Discover Unusual Lyon & Quirky Lyon with my list of top 15 Unusual Things To Do in Lyon!
This is going to be cool! I feel I know Lyon a little bit, I am a bit bored with the general touristic guides about Lyon which always tell me top 10 things to see in Lyon, the unmissable Lyon, things you must do in Lyon….I have been more interested in learning about Lyon in an unusual way. So I did some researches and there are many real Lyonnais who share their passion for Lyon and know Lyon very well and I learned so much from them and so I created My Own List of top 15 Unusual Things to Do in Lyon. And I have found so many! But I made a list of just 15 top! I hope my list will get us started with visiting Lyon in an unusual way. So how can you discover Quirky Lyon? Here you are:
- You can do a city tour on old French mopeds called Solex. Adresse: 20 Rue Burdeau, 69001 Lyon
- You can get an amazing view of Lyon and Mont Blanc as well as relax on a pretty chair in the Jardin des Curiosités, Address: Place de l’Abbé Larue, 69005 Lyon
- You can visit the charming small garden in the center of Croix-Rousse. Hidden from all and only to be viewed on Saturdays afternoons. It is a beautiful work of 25 years of the life of the Spanish architect. Jardin Rosa Mir has a real Spanish style; Address: 87 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69004 Lyon;
- You can discover and count all the rare and exotic 300 trees located in the unknown Lyonnais Parc Chambovet; Address: 2 Rue Chambovet, 69003 Lyon;
- How about visiting the oldest Lyonnais cemetery – Cimetière de Loyasse. Created in 1807, it is very interesting place in Lyon and on top of that it gives a great view of the city; Address: 43 – 46 Rue du Cardinal Gerlier, 69005 Lyon;
- You can get a free guided tour in the Mémorial National de la prison de Montluc. You can discover the prison with the guide or alone. Free & informative tour & twice a day during summer; Address: 4 Rue Jeanne Hachette, 69003 Lyon;
- You can use the opportunity to explore the word of anatomy at this Musée des Sciences Médicales et de la Santé. Better known as The Testut-Ltarjet Museum, it is a museum of the history of medicine and anatomy. Founded in 1854, it presents the very interesting collections, usually not displayed in the public museums. Address: 819, route du Mas Rillier – 69140 Rillieux la Pape
- You can check out the Maison du Docteur Dugoujon – Memorial de Caluire Jean Moulin where Jean Moulin was arrested by Klaus Barbie during a meeting on 21 June 1943. This 4 room house was acquired and renovated by the Department and nowadays it is opened to the public; Address: Place Jean Gouailhardou; 69300 Caluire-et-Cuire
- How about having a closer look at Le Patineur. I am sure you have already seen it. But did you know that this sculpture of the Skater symbolizes the man of the future or the man of freedom and has been created by the French artist César Baldaccini in 1989? Since 1992 it has been installed in the Place Tolozan. It measures 5 meters and it weights of 5 tons! So pay a bit more attention to this! Address: Place Tolozan 69001 Lyon 1er
- And how about enjoying the typical Lyonnais cuisine in the luxury coach. Trolley des Lumieres will take you through the city of Lyon and serve the high-quality Lyonnais meals. It’s unmissable experience; Address: Well, the bus is on a go, the meeting point is Bellecour and you can easily choose the routes here and book your place & meal here
- You can also visit Lyon sitting in the electric vehicle and listen to the driver guide who will tell you the story about the city, full of anecdotes and historical facts, good plans and conviviality. Choose Cyclopolitain to discover Lyon, decide on the course and it’s duration; Address: Office de Tourisme Place Bellecour 69002 Lyon;
- How about having a good look at the religious art of Lyon at the Tresor Musee religieux Fourviere? What is more, you can explore the Treasury of the Basilica, which is very representative of the 19th and 20th-century goldsmith’s art, with pieces from Parisian or Lyonnais artists. Address: 8 Place de Fourvière, 69005 Lyon
- Find the hidden & old, beautiful & Lyonnais clock – Horloge Charvet. Why? Because it’s located in the center of Lyon and you will have an excuse to walk all those little streets to find it here at the 8 Rue Poulaillerie, 69002 Lyon. The clock is a work of the watchmaker Charvet and it’s mechanism comes from the jewelry shop called Fortune. It has been installed on the street since the end of the nineteenth century. Simply, find it and have a closer look! It’s worth it!
- Visit the unknown museum of Lyon – The Museum Laundry! Yes yes! It exists! Interesting? For me yes. Check yourself to have a chance to see the 200 objects from the early 20th century: washing machines and spinning machines, irons, etc. Address: Located in the former factory of Gladel establishments, 104 Avenue Joachim Gladel, 69290 Craponne
- How about learning the history of the dental art and ‘admiring’ its collection of objects dating back to the 18th century up to the current day, many old works and a range of documents. Where? Only in Musee dentaire de Lyon. Don’t miss out on the remarkable series of dentist chairs from the 19th century until now. Address: Rue Guillaume Paradin, 69008 Lyon
Did you know any of those places? I cannot wait to see them all. I know there is more of Unusual so-called Quirky Lyon so if you heard & seen & been to any of places which are unusual in Lyon please share with me. It is a privilege to have a chance to discover Lyon the unusual way which is not known to all and to learn all those little gems of Lyon! So let’s keep on learning and so if you know something unusual about Lyon please add below. Thank you!
Merci beaucoup jeune Polonnaise de nous faire découvrir et aimer notre ville, dommage que vous ne vous exprimiez qu’en anglais, mais je ne désespère pas de vous lire un jour dans notre langue.
Vous n’imaginez pas combien les français sont rétif à l’anglais!!
A bientôt
Je vous remercie pour vos aimables paroles. J’espère aussi écrire en français un jour!
Thanks for a nice blog! Me and my husband recently moved to Nice from Sweden. Now we like to make a little journey to Lyon. Do you have a nice suggestion for a hotel? Comfort, cosy, personality?
Thanks
Boel
Thank you for your kind words. I am happy to hear you like my blog. It is a great news you are planning to visit Lyon – very good idea 😉 With regards to hotels in Lyon I didnt do a proper research yet, so it sounds like a good idea for a post in the future after I looked into this in details. In the meantime, I can only say that i usually use airbnb.com to find a place to stay. Good luck! Enjoy Lyon!
Good ‘unusual’ ideas even for someone living here since 2000. A couple more. 1. Lyon’s underground car parks, particularly Celestins (spirals down about 7 levels, can be seen in an inverted periscope from in front of the theatre of the same name. 2. The traboules in the 1e and 5e arr. are on the tourist circuit, but the secret galleries under the Fourviere will not be. Requires special permission given to a handful of people once a year to get access. 3. All the quiet places marked by a plaque (see Google Maps) where resistance fighters were shot or dumped dead by the Gestapo or militia (Milice). The most well known is on Pl. Bellecour (North side) with a permanent memorial. Lots of other ‘secret’ ideas, but they will remain known only to the cognoscenti in true Lyonnais fashion for the time being!
Thank you! These are brilliant…i shall explore myself.