Place des Terreaux

The Place des Terreaux

The Lyon audio-guided tour leads you to the Place des Terreaux, one of the liveliest of the Presqu'île, lined by the Town Hall and the Museum of Fine Arts.

The administrative heart of Lyon

At the end of the square stands the Town Hall, inaugurated in 1672 and restored in the nineteenth century, one of the most imposing buildings of Lyon; its construction made the Place des Terreaux the administrative centre of the city. The Bartholdi fountain was added there in 1891, the work of the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi: originally intended for Bordeaux, it represents France and the four rivers, symbolised by Marianne and four horses. On the other side of the square, the Saint-Pierre palace houses the Museum of Fine Arts, the most important in France after the Louvre, whose collections unfold over some seventy rooms.

What there is to see

The Place des Terreaux charms with its large terraces, the majestic Bartholdi fountain and the façades of the Town Hall and the Saint-Pierre palace. It is a lively place, ideal for a drink or to begin the discovery of the Presqu'île. Between heritage, art and conviviality, it is one of the emblematic squares of Lyon.

Practical information

The Place des Terreaux is on the Presqu'île, in the heart of Lyon. A public square, it can be walked freely at all hours and on the level; the Museum of Fine Arts follows its own opening hours.

Who created the fountain of the Place des Terreaux?

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty; the fountain was installed in 1891.

What museum borders the Place des Terreaux?

The Museum of Fine Arts, set in the Saint-Pierre palace, the most important in France after the Louvre.