# Lugdunum, Roman Lyon > Lugdunum is the Roman city that grew into Lyon. Founded in 43 BC on Fourvière hill, it became capital of a vast Gallic province and the birthplace of the emperors Claudius and Caracalla. On the hillside survive a great Roman theatre for 10,000 and a smaller odeon, where concerts ring out again each summer, and next door the Lugdunum museum displays mosaics, statues and the famous Lyon Tablet. The theatres are free and the museum ticketed; allow 1.5–2 hours. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/lugdunum - City: [Lyon](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon), France - YesGo score: 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Theatres free; museum ticket - Hours: By day; museum usually closed Monday - Theatre: 108 m across, 10,000 seats - Founded: 43 BC - Duration: ≈ 1.5–2 hours - Location: Fourvière slope, by the basilica - Coordinates: 45.75972, 4.81972 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **43 BC** — the Roman city founded (source: English Wikipedia) - **10,000** — seats in the great theatre (source: English Wikipedia) - **108 m** — diameter of the theatre (source: English Wikipedia) - **1975** — the museum opened (source: English Wikipedia) ## About Lugdunum **Lugdunum** was a Roman city founded in **43 BC** by the general Lucius Munatius Plancus on the site of a Gallic settlement. In Gaulish the name means 'hill of the god Lugus'. It stood on the **Fourvière** heights above the meeting of the Rhône and Saône and became capital of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis, one of the leading cities of the western empire. Two Roman emperors were born here, **Claudius** and **Caracalla**. In the 2nd century Lugdunum had, by various estimates, 50,000 to 100,000 people. Today theatres and fragments of buildings remain on the hill, with the finds gathered in a museum next door. ## What to see - **The great theatre** — tiers for 10,000 spectators. - **The odeon** — a small roofed theatre for music and readings. - **The circus mosaic** — chariots racing round the arena. - **The Lyon Tablet** — Emperor Claudius's speech in bronze. - **The Neptune statue** — France's largest bronze of the god. - **Scale models** — how the Roman city looked. ## The Roman theatres The **great theatre** was built around 15 BC, 90 metres across, and enlarged in the 2nd century to 108 metres, when it held up to **10,000** spectators. Its semicircular tiers are cut into the hillside, and from the top you look out over Lyon's rooftops. Beside it stands the **odeon**, a smaller theatre for music and speeches, which keeps a mosaic floor of coloured marble. Both theatres are part of the **UNESCO** Historic Site of Lyon, and you can wander through them freely. > **In summer, catch a show** From June to July the great theatre hosts the **Nuits de Fourvière** festival: concerts, plays and shows on the ancient tiers under the open sky. It's the best way to feel how the theatre lived two thousand years ago. Tickets sell out early; bring a cushion, as stone is hard. ## The Lugdunum museum The museum of Gallo-Roman civilisation opened in **1975** right beside the theatres and has been called Lugdunum since 2017. Inside, a long spiral ramp links the galleries as you descend, with windows looking onto the theatres. Its treasures include a large **chariot-race mosaic**, one of the few ancient images of a circus, the **Lyon Tablet** with a speech by Emperor Claudius, the Gallic Coligny calendar, a silver cup decorated with Gallic gods, marble sarcophagi and a 2nd-century bronze **statue of Neptune**. Models show how the city, theatre and odeon looked. ## Roman Lyon today The Roman city didn't vanish; it lies beneath modern Lyon. Remains turn up during building work on Fourvière, in Croix-Rousse, where the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls stood, and on the peninsula. Later the inhabitants moved down to the Saône, and medieval Vieux-Lyon was born. To see another Roman town in the region, head to **Vienne**, 35 kilometres south, with its temple, theatre and circus pyramid. ## How to get there 1. By funicular from Vieux-Lyon to Minimes, right by the theatres. 2. Or by funicular to Fourvière and a 5-minute walk from the basilica. 3. To the lower station, metro D to Vieux-Lyon. 4. On foot from Vieux-Lyon, 15–20 minutes by the stairways. ## Tips for your visit Allow an hour and a half to two hours for the theatres and museum. A good order: funicular to the theatres, the museum, then a 5-minute walk to the basilica and down into Vieux-Lyon. Lugdunum joins up naturally with [Fourvière Basilica](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/fourviere-basilica) and [Vieux-Lyon](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/vieux-lyon), all on the same hill. Lovers of antiquity should add [Vienne](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/vienne). The theatre tiers are steep and unrailed, so hold small children's hands. The museum works with a pushchair, with ramps and a lift. Museum entry is often included in the Lyon City Card. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Take the funicular to the theatres - [ ] Sit on the top tiers - [ ] Find the chariot-race mosaic - [ ] Read the Lyon Tablet - [ ] Check the Nuits de Fourvière programme ## Places in Lyon: compare and choose Places in Lyon rated by YesGo. - [Lugdunum](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/lugdunum) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Theatres free; museum ticket - [Vienne](https://yesgo.io/france/lyon/vienne) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · Free ## Don't mix it up Lugdunum is Roman Lyon and the museum on Fourvière; Gallia Lugdunensis is the Roman province the city governed. ## Tips - The theatres are free. - Summer: Nuits de Fourvière. - Museum closed Mondays. - Funicular to Minimes. ## Questions ### Where can I see Roman Lyon? On the Fourvière slope: the great theatre, the odeon and the Lugdunum museum. ### Are Lyon's Roman theatres free? The theatres are free; the museum needs a ticket. ### How do I get to the Roman theatres? By funicular from Vieux-Lyon to Minimes. ### How long do I need for Lugdunum? An hour and a half to two hours for the theatres and museum. ### When is the Nuits de Fourvière festival? In summer, usually June to July. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Prices, hours and festival dates weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Lugdunum, Ancient Theatre of Fourvière and Lugdunum (museum) - Museum official website, lugdunum.grandlyon.com --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.