What it is
Designed by the brothers Denis and Eugène Bühler, the park opened in 1857 — exactly the same year as Central Park in New York. It covers 117 hectares beside the Rhône and is one of the largest urban parks in France.
It grew as it went: the great glasshouses in 1865, the collection glasshouses in 1899, the monument on the Île aux Cygnes after the First World War, the rose garden in the 1960s.
What is in it
A lake with boats, a zoo and a botanical garden, the glasshouses, the rose garden, and space enough that it never feels full. ⭐ It is where Lyon goes on a Sunday.
Getting it right
Come by the Brotteaux side, walk the lake, and leave by the north entrance toward the Cité Internationale — or simply stay. See When to Come for the seasons.
