Place des Terreaux

The Place des Terreaux, in Lyon

The Place des Terreaux is one of the finest squares of Lyon, adorned with the famous Bartholdi fountain and lined with the town hall and the museum of fine arts. The Lyon audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this major place of the Presqu'île, monumental heart of the town.

The Bartholdi fountain and the town hall

The Place des Terreaux is one of the most important and finest squares of Lyon, in the heart of the Presqu'île. Its name comes from the lands and the ditches that were formerly there, at the location of a former bed of the Saône filled in. The square is dominated by two major buildings: on one side, the imposing town hall, a magnificent palace of the seventeenth century with a richly adorned façade; on the other, the museum of fine arts, one of the richest of France, installed in a former abbey. But the most spectacular element of the square is the famous monumental fountain created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty: this work of lead represents a chariot pulled by four fiery horses, symbolising the rivers rushing towards the ocean. The ground of the square is also adorned with water games and small luminous fountains. A place of life, art and history, the Place des Terreaux is a must-see stop of the discovery of Lyon.

What to see

You admire one of the finest squares of Lyon, dominated by the imposing seventeenth-century town hall and the museum of fine arts installed in a former abbey, and above all the famous monumental fountain of Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, representing a chariot pulled by four fiery horses, with its water games on the ground. The Place des Terreaux is a monumental heart of Lyon. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place des Terreaux lies in the heart of the Presqu'île of Lyon, reachable on foot and by public transport. It is a freely accessible public space; the town hall and the museum of fine arts have their own hours and conditions. The square is lively by day and by night.

Who created the fountain of the Place des Terreaux in Lyon?

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty; this monumental lead fountain represents a chariot pulled by four fiery horses, symbolising the rivers rushing towards the ocean, on the square dominated by the town hall and the museum of fine arts.

Where is the Place des Terreaux of Lyon?

In the heart of the Presqu'île of Lyon, in France.