Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon

Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon

Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon
4.5
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The museum of Fine Arts of Lyon is the largest French museum outside of Paris, in terms of the richness of its collections, and the importance of the bequests received at its creation, in the wake of the Revolution. The ongoing enrichment of the collection and its dynamic artistic program place the museum on the international art scene. The museum is located place des Terreaux, in the heart of the city center, in a former 17th century Benedictine abbey. Its cloister is now home to a quiet garden featuring sculptures by Rodin and Bourdelle, among others. The museum’s encyclopedic collections are exhibited in five sections and seventy galleries presenting artworks from all the major civilizations and artistic schools, from Antiquity to the present day. All year long, the museum offers its visitors an exceptional tour of 5 000 years of art history and organizes major temporary exhibitions, as well as cultural activities engaging all audiences.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Top ways to experience Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Neighborhood: Terreaux - Bat D'argent
How to get there
  • Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel • 3 min walk
  • Cordeliers • 5 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travelers are saying
  • ManngaDua
    Singapore, Singapore506 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing collections
    I visited this museum to mainly see some paintings and was pleasantly surprised to find loads of collections from all over the world. Apart from paintings, there are sculptures, historical collections and fine modern arts. I did not know that this museum was so huge. I spent a few hours, but I guess it was not enough. I would like to come back again.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written April 30, 2023
  • Maria S
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must for anyone who likes art
    Great museum! We spent over two hours and only saw about half of the art. They have well known works from Renoir and Degas to name just two painters. Plus they have collections of Italian, Spanish and Flemish art as well. A must see! Get your tickets online and avoid the line.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 20, 2023
  • Ewa S
    Baltinglass, Ireland1,004 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    For art lovers
    For a place that wants to attract foreign visitors, there should be descriptions and signs in English too, not in French only. I loved the vast collection of artifacts and objects from ancient Egypt, Crete and from Middle Ages. As to paintings - lots of biblical and Christian oriented art. No showstoppers. Still - I enjoyed my visit and spent almost 2 hours there.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written September 18, 2023
  • Peter J
    London, United Kingdom276 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very good
    This a very good gallery situated in a lovely building and setting in the centre of Lyon. There is a lot to see here and some preparation will enable you to make the most of your visit. In short, there is almost too much too see in one visit. We focused on the modern paintings section which are very good but that is not to say, depending on personal taste, other galleries are not as good. Recommended.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 22, 2023
  • Marshall B
    Ferney-Voltaire, France3,678 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    So many wonderful items to see, you really have to take the time to enjoy them
    We got to the museum rather late in the day and had only 90 minutes before closing, and they close promptly so it is hard to squeeze in very much in the final 10 minutes. Ninety minutes is not enough, simply put. If you are into antiquities - particularly Egyptian, Greek, and Roman - it would be hard to come away without being immensely impressed by the breadth and depth of those collections, as well as by their condition and presentation. And I have to admit that I spent over 45 minutes just in that part of the museum, and it was much too fast. Also, for people interested in coins, there is an entire room devoted to coins, so that could easily take up another 30 minutes. So, once you get to the more modern art, you need another hour or two just to do it justice. Overall, very impressive presentation of all the works, in good light and not at all crowded together. It is truly the kind of museum that one wants to go back to, more than once, and certainly for much longer than 90 minutes. Excellent brochures available and great bookstore.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written December 19, 2023
  • Philip C
    York, Maine598 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Superb Museum
    Fortunately, we had a few days in Lyon is this museum might not have made our itinerary given all the other top things to do in town. But we were able to adjust our schedule, arrive at the open, take a break for lunch, and return for more. This is not a 2 hour walkthrough but rather a solid half a day.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 29, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles2,257 reviews
Excellent
1,148
Very good
880
Average
183
Poor
35
Terrible
11

Philip C
York, ME598 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
Fortunately, we had a few days in Lyon is this museum might not have made our itinerary given all the other top things to do in town. But we were able to adjust our schedule, arrive at the open, take a break for lunch, and return for more. This is not a 2 hour walkthrough but rather a solid half a day.
Written January 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Janice G
Telluride, CO30 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
Great museum, this is going to be a funny review but the shelves housing amazing works of art were so dusty they were distracting. The museum needs to be cleaned but it is worth a look! Lovely paintings!
Written January 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marshall B
Ferney-Voltaire, France3,678 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
We got to the museum rather late in the day and had only 90 minutes before closing, and they close promptly so it is hard to squeeze in very much in the final 10 minutes. Ninety minutes is not enough, simply put. If you are into antiquities - particularly Egyptian, Greek, and Roman - it would be hard to come away without being immensely impressed by the breadth and depth of those collections, as well as by their condition and presentation. And I have to admit that I spent over 45 minutes just in that part of the museum, and it was much too fast. Also, for people interested in coins, there is an entire room devoted to coins, so that could easily take up another 30 minutes. So, once you get to the more modern art, you need another hour or two just to do it justice. Overall, very impressive presentation of all the works, in good light and not at all crowded together. It is truly the kind of museum that one wants to go back to, more than once, and certainly for much longer than 90 minutes. Excellent brochures available and great bookstore.
Written December 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter L
8 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Solo
I traveled from Montpelier to see a painting that was on loan to the museum of fine arts .The floor was completely closed where the painting was on display with other impressionist paintings because of a technical difficulty as well as the cafeteria because it was being renovated so a complete waste of money. Baring in mind it was winter and cold it was not conducive to walking about the town which is quite large so I ended up spending time in the shopping centre Westfield which I did not want to do I might as have been in London.Obviously around the city there are a lot of interesting small independent shops and beautiful buildings but that was not the purpose of my visit .So a bing thumbs down to the museum.
Written December 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

samsam22222
Newark, OH139 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
The first floor of this museum is very good. Great Egypt exhibit. The paintings floor is OK. There are two issues with this museum. There are so many sky lights that there is a glare mid day that makes it a challenge to properly view some of the paintings. Then, they closed the first floor from 1-2. What? Super frustrating to have to wait to finish the museum. Don't go midday to avoid this issue.
Written October 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter J
London, UK276 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
This a very good gallery situated in a lovely building and setting in the centre of Lyon. There is a lot to see here and some preparation will enable you to make the most of your visit. In short, there is almost too much too see in one visit. We focused on the modern paintings section which are very good but that is not to say, depending on personal taste, other galleries are not as good. Recommended.
Written September 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ewa S
Baltinglass, Ireland1,004 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Solo
For a place that wants to attract foreign visitors, there should be descriptions and signs in English too, not in French only. I loved the vast collection of artifacts and objects from ancient Egypt, Crete and from Middle Ages. As to paintings - lots of biblical and Christian oriented art. No showstoppers. Still - I enjoyed my visit and spent almost 2 hours there.
Written September 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Piglet990
London, UK107 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Solo
Loved this museum. Lots to see, but wasn’t overwhelming in size. Sculpture, antiquities, paintings - they had it all. It’s very well curated and the building and courtyard itself is stunning. Definitely worth a visit!
Written August 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alex W
2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
The high quality of the collection means it's well worth visiting, but the works are very lazily exhibited, with little to contextualise or explain them (and almost nothing in English, which is unwelcoming for international visitors).

The museum in Dijon does a much better job with a significantly smaller collection.
Written May 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maria S
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
Great museum! We spent over two hours and only saw about half of the art. They have well known works from Renoir and Degas to name just two painters. Plus they have collections of Italian, Spanish and Flemish art as well. A must see! Get your tickets online and avoid the line.
Written May 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS OF LYON: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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