Musée Gadgane, Lyon: All year

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This museum is made up of two different and exciting exhibitions: the first explores the art of puppetry and the second takes you through the fascinating history of Lyon.

In the heart of Vieux Lyon is one of the city’s best museums, and for the price of one ticket you can go to two exciting museum exhibitions: the Musée des arts de la marionnette and Musée d’histoire de Lyon.

The first is dedicated to the art of puppetry, featuring different types of puppets from all around the world, from Italian commedia dell’arte marionnettes to Indonesian paper shadow puppets. A large part of the museum shows the history of Guignol - the titular character of a famous French puppet show that began in early 19th century Lyon, (the equivalent of the UK’s Punch). Apart from displaying beautifully crafted puppets from across different countries and different centuries, the museum poses questions about the art itself to engage both adults and children alike.

The second museum takes you through the history of Lyon, right from its time as an ancient Roman settlement known as Lugdunum, up to the role it played in the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. With 30 rooms of archaeological remains, maps, paintings, models and more, visitors leave with a very good understanding of the city’s cultural past. What’s particularly enjoyable is noticing the original plans and sketches for various key landmarks around Lyon you can still see today, such as the Presqu'île area and the Hôtel de Ville. The best part of this exhibition is that it incorporates the main information from Lyon’s other amazing history museums - such as the Musée gallo-romain, Musée de l’Imprimerie and the Centre d’Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation - so if you’re a history lover stuck for time then Divento recommends checking out the Musée Gadagne for a good summary of Lyon throughout each period of history.

Another highlight of the museum is that it is an architecturally impressive Renaissance building, previously owned by a rich Florentine family, that features five floors, two courtyards and a spiral staircase. You walk from room to room through narrow stone corridors and up the winding steps, and interspersed through the exhibitions are short facts about the building’s history and its previous owners.

Musée Gadagne

1 Place du Petit Collège, 69005 Lyon