Things to do in Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: The Best Museums

Reproductions of beads and historical glasses, from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. Guided tour, demonstrations, workshops. On reservation. More info : ateliercobalt.

This stately old building is located in Vieux Lyon.

The museum of Fine Arts of Lyon is the largest French museum outside of Paris, in terms of the richness of its collections, and the importance of the bequests received at its creation, in the wake of the Revolution. The ongoing enrichment of the collection and its dynamic artistic program place the museum on the international art scene. The museum is located place des Terreaux, in the heart of the city center, in a former 17th century Benedictine abbey. Its cloister is now home to a quiet garden featuring sculptures by Rodin and Bourdelle, among others. The museum’s encyclopedic collections are exhibited in five sections and seventy galleries presenting artworks from all the major civilizations and artistic schools, from Antiquity to the present day. All year long, the museum offers its visitors an exceptional tour of 5 000 years of art history and organizes major temporary exhibitions, as well as cultural activities engaging all audiences.

Designer shoes and other kinds of footwear can be found at this unique specialty museum.

The Museum of Valence is situated in the historic centre of old Valence adjoining the Cathedral of Saint Apollinaire, on the city's first terrace. It offers wide panoramic views of the Valence countryside, from Vercors to the mountains of Ardeche. Officially created in 1850, it has been housed since 1911 in the former Episcopal palace, a vast private mansion with a courtyard and private gardens, which retains many traces of its secular history: a 12th-century fortified Episcopal tower, an ogival gallery, 15th- and 17th-century painted ceilings, and more. Its rich collections of more than 20,000 works offer, in a reinvented itinerary, a wide panorama of the history of mankind and the arts, from regional prehistory to contemporary art. The Archaeology section retraces the history of civilisations occupying Drome and the mid-Rhone valley from modern times back to prehistory. The art section, which brings together paintings, drawings, sculpture, and decorative arts, places a special emphasis on the theme of landscape, from its reinterpretation by contemporary artists back to its "invention" in the 16th century as an independent genre.

The nougat museum is a special place in Montélimar that traces the history of nougat, as well as the legacy of the Arnaud Soubeyran House, through displays, videos, art exhibits, photos and a special "hands-on" discovery trail for children. Every day until 1 pm you can observe the activity of the factory! Enjoy our shop and our delicious restaurant (lunch/ tea room).