Grand Hôtel Dieu

The Grand Hôtel-Dieu, in Lyon

The Grand Hôtel-Dieu is a magnificent monument of Lyon, a former historic hospital by the Rhône, become a place of life and gastronomy. The Lyon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this vast building, topped with its famous dome, a witness of the charitable history of the town.

The former hospital with the great dome

Here you enter the Grand Hôtel-Dieu of Lyon. The Hôtels-Dieu were charitable institutions, founded and managed by religious orders, generally Christian, with the aim of providing care and assistance to the sick, the poor and the needy. That of Lyon, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages, welcomed and cared for centuries for the sick, by the Rhône, playing an essential social role. The building was considerably enlarged and embellished in the eighteenth century, notably by the architect Soufflot, who gave it its majestic façade along the river and its famous great dome, become one of the symbols of the town. After the departure of the hospital, this vast ensemble has been magnificently restored and reconverted: it today shelters hotels, shops, restaurants, inner courtyards and the international City of gastronomy, celebrating the culinary reputation of Lyon. A witness of history and solidarity, magnificently reinvented, the Grand Hôtel-Dieu is a must-see stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you discover the former historic hospital by the Rhône, a charitable institution with medieval origins that cared for the sick for centuries, enlarged in the eighteenth century by Soufflot who gave it its majestic façade and its famous great dome, today magnificently restored and reconverted into hotels, shops, restaurants and the international City of gastronomy. The Grand Hôtel-Dieu is a symbol of Lyon. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Grand Hôtel-Dieu lies by the Rhône, in the heart of the Presqu'île of Lyon, reachable on foot. The courtyards and passages are generally freely accessible; the hotels, shops, restaurants and the City of gastronomy have their own hours and conditions. You discover it during a walk.

What was the Grand Hôtel-Dieu of Lyon?

A former historic hospital by the Rhône, a charitable institution with medieval origins that welcomed and cared for the sick for centuries; enlarged in the eighteenth century by Soufflot, with a majestic façade and a great dome, it today shelters hotels, shops, restaurants and the international City of gastronomy.

Where is the Grand Hôtel-Dieu of Lyon?

By the Rhône, in the heart of the Presqu'île of Lyon, in France.