Opera

The Opera of Lyon

The Opera of Lyon is a spectacular building that marries a nineteenth-century façade with a contemporary glass dome. The Lyon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this emblematic monument, reinvented by the architect Jean Nouvel, near the town hall.

The nineteenth-century building reinvented by Jean Nouvel

The Opera of Lyon is one of the most surprising and most emblematic monuments of the town, located near the town hall and the Place des Terreaux. Originally, the building was built in the nineteenth century in a neoclassical style, with an elegant façade adorned with statues of the muses. But at the end of the twentieth century, the building was entirely rethought and modernised by the famous architect Jean Nouvel: he kept the historic façade and foyer while topping them with a spectacular glass roof in the form of a half-cylinder, which lights up red at night and shelters new halls. This bold marriage between the old and the contemporary makes all the originality of the building and illustrates the capacity of Lyon to combine heritage and modernity. The Opera hosts lyric performances, ballets and concerts of great quality, perpetuating the cultural life of the town. An original monument and an architectural jewel, the Opera of Lyon is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

You admire the emblematic monument near the town hall, originally neoclassical of the nineteenth century with a façade adorned with the muses, entirely reinvented by the architect Jean Nouvel who topped it with a spectacular half-cylinder glass roof lighting up red at night, a bold marriage between heritage and modernity, which hosts operas, ballets and concerts. The Opera of Lyon is an architectural jewel. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Opera of Lyon lies near the town hall and the Place des Terreaux, in the heart of the Presqu'île, reachable on foot. You admire its exterior from the street, particularly the glass roof illuminated at night; the shows follow their own programme and hours, which vary. It is best to check the agenda before coming.

Who reinvented the Opera of Lyon?

The architect Jean Nouvel, at the end of the twentieth century: he kept the neoclassical façade and foyer of the nineteenth century while topping them with a spectacular half-cylinder glass roof lighting up red at night, marrying heritage and modernity.

Where is the Opera of Lyon?

Near the town hall, in the heart of the Presqu'île of Lyon, in France.