Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is France's most geographically dramatic region, combining the ancient volcanic landscapes of the Massif Central with the highest peaks in the Alps. Lyon, its capital, is consistently ranked among the world's great food cities and is the birthplace of cinema. The region spans skiing at Chamonix and the Trois Vallées, lakeside beauty at Annecy, Roman heritage in Lyon, the volcanic chains of the Auvergne, and one of Europe's finest hiking networks.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes occupies one of the most historically layered territories in France. Lyon — founded as Lugdunum by the Romans in 43 BC — served as the capital of Gaul for four centuries, and its Gallo-Roman theatres, mosaic collections, and street plan still reflect that imperial inheritance. The region produced world-altering events in the modern era: the 1789 Assembly of Vizille foreshadowed the French Revolution, the Lumière brothers shot the world's first motion picture in Lyon in 1895, and the city became the nerve centre of the French Resistance during the German occupation of 1940–44. To the south and west, the ancient volcanoes of the Massif Central created a landscape of extraordinary richness — the Chaîne des Puys was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018 — while the Savoie and Haute-Savoie only joined France as recently as 1860 following a plebiscite after centuries of rule by the House of Savoy.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
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1
Lugdunum founded
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2
Council of Clermont
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3
Lyon becomes Europe's silk capital
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4
Assembly of Vizille
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5
Révolte des Canuts
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6
Birth of cinema in Lyon
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7
Lyon: capital of the French Resistance
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8
Chaîne des Puys–Faille de Limagne: UNESCO World Heritage
Historical eras
The chapters of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes's past.
Historical sites
Places where Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes's past comes alive.
Lugdunum — Théâtres Romains de Fourvière
Founded 43 BC, the Grand Théâtre de Fourvière originally seated 10,000 spectators and is among the best-preserved Roman theatres in France. The adjacent Odéon was used for musical performances. Both venues continue to host concerts and theatrical performances in summer.
Where: Lyon
Admission: Free
Musée Gallo-Romain de Lugdunum
Built into the Fourvière hillside, the Lugdunum museum presents one of the richest collections of Gallo-Roman artefacts in France, including the famous bronze Table of Claudius, fine mosaics, and everyday objects from Roman Lyon.
Where: Lyon
Admission: €4.50 adult / approx USD 4.90; free on the first Sunday of each month
Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Primatiale Saint-Jean)
Construction of Lyon's primatial cathedral began in the late 12th century and continued for nearly three hundred years. The flamboyant Gothic interior contains a remarkable 14th-century astronomical clock that performs animated displays on the hour.
Where: Lyon
Admission: Free; astronomical clock demonstrations daily at 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, and 16:00
Institut Lumière — Birthplace of Cinema
The former Lumière family villa where Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the Cinématographe in 1895. The museum traces the history of early cinema with original cameras, film reels, and photographic equipment from the brothers' pioneering work.
Where: Lyon
Admission: €7 adult / approx USD 8; €5 student / approx USD 5.50
Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de l'Isère
Grenoble was a key centre of Resistance activity in south-eastern France during WWII. This museum documents both the organised Resistance networks operating from the Isère and the deportation of Jewish and other persecuted communities from the region.
Where: Grenoble
Admission: Free
Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand's Gothic cathedral is built entirely from local black volcanic Volvic stone, giving it a uniquely dark and dramatic appearance unlike any other French cathedral. Construction began in 1248. Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade at the adjacent site in 1095.
Where: Clermont-Ferrand
Admission: Cathedral free; tower €4 / approx USD 4.40
Le Puy-en-Velay Cathedral (UNESCO)
The Romanesque-Byzantine Cathedral of Notre-Dame du Puy perches dramatically on volcanic rock above the city and has been a major pilgrimage destination on the Santiago de Compostela route for over a thousand years. The UNESCO-listed site includes the cathedral, its 12th-century cloister, and the famous Black Madonna.
Where: Le Puy-en-Velay
Admission: Cathedral free; Cloître €5 / approx USD 5.50
Château de Vizille — Birthplace of the French Revolution
The 17th-century château hosted the Assembly of Vizille in July 1788, at which the three estates of Dauphiné defied royal authority and called for the reinstatement of the Estates-General — a watershed moment in the lead-up to the French Revolution. The château now houses the Musée de la Révolution Française.
Where: Vizille
Admission: €5 adult / approx USD 5.50; park and gardens free
Maison des Canuts
The Museum of the Silk Weavers documents the world of the canuts — the skilled workers who operated Lyon's legendary silk looms in Croix-Rousse from the 16th century onward. Working looms are demonstrated on site, and the history of the 1831 and 1834 worker uprisings is told in depth.
Where: Lyon
Admission: €3 adult / approx USD 3.30; €1.50 student / approx USD 1.65
Musée d'Archéologie de Grenoble
Housed in a former church, this Grenoble museum traces human settlement in the Isère valley from prehistoric times through the Gallo-Roman period to the early Middle Ages, with particular strengths in prehistoric Alpine artefacts and Roman-era finds from the Cularo site that preceded Grenoble.
Where: Grenoble
Admission: Permanent collection free; temporary exhibitions from €6 / approx USD 6.50
Grande Chartreuse Monastery (exterior)
Founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno of Cologne, La Grande Chartreuse is the mother house of the Carthusian order and one of the most influential monasteries in Western Christianity. The interior remains closed to all visitors in accordance with the order's strict rule of silence, but the exterior setting in a deep Alpine valley is profoundly atmospheric. The nearby Musée de la Correrie (2 km away) presents Carthusian history.
Where: Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse
Admission: Free (exterior access)
Museums
Curated collections that tell Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes's story.
Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation (CHRD)
Located in the former Gestapo headquarters of Lyon, the CHRD is France's most significant museum of the Resistance and deportation. Original interrogation rooms and cells survive intact alongside extensive archival collections documenting the actions of Jean Moulin, Klaus Barbie's crimes, and the survival stories of deportees.
Hours: Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00; Mon–Tue closed
Admission: €8 adult / approx USD 8.70; free for under-18s
Musée Gallo-Romain de Lugdunum
The definitive museum of Roman Lyon, with the Table of Claudius — the bronze inscription of Emperor Claudius's speech to the Roman senate granting Gaul the right to hold office — as its centrepiece, alongside mosaics, glassware, and everyday objects from ancient Lugdunum.
Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00; Mon closed
Admission: €4.50 adult / approx USD 4.90; free on the first Sunday of each month
Musée de la Révolution Française, Château de Vizille
France's national museum of the French Revolution occupies the château where the pre-revolutionary Assembly of Vizille met in 1788. Collections include paintings, prints, ceramics, furniture, weapons, and documents from the revolutionary period, presented across the château's elegant 17th-century rooms.
Hours: Apr–Oct Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00; Nov–Mar Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00
Admission: €5 adult / approx USD 5.50
Institut Lumière
The Lumière family villa and its grounds form an immersive museum dedicated to the invention of cinema. Original cameras, projectors, and films are displayed alongside reconstructed sets and extensive photographic archives from the brothers' wide-ranging scientific experiments.
Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:30; Mon closed
Admission: €7 adult / approx USD 8; €5 student / approx USD 5.50
Maison des Canuts
The Silk Weavers Museum is the essential address for understanding Lyon's defining industry and social history. Live demonstrations on Jacquard looms show the extraordinary skill the canuts brought to their craft, while wall panels and artefacts tell the story of their rebellions against exploitative merchant conditions.
Hours: Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00; Mon closed
Admission: €3 adult / approx USD 3.30; €1.50 student / approx USD 1.65
Historical tours
Guided experiences that bring history to life.