Place des Terreaux
Place des Terreaux
4
About
This public square, lit up at night by a beautiful 19th-century fountain, is always crowded in the evenings.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Griffon - Royale
How to get there
- Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel • 3 min walk
- Croix-Paquet • 6 min walk
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Restaurants
3,547 within 5 kms
Attractions
421 within 10 kms
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,119 reviews
Excellent
406
Very good
471
Average
179
Poor
41
Terrible
22
Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia50,924 contributions
Sept 2019
Place des Terreaux is a lovely large square. It is surrounded by some wonderful buildings and these include the Hotel de Ville and the Musee des Beaux Arts de Lyon. In the centre there is a stunning fountain with a bronze sculpture. There are many restaurants, cafes and other stores in the vicinity. Worth visiting.
Written 2 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mara R
Giaveno, Italy79 contributions
Aug 2019
In my opinion, probably the only place worth seeing in an ugly, dirty city. Ok, a stroll along the banks of the two rivers or on the main street from where you can reach the square is not bad, but I didn't like the atmosphere and the people at all. I didn't feel safe in this city.
Written 1 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
alwaysafreespirit
Perth, Australia179 contributions
Aug 2014 • Solo
Found this place quite by accident after the long walk back down from Fourviere Hill and wondering through Old Lyon.
What a great place to be. To sit and eat/drink and watch all the people go by in such a place surrounded by historic buildings in the square - the Fontaine Barthold, Lyon City Hall and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon & shops, restuarants, bars - so much to choose from. Could easily while-away a couple of hours here soaking up the atmosphere. If you are ever in Lyon - this Place for lunch or dinner is the place to be!
What a great place to be. To sit and eat/drink and watch all the people go by in such a place surrounded by historic buildings in the square - the Fontaine Barthold, Lyon City Hall and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon & shops, restuarants, bars - so much to choose from. Could easily while-away a couple of hours here soaking up the atmosphere. If you are ever in Lyon - this Place for lunch or dinner is the place to be!
Written 9 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TaherAlbaghliJulian
Kuwait City, Kuwait1,923 contributions
Sept 2013 • Solo
location Place des Terreaux, 69001 Lyon, France .is a square located in the centre of Lyon, France on the Presqu'île between the Rhône and the Saône, at the foot of the hill of La Croix-Rousse in the 1st arrondissement of Lyon.
it one of the famous area in Lyon it amazing place & if you go there i advice you set in cafe or
restaurant & enjoy more in fountain view.
the fountain have statue of women & horses.
it one of the famous area in Lyon it amazing place & if you go there i advice you set in cafe or
restaurant & enjoy more in fountain view.
the fountain have statue of women & horses.
Written 25 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adolf P
Antwerp, Belgium158 contributions
Sept 2013 • Friends
Lovely place, view on the town hall, lovely fountain.
When yiou sit here, drinking a glass of wine on one of the terrasses, you see a lot of people passing by, a lot of trolleybuses driving by (Lyon public transport is amazing) and, of course, the ubiquitous cleaning crews. Public expenditure on the last two items must be enormous, but it is a very good example of how a modern million inhabitants city should be managed.
When yiou sit here, drinking a glass of wine on one of the terrasses, you see a lot of people passing by, a lot of trolleybuses driving by (Lyon public transport is amazing) and, of course, the ubiquitous cleaning crews. Public expenditure on the last two items must be enormous, but it is a very good example of how a modern million inhabitants city should be managed.
Written 16 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle G
Lyon, France27 contributions
May 2012 • Family
My "very good" rating is not so much for the place desTerreaux, but for the courtyard of the "Beaux Arts Museum". It is open to all. It's an oasis of quiet, where you can sit on a bench and have a bit of a rest before you go back to sightseeing.
Written 3 June 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicholas P
London, UK13 contributions
Jan 2012 • Solo
This square has many restaurants and bars so it is a good place to stop for a while and watch all the people bustling around. There is the large fountain in the middle plus 69 mini fountains built into the ground.
On some of the small streets around the square are more bars and restaurants where a lot of students hang out in the evenings. Its also the home of the Musee des Beaux Art
In addition it's a great place from which to explore the Traboules (secret walkways) - though it may be easier on the legs to start at Croix Rousse and walk down than vice versa.
On some of the small streets around the square are more bars and restaurants where a lot of students hang out in the evenings. Its also the home of the Musee des Beaux Art
In addition it's a great place from which to explore the Traboules (secret walkways) - though it may be easier on the legs to start at Croix Rousse and walk down than vice versa.
Written 5 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olivier B
Nogent-sur-Marne, France75 contributions
Sept 2019
Beautiful place surrounded with beautiful buildings but there are still too many cars and ongoing renovation works.
Written 11 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ed H
Ireland60 contributions
Oct 2018
Although there was building work going on we enjoyed two al fresco breakfasts sitting on the concrete bollards near the tourist train stop. This is a fairly large square with the Town hall on one side to the RHS of the fountain. It is good for "people watching" and the fountain itself is fascinating.
Written 19 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
passepartout
Washington DC, DC1,443 contributions
May 2018 • Solo
I passed this square several times daily in Lyons. Well worth stopping to take it all in.
It was largely a mud ditch before it became a public square beginning in the seventeenth century!
It was also on this public square where the guillotine was used for beheadings during the Revolutionary period, mostly in 1793 when Lyons was also pitted in a bitter rivalry with revolutionary forces in Paris.
Today, City Hall (building with the flags) stands on the eastern side of the square (but, as I discovered, is only open to public tours once a year in the autumn 😪).
To the north are commercial buildings which lie at the foot of the slopes which rise northward to Croix-Rousse area in the upper part of peninsular Lyons.
And to the south is the Musee des Beaux Arts (see separate post for more info - this was my first museum stop in Lyons).
And then there is the Bartholdi fountain by the sculptor of the same name who also did the Statue of Liberty. This statue and famed landmark in Lyons was fully restored only late last year, a major project to repair badly damaged lead, and make the fountain water tight. The water turned on again just a few months ago. Lucky me.
The fountain feaures Marianne (France's Lady of the Republic) riding a four-horse powered chariot. The fountain was originally meant for the French city of Bordeaux which however could not afford it. The horses had been designed to represent that city's Garonne river and its four tributaries. Instead, the horses are today meant to signify the two major rivers which lasso the peninsular part of Lyon - the Rhone and the Saone.
For a Washington DC area resident like me, the fountain has special significance. We have an older namesake fountain in the Botanic Gardens on Independence Ave and 1st St SW (yes, by the same Bartholdi sculptor).
So, lots of history in this square......
It was largely a mud ditch before it became a public square beginning in the seventeenth century!
It was also on this public square where the guillotine was used for beheadings during the Revolutionary period, mostly in 1793 when Lyons was also pitted in a bitter rivalry with revolutionary forces in Paris.
Today, City Hall (building with the flags) stands on the eastern side of the square (but, as I discovered, is only open to public tours once a year in the autumn 😪).
To the north are commercial buildings which lie at the foot of the slopes which rise northward to Croix-Rousse area in the upper part of peninsular Lyons.
And to the south is the Musee des Beaux Arts (see separate post for more info - this was my first museum stop in Lyons).
And then there is the Bartholdi fountain by the sculptor of the same name who also did the Statue of Liberty. This statue and famed landmark in Lyons was fully restored only late last year, a major project to repair badly damaged lead, and make the fountain water tight. The water turned on again just a few months ago. Lucky me.
The fountain feaures Marianne (France's Lady of the Republic) riding a four-horse powered chariot. The fountain was originally meant for the French city of Bordeaux which however could not afford it. The horses had been designed to represent that city's Garonne river and its four tributaries. Instead, the horses are today meant to signify the two major rivers which lasso the peninsular part of Lyon - the Rhone and the Saone.
For a Washington DC area resident like me, the fountain has special significance. We have an older namesake fountain in the Botanic Gardens on Independence Ave and 1st St SW (yes, by the same Bartholdi sculptor).
So, lots of history in this square......
Written 7 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quiero visitar en Lyon Place Bellevue rue Bodin 69001. Este hotel esta cerca. Tambien quiero saber si en Place Bellevue hay lugar al publico para comer y cerveza /vino mientras de mira el atardecer y noche , haciengo unas fotografias. ademas si el area es segura de visitar . Gracias.
Written 14 December 2016
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