What it is
Bellecour is Lyon's largest square and one of the largest in France: 63,000 square metres, a trapezium about 300 metres long. It is the kilometre zero of the roads out of Lyon, which is why it is treated as the city's centre.
⭐ The ground is covered in a red-orange gravel from the Beaujolais, which gives the square its colour. In the middle stands an equestrian statue of Louis XIV by François-Frédéric Lemot.
What else is here
In the south-west corner is a statue of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who was born in Lyon, with the Little Prince. Pavilions on the south side house the tourist office.
⚠️ The northern half is deliberately left empty — the city keeps it free for events, so on some days it is full of stages and fencing.
Getting it right
Start here, collect a map of which traboules are open, and walk north up the Presqu'île to the Terreaux.
