart of the Groupama Stadium (which opened in 2016)! Ready to...
The Hameau Duboeuf
The first oenology park in the Beaujolais. It's a fascinating visit through the world of winegrowing and winemaking with shows, attractions and wine...
Lugdunum - Musée et Théâtres romains
Unique for the sheer richness of its collections, its environment and its bold architecture, thanks to an astonishing underground exhibition trail,...
Fine Arts Museum
In a former 17th-century abbey, the museum boasts one of the largest collections of European works of art (Véronèse, Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin,...
Musée Urbain Tony Garnier - Cité Tony Garnier
Set off to discover the 25 wall frescoes in the Habitations à Bon Marché district designed by the architect Tony Garnier and built between 1920 and...
The Museum of Printing and Graphic Communication
In a city which was once the capital of bookmaking in the 15th and 16th centuries, the museum offers a unique overview of the history of books and...
Soierie Vivante
Located in the heart of the Croix-Rousse district, Soierie Vivante preserves two canut home weaving workshops that belong to the town. A guided tour...
Aviation Museum Lyon Corbas
Located on Corbas airfield, south of Lyon, the aviation museum “clément Ader” proposes to discover, from guided tours only (no free visits allowed), a...
Antiquaille - ECCLY
This cultural space dedicated to the history and the birth of Christianity in Gaul also has what is believed to be the prison of Saint Pothin. It...
Soierie Saint-Georges
Get to meet one of the last canuts in Lyon, in a workshop where silk is still very much part of everyday life!
Mini World Lyon
Thousands of animated scenes of life, hundreds of vehicles travelling independently, vast landscapes and a blaze of lights... That is the spectacle...
Musée Soieries Brochier
The Musée des Soieries Brochier offers a fascinating way to discover Lyon’s silk-making tradition, in the heart of the city.
Cité du Chocolat Valrhona
In heart of the Rhône valley, amongst the foothills of the great Tain-l’Hermitage vineyards and the river, lies Valrhona.
Institut d'Art Contemporain - IAC
The Institute of Contemporary Art creates and conducts research into contemporary art, organises exhibitions and events and puts together...
Textile Museum
The Textile Museum has 2000 years of history of textiles (the first collection in the world) and the Museum of Decorative Arts is one of the few...
Maison des Canuts
Along with her husband Philibert, Virginie Varenne runs the Maison des Canuts (Silk Workers' Centre) which they have both renovated together You...
Musée des Confluences
It is one of the latest great contemporary museums which alone are enough to justify a trip to Lyon. So of course, you wouldn't miss this visit for...
Automobile Museum Henri Malartre
On the banks of the Saône, 11km north of Lyon, the Rochetaillée-sur-Saône castle Belle-époque and its 3 ha wooded park, houses the collections of...
The Guignol Little Museum
In this small museum, Guignol is king! You will discover a wide collection of puppets and other unique items bearing the image of small wooden Lyon.