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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 24 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Anna Brooke

In the heart of Lyon’s Presqu’ile, in a former 17th-century Benedictine abbey, the Musee des Beaux-Arts is a majestic place for art lovers to while away a few hours.

The breadth of its collections is remarkable, covering everything from antiquities and medieval art to Islamic art and Europe’s major schools of painting, via some 5,000 artefacts. 19th- and 20th-century pieces are particularly well represented, with works by famous artists like Monet, Matisse, Manet, Gaugin and Picasso.

Its loveliest space, perhaps, is its courtyard garden, set in the former cloisters and dotted with statues.

Don’t miss

Monet’s 1883 Rough Sea at Etretat hangs in the museum (alongside other Impressionist works) – whisking you away to the Normandy coastline. Also look out for Nave Mahana by Gaugin (1896), painted in Tahiti and whose name means ‘Delicious Days’ in Maori.

While you’re there

Admire the fountain on the square in front, depicting France riding a chariot of four rivers (the horses); it was made by Auguste Bartholdi, creator of the Statue of Liberty.

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Price from: £7
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The museum is a 3-minute walk from metro Hotel-de-Ville – Louis Pradel.

To regulate the number of visitors, time-allocated tickets must be bought online via the official website in advance and either printed out or saved in your smart device.

Once you’ve meandered the cloister’s parterres, you can take it in from above from the museum cafe’s terrace. Or sit inside and admire the monumental Raoul Dufy mural.

When to do it

The museum is open all year round, Wednesday to Monday. Closed Tuesday.

Lunchtime is the quietest time to visit, though you will rarely be confronted with long lines at any time of the day.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

College Hotel

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[0.5 miles]

Playful school-themed hotel in the heart of Vieux Lyon, offering city views, and a terrace bar where nightly light shows illuminate the facade.

Official star rating:

Cour des Loges

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[0.6 miles]

Uniquely stylish hotel-with-restaurant stretching across several historic houses in the centre of Vieux Lyon. Perfectly located for sightseeing.

Official star rating:

Villa Florentine

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[0.7 miles]

Gorgeous convent converted into a calm luxurious retreat, aloof on the Fourviere hillside overlooking Lyon.

Official star rating:

Hotel Globe et Cecil

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[0.9 miles]

Chic family-run hotel smack bang in shop-filled Presqu’Ile, offering a cool restaurant serving excellent breakfast and innovative takes on classic Lyonnais dishes.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Lyon

Auberge-Rhone-Alpes, France

The gastronomic capital of France, if not the world, is not just a foodie hotspot. With UNESCO-protected architecture and awe-inspiring Roman ruins, its one for history lovers too..

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Vieux (Old) Lyon

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[0.7 miles]

Lyon’s historic and most beautiful quarter, notably filled with fine 16th-century French Renaissance mansions. An insight into how the city thrived in the Renaissance.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Fourviere Hill

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[1.1 miles]

The Fourviere hillside offers panoramic city views, a huge 19th-century basilica, two exceptional Roman theatres, and illuminating insights into Lyon’s Roman past.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Lugdunum Museum

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France[1.3 miles]

Nestled into the Fourviere hillside, Lyon’s fascinating Roman attraction is home to two ancient theatres and a museum filled with artefacts depicting all aspects life in the Roman town of Lugdunum.

Best for ages: 13+ | £3

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The go-to spot for shopaholics, this covered passage at the foot of Croix-Rousse houses Lyon’s edgiest fashion and interior design boutiques, plus a hand full of arty pop-up stores.

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Gadagne Museum

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Saint-Jean Cathedral

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Henri IV married Marie de Medicis in this stunning medieval cathedral, famed for its 16th-century astronomical clock and one the world’s largest 17th-century bells, rung up to 15 times a year.

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