10 Best Museums in Lyon

The Museum of Confluences is a natural science, earth science and anthropology museum showcasing the origins of the planet, life and society. In addition to these 3 focuses, you'll also find exhibits about the future and how different societies have coped with the inevitable end.

When you visit this museum, you'll find 4 permanent exhibitions and 5 temporary exhibitions at any given time, meaning you can find new experiences on subsequent visits. You'll find it all on the southern tip of La Confluence just north of where the Rhône and Saône meet.

Musée Cinéma et Miniature is a museum of miniatures and props from movies that are all scaled down while retaining the intricate details of their source material. More than 1,000 pieces are here in total, and they all could pass for their full-sized counterparts upon close inspection.

In addition to miniature replicas, you'll also find carved matchsticks, micro-origami and chiselled eggshells among other tiny tchotchkes showing off impressive skill on a small scale. You'll find it all in Vieux Lyon just northwest of the Jardin Archéologique.

Musée Lumière is the former home of the Lumière brothers and a museum showcasing the fascinating history of cinematography in the place it was born. The Lumière brothers were pioneers in cinematography, creating the first motion picture of all time, 'La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon', here in 1895.

When you visit, you'll see numerous historical artefacts on display including the early moving picture cameras they developed. You'll find it all in Monplaisir just a few steps away from the Monplaisir-Lumière Metro Station.

The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon hosts an incredible collection of artworks dating from antiquity up to the modern period. Some of the oldest pieces here are from ancient Egypt, so touring the collection can feel as if you're travelling through time.

Quite a few different mediums are on display here including paintings and sculptures crafted using a variety of different styles. You can see it all for yourself in Pentes de la Croix Rousse just south of Place des Terreaux.

The Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art is an interesting museum that shows off pieces that were created by artists directly on the site itself. Exhibits on display tend to rotate about twice a year, but they always show off what contemporary artists have created.

Keep in mind that when you visit this museum, you may find it between exhibits. They typically close down for about 6 months between exhibitions to give time to ensure that the future exhibition is ready to go. You'll find this museum along the northern edge of Parc de la Tête d'Or and south of Grand Casino de Lyon Le Pharaon.

The Center for the History of the Résistance and Déportation chronicles the history of the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation as well as the horrors of Jewish deportation. It's all housed within a former French military health school that the Nazis occupied in 1943.

When you visit this museum, you'll find numerous exhibits detailing the events that transpired, including the torture of resistance member Jean Moulin. You'll find this museum in Jean-Macé a short distance southwest of Parc Bechevelin.

The Tony Garnier Urban Museum is a collection of murals painted throughout a housing project that was created by Tony Garnier. A wide variety of artists came to paint murals along the buildings' exteriors, with 24 in total for you to see.

Given that this is essentially an open-air museum, you'll be at the mercy of the weather, but the murals themselves are always visible. You'll find it all along the northwestern edge of Les États-Unis on the east side of town.

The Museum of Printing and Graphic Communication offers an intriguing look into the history of printing from its beginnings in the Renaissance. The artefacts here showcase numerous eras of printing including its beginnings, the Industrial Revolution's advances and modern-day photography and graphic design.

Printing has an important legacy in Lyon, and you can explore all of that history when you visit to see not only how it influenced the world but also the identity of the city. You'll find this museum in Cordeliers - Jacobins just north of the Cordeliers Metro Station.

La Maison des Canuts is a museum and workshop focused on Lyon's rich history of silk making and artistic weaving. When you visit the museum, you'll not only see impressive samples of silk work, but you can see live demonstrations as well.

While the history of textiles is certainly compelling to explore, you'll also find a look into the modern 21st-century industry as well to see the latest technology. You'll find this museum in Croix-Rousse Est et Rhône less than a mile northeast of the Croix-Rousse Metro Station.

The Musée des Arts de la Marionnette is a puppetry arts museum where you can learn all about the wonder and spectacle of puppets. It's a largely interactive museum, so it's one of the best ones to visit if you're travelling with kids.

When you visit this museum, you'll not only see an impressive array of puppets on display, but you can learn all about how puppetry works and even see masters make them seem more real than ever before. You'll find this museum in Vieux Lyon a short distance south of the Lyon Saint Paul train station.