27 Best Sights in Lyon and the Alps, France

Lyon has spent the last 15 years spiffing up 5 km (3 miles) of its Berges du Rhône waterfront via pedestrian-only walking paths and cycling routes that take you past water gardens, meadows, sunning decks, petanque pitches, and a slew of lively bars and cafés all enjoying fabulous views and cool breezes over the Rhône. Open year-round, this is a big summer hot spot for the Lyonnais, who flock here after work to jog, picnic, and simply bask in the warm weather. For a map of the Berges areas, stop in at the tourist office at Place Bellecoeur or have a look online.

This futuristic glass-and-stainless-steel museum—an architectural extravaganza designed by the Austrian firm Coop Himmelblau—attempts an ambitious and sweeping three-part overview of anthropology, ethnology, and the natural sciences. Dramatically set at the confluence of the Saône and Rhône rivers and meant to reflect both sky and water, the building was designed to harmonize with the landscape, and its soaring interior gracefully interacts with an assemblage of pedestrian walkways, boutiques, cafés, and restaurants below. One of Lyon's most engaging and fascinating museums, visitors can spend an hour or an afternoon exploring the superb permanent collection and a range of multifaceted exhibits on subjects as varied as the origins of the universe to the question of an afterlife. The museum bookshop is a pleasure to browse and there are several appealing contemporary in-museum restaurants for lunch, dinner, or a quick snack.

One of France's most extensive collections of decorative arts and the world's largest textile collection—spanning 4,500 years and comprising nearly 2 million pieces—has now added a shimmering €60 million addition by French architect Rudy Ricciotti, a third building to the museum's two 18th-century structures. The undulating glass and concrete tower combines light and transparency to convey the delicacy and movement of the historic fabrics that document Lyon's once-flourishing silk industry, from the Renaissance period to its 20th-century demise. Other highlights include Asian tapestries from as early as the 4th century, Turkish and Persian carpets from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and the sumptuous world-famous Lyon silks. Visitors can also enjoy a library, an auditorium, the Lacroix Laval garden, and a luminous rooftop restaurant.

Like parallel Rue St-Jean, Rue du Bœuf has traboules, courtyards, spiral staircases, towers, and facades. The traboule at No. 31 hooks through and out onto Rue de la Bombarde. At No. 19 is the standout Maison de l'Outarde d'Or, so named for the great bustard, a gooselike game bird, depicted in the coat of arms over the door. The late-15th-century house and courtyard inside have spiral staircases in the towers, which were built as symbols of wealth and power. Number 20 conceals one of the rare open-shaft spiral staircases allowing for a view all the way up the core. The Hotel Tour Rose at No. 22 has, indeed, a beautiful tour rose (pink tower) in the inner courtyard. At the corner of Place Neuve St-Jean and Rue du Bœuf is the famous sign portraying the bull for which Rue du Bœuf is named, the work of the Renaissance Italy–trained French sculptor Jean de Bologne.

Once Vieux Lyon's major thoroughfare, this street leads north from Place St-Jean to Place du Change, where money changers operated during medieval trade fairs. The elegant houses along it were built for illustrious Lyonnais bankers and Italian silk merchants during the French Renaissance. The traboule at No. 54 leads all the way through to Rue du Bœuf (No. 27). Beautiful Renaissance courtyards can be visited at No. 50, No. 52, and No. 42. At 27 rue St-Jean, an especially beautiful traboule winds through to 6 rue des Trois Maries. Number 28 has a pretty courtyard, as do No. 18 and No. 24. Maison Le Viste at No. 21 has a splendid facade.

The rather pompous late-19th-century basilica, at the top of the ficelle (funicular railway), is—for better or worse—the symbol of Lyon. Its mock-Byzantine architecture and hilltop site make it a close relative of Paris's Sacré-Coeur. Both were built to underline the might of the Roman Catholic Church after the Prussian defeat of France in 1870 gave rise to the birth of the anticlerical Third Republic. The excessive gilt, marble, and mosaics in the interior underscore the Church's wealth, although they masked its lack of political clout at that time. One of the few places in Lyon where you can't see the basilica is the adjacent terrace, whose panorama reveals the city—with the cathedral of St-Jean in the foreground and the glass towers of the reconstructed Part-Dieu business complex glistening behind. For a more sweeping view still, climb the 287 steps to the basilica observatory.

This fortified church dates back to a 10th-century Benedictine abbey and a 9th-century sanctuary before that. The millenary energy field is palpable around the hulking structure, especially near the rear of the apse where the stained-glass windows glow richly in the twilight. In 1844 it became one of the first buildings in France to be classified a national monument; its interior murals and frescoes, though, are disappointingly plain and austere compared to the quirky, rough exterior.

Solid and determined—having withstood the sieges of time, revolution, and war—the cathedral's stumpy facade is stuck almost bashfully onto the nave. Although the mishmash inside has its moments—the fabulous 13th-century stained-glass windows in the choir and the varied window tracery and vaulting in the side chapels—the interior lacks drama and harmony. Still, it's an architectural history lesson. The cathedral dates to the 12th century, and the chancel is Romanesque, but construction on the whole continued over three centuries. The 14th-century astronomical clock, in the north transept, is a marvel of technology very much worth seeing. It chimes a hymn to St. John on the hour at noon, 2, 3, and 4, as a screeching rooster and other automatons enact the Annunciation.

During World War II, Lyon played an important role in the Resistance movement against the German occupation of France. Displays include equipment, such as radios and printing presses, photographs, and exhibits re-creating the clandestine lives and heroic exploits of Resistance fighters.

Part of the Grand Hôtel Dieu complex, Cité Internationale de Gastronomie celebrates Lyon's place as a major culinary destination through a series of temporary exhibitions that explore French food from a variety of creative angles. The recent exhibition "Banquet" immersed viewers into every aspect of a celebratory meal, from kitchen to table, using all five senses. The Miam Miam space for kids introduces little ones to the French secrets of cooking and eating well.

The 12th-century church of St-Paul is noted for its octagonal lantern, its frieze of animal heads in the chancel, and its late-period Flamboyant Gothic chapel.

This superb Renaissance mansion, close to the Hôtel Paterin, is noted for its courtyard, with an ingenious gallery built in 1536 by Philibert Delorme, one of France's earliest and most accomplished exponents of classical architecture. Delorme also worked on several spectacular châteaux in central France, including those at Fontainebleau and Chenonceaux.

Architects Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte redesigned the very impressive facade of the Town Hall after a 1674 fire. The rest of the building dates to the early 17th century. The tourist office organizes visits to the hall's salons.

On the site where the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, invented cinematography in their family home, this museum has daily showings of early film classics and contemporary movies as well as a permanent exhibit about the Lumières.

Inside this garden are the excavated ruins of two churches that succeeded one another. The foundations of the churches were unearthed during a time when apartment buildings—constructed here after churches had been destroyed during the Revolution—were being demolished. One arch forms part of the ornamentation in the garden.

One of several small, leafy parks in Lyon, this one is a peaceful place to take a break while admiring the splendid vistas of the river and Fourvière Hill.

In these luxurious botanical gardens you'll find remnants of the once-huge Amphithéâtre des Trois Gaules (Three Gauls Amphitheater), built in AD 19.

Old-time Jacquard looms are still in action at this historic house in La Croix Rousse, and the weavers are happy to show children how the process works. The boutique is a great place to stock up on a colorful range of silk, wool, and linen scarves—all made in Lyon.

This 17th-century mansion is one of Lyon's oldest. In the courtyard you can glimpse a charming garden and the original Tour Rose, an elegant pink tower. In those days, the higher the tower, the greater the prestige. This one was owned by a tax collector.

In the elegant 17th-century Palais St-Pierre, formerly a Benedictine abbey, this museum houses one of France's largest art collections after that of the Louvre. Byzantine ivories, Etruscan statues, Egyptian artifacts, and top-notch sculptures (most notably Rodin's Walker) are all on display; however, paintings remain the highlight. Amid old master, Impressionist, and modern paintings are works by the tight-knit Lyon School, characterized by exquisitely rendered flowers and overbearing religious sentimentality. Note Louis Janmot's Poem of the Soul, immaculately painted visions that are by turns heavenly, hellish, and downright spooky. A newer trove of treasures includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Bacon, Braque, and Picasso.

Lyon's long history as a center for the silk industry is well charted at several Lyon arts centers, but this jewel of a museum, set inside the Grand Hôtel-Dieu complex, gives you a close look at the industry through the work of a single family. For 130 years, the Brochiers manufactured the finest silks, imported worldwide and favored by France's great couturiers, including Paul Poiret—the father of haute couture—Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, and many more. Many of these elegant creations are on exhibit here. You'll also see rare works on silk by the likes of artists Raoul Dufy, Miró, Calder, and Jean Cocteau. Afterward, stock up on chic silk scarves and accessories at the irresistible museum boutique.

Built between 1920 and 1933, this project (also known as the Cité de la Création), was France's first attempt at low-income housing. Over the years, several tenants have contributed artwork in an effort to beautify the space. Most notably, 22 giant murals depicting the work of Tony Garnier, the turn-of-the-20th-century Lyon architect, were painted on the walls. Artists from around the world, with the support of UNESCO, have added their vision to the creation of the ideal housing project.

These two museums are housed in the city's largest ensemble of Renaissance buildings, the Hôtel de Gadagne, built between the 14th and 16th century. The Musée d'Histoire de Lyon traces the city's history from its pre-Roman days onward, displaying sculpture, furniture, pottery, paintings, and engravings. The Musée des Marionnettes du Monde focuses on the history of puppets, beginning with Guignol and Madelon—Lyon's Punch and Judy—created by Laurent Mourguet in 1795. It includes two hanging gardens, a café, and a shop.

The barrel-vaulted Lyon Opera, a reincarnation of a moribund 1831 building, was designed by star French architect Jean Nouvel and built in the early 1990s. It incorporates a columned exterior, soaring glass vaulting, neoclassical public spaces, and an all-black interior.

Shady, imposing Place Bellecour is one of the largest squares in France, and is Lyon's fashionable center, midway between the Saône and the Rhône. Classical facades erected along its narrower sides in 1800 lend architectural interest. The large, bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIV, installed in 1828, is the work of local sculptor Jean Lemot.

The four majestic horses rearing up from a monumental 19th-century fountain in the middle of this large square are an allegory of the River Saône by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who sculpted New York Harbor's Statue of Liberty. The 69 fountains embedded in the wide expanse of the square are illuminated by fiber-optic technology at night. The notable buildings on either side are the Hôtel de Ville and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.

Two ruined, semicircular, Roman-built theaters are tucked into the hillside, just down from the summit of Fourvière. The Grand Théâtre, the oldest Roman theater in France, was built in 15 BC to seat 10,000. The smaller Odéon, with its geometric flooring, was designed for music and poetry performances.