This was a lovely surprise in Lyon. The collection here is not the Louvre but it's extensive enough…read moreacross centuries representing antiquities all the way to impressionism. For roughly €10 well worth spending the afternoon between all the walking and eating in the city.

It's a museum!!! How do you not like museums???? Plus this one was in the square. And it was free…read morethat day!

From the owner: Installé dans une ancienne école (modèle Jules-Ferry 1879) rénovée en 1992, l'Institut d'art…read morecontemporain est né de la fusion en 1998 du Nouveau Musée (1978) et du FRAC Rhône-Alpes (1982). Outil de création, d'expérimentation et de recherche pour l'art actuel, l'Institut d'art contemporain (IAC) développe "in situ" (1 200 m2), une activité d'expositions et de rencontres combinée à la constitution d'une collection d'œuvres au rayonnement international. Il prolonge ses activités de recherche, "ex situ", par la diffusion de sa collection dans l'ensemble de la région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, ainsi qu'au niveau national et international. L'IAC bénéficie du soutien du Ministère de la culture et de la communication (DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), de la Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes et de la Ville de Villeurbanne.

We visited the Museum. If one is interested in the technical development/invention of moving…read moreimages, as well as color still images, or in the brothers Lumiére, this is a worthwhile stop. The reception is a bit laid-back and un-customer-friendly. When we arrived we waited for the two people at the ticket desk to complete their conversation. We then showed our LyonCard and were provided entry, but not offered audioguides. No brochure was provided. We found that most of the signage on the displays is in only French, so we went back to the reception to ask if there was a brochure available. They looked surprised by the question, and offered an English brochure, which had limited info and was thus of limited help.

My father is a Cinephile (and thinks that everyone else should be one) so he dragged me to this…read moremuseum. This visit was my first and his ninth or tenth. Initially, I had no expectations because I could careless about cinema. HOWEVER, Upon walking around the museum, I became quite interested. I learned a lot of new things. In a beautiful old home, just looking at the architecture itself was a treat. The Lumiere family certainly knew how to live it up in Lyon ! There is one guided tour a day in the afternoon. Not to worry though, for a small charge, you can borrow an earphone (?) to have a self-guided tour with explanations. They have many languages - the first time ever in my life that I was first asked if I needed a GERMAN or ITALIAN earphone as it's usually SPANISH or JAPANESE. The staff were very friendly and entertained all my father's questions/observations/comments (we were in this museum about triple the time that an average visitor would be here because my father was having too much fun). This might explain the price of tickets that we were given ... there is a TARIF REDUIT (discount) for the following groups: UNEMPLOYED, STUDENTS, and SENIORS. It was probably assumed that we were in the first group. If in Lyon, I would definitely recommend a visit to here, cinephile or not. A solid four stars.

This was one of the highlights of our visit to Lyon. It's a great museum for movie buffs due to…read moreall of the genuine props and exhibits about cinema, spanning 8 floors of a historic Renaissance building in the heart of old Lyon. But even more impressive are the mind-bogglingly detailed miniature dioramas on the top floor (which are standalone, not related to movies). There are miniatures from several different artists, but by far the most amazing are the ones by Dan Ohlmann, who founded the museum. People have looked at the photos I took of some of those scenes and found it hard to believe they weren't real world images. I read some negative comments about the price of admission, but I felt that the 16 Euro fee for adults was well worth it, considering the quality of the exhibits and how much time I could spend there (we took about 2.5 hours to look through the whole place). I would highly recommend coming here if you visit Lyon -- it's ok to see things besides ancient churches and Roman ruins! :)

This is an amazing museum that you cannot pass on. At first when I was researching Lyon, I came…read moreacross this museum and was confused. How is this a cinema museum with actual props from movies around the world, yet also miniature version? No, that is incorrect. Yes, the props are actual props from movies around the world. This is the majority of the museum. And on the top floor, they have a separate exhibit of mini items that has absolutely nothing to do with movies. They're just really fun display cases to look at, and fun miniature items with lots of detailing. The cinema museum is great for any movie lover and even non-movie lovers like myself. They have several panels along the walls throughout the museum describing movies alone - how they are filmed, whether on a set, where environment is controlled, or real life setting, where it's accurate but they may have trouble with paparazzi, weather, or camera placement. They have several costumes from spider man, batman, etc. Then it takes you to different levels of the museum, featuring other random props from famous movies, including: -Mrs. Doubtfire - the original mask that Robin Williams wore! -Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - the letter that was sent to Harry! -Hoverboard - from Back to the Future II -Dinosaurs from Jurassic Park -Umbrella from Mary Poppins -Mirror from the Matrix etc. etc... it's a very impressive collection, and very nicely displayed. They also have a special exhibit on the top floor, which rotates periodically. My fiance and I were lucky to catch a Jean Pierre Jeaunet themed floor, with props from the Amelie movie. It was so incredible - we saw her dress, her tin box with small toys inside, and the photo albums of torn photos. They were also playing the movie and music on the side. The miniature part of the museum is impressive for its detail, but overall a little underwhelming after you see all the props from movies you've watched in the past. It is fun to note that if you film one of the miniature dioramas from your camera, it looks like you're filming a movie in real size! Very neat. Excellent museum for all to see - random that it's in Lyon of all places, but great for all ages. You can buy tickets online as well. I wish the gift shop sold more interesting things like postcards or trinkets - it only has books.

Very, very average and all the writing is in french only!! Some generic WWII stuff like invasion…read moredates and some short interviews of how people 'felt' during the occupation. Like 'I didn't feel hungry I felt insecure' and other vague shite like that. Save yourself the time and go to the African museum.

From the owner: Un lieu de mémoire Lieu d'histoire et de mémoire, ce centre comprend une galerie d'exposition…read morepermanente jalonnée de supports audiovisuels, une galerie d'exposition temporaire ainsi qu'un centre de documentation et une vidéothèque. Dans ce musée d'ambiance, c'est une véritable leçon d'histoire des Résistances, notamment française et lyonnaise, et de la déportation durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui nous est proposée. Ouverture le 8 mai.

From the owner: Le Planétarium est un équipement culturel dédié à la découverte de l'astronomie, de l'astrophysique…read moreet de l'espace. Il est aujourd'hui le 9e équipement culturel le plus fréquenté de l'agglomération lyonnaise et le 4e Planétarium de France. Au Planétarium je peux : - Assister à des séances d'astronomie projetées sur un dôme-écran de 15m de diamètre, pour une plongée spectaculaire au cœur des phénomènes astronomiques.Chaque séance dure 1 heure. - Visiter la grande exposition permanente " Histoire d'Univers, du Big bang au grain de sable ". Environ 1 heure de visite. - Visiter une exposition temporaire, renouvelée 2 fois par an. Environ 30 minutes de visite. - Participer à des ateliers (5-12 ans) pendant les vacances scolaires. Chaque atelier dure 1 heure. - Assister en soirée aux conférences " L'Espace en famille " (dès 8 ans), " Il était une fois l'Univers" (adultes et ados) ou à celles de l'Université tous âges (adultes). Les conférences durent entre 1h30 et 2h. - Participer à des stages d'astronomie enfants (Petite Ourse) ou adultes (1,2,3 étoiles). Sur plusieurs jours selon le stage choisi. Et en plus je peux... - Fêter mon anniversaire autour d'un goûter interstellaire. Durée : 3 heures d'animation. - Louer des espaces pour organiser un cocktail, un séminaire, une réunion dans un cadre original. Formules au choix allant de 2h jusqu'à 7h de durée de location. - Organiser un arbre de Noël pour ravir petits et grands.

Disclaimer: I visited the Maison des Canuts in 2003, and there's a lot that could have changed in 8…read moreyears. You can't appreciate the history of Lyon without a visit to the Croix Rousse, the historical heart of the silk industry of the city. The Maison des Canuts may be small, but it's chock full of historical artifacts from the height of the silk working period - Jacquard looms, a ribbon weaving machine, plaques from textile worker unions, demonstrations of how the silk is refined, etc. They've packed a lot into a small space, so I would try to go with as small a group as possible. They have guided tours, though ours was in French, so I'm not sure how much of it could be done in English. If you've got someone who understands French in the group, it's a great little museum.

Great museum to learn about the silk industry that used to dominate Lyon. Very informative exhibit…read morethat offers english translations. They even demonstrate the giant looms that were used and still are used to produce the most expensive tapestries.

This was a maybe on list of things to do in town and it turned out to be a highlight of my stay…read more The presentation of the materials was beautifully done, you could get really close to them because they were behind glass but well lit. Lots of pieces that span a range of time with information about how the processes changed over time. Including a loom. My chief complaint, and the reason for 4/5 stars, is the lack of English. I struggled through with my rudimentary French, but my companions were really disappointed. A pamphlet in English would go a long way. Entrance fee included a second museum about interior decoration that was also pretty interesting but didn't hold a candle to the main museum for me. I really wish I'd have gotten a scarf as a souvenir, so if you're on the fence about that I suggest going for it.

From the owner: Musée des Tissus de Lyon Documents d'histoire et sources d'inspiration pour la création…read morecontemporaine, les collections du Musée des Tissus de Lyon retracent quelque 2000 ans d'histoire du textile. Orientées selon deux grands pôles, l'Orient et l'Occident , elles comptent parmi les plus belles collections textiles au monde. Complément du Musée des Tissus, le Musée des Arts décoratifs, aménagé en salles d'ambiance propose un ensemble remarquable de meubles, pendules , pièces d'orfèvrerie ancienne et contemporaine ou encore de céramiques.

From the owner: Histoire lyonnaise et personnages Ce musée revient sur l'histoire de Lyon du Moyen-Age au XIXème…read moresiècle avec des collections d'archéologie, de meubles, de faïences, d'orfèvrerie, d'étains, d'estampes, de dessins, de peintures et de sculptures. C'est également un musée qui possède une exceptionnelle collections de marionnettes du monde entier. Le musée est installé dans une superbe demeure Renaissance rachetée par une famille de banquiers florentins, la famille Gadagne. Entièrement rénové et restauré au cours de travaux ayant duré plus de 10 ans, il s'agit de l'un des plus beaux musées de la ville.