Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France – The year 2025 proved to be remarkably successful for several of Lyon’s cultural institutions, with three major museums announcing record-breaking attendance figures. The Lugdunum Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Musée des Confluences each attracted significant numbers of visitors, solidifying Lyon’s reputation as a vibrant cultural hub.
Lugdunum Museum: A Historic Year on Fourvière Hill
Perched on the historic Fourvière hill, the Lugdunum Museum welcomed over 133,000 visitors in 2025. This figure represents one of the top three attendance years for the institution since its establishment in 1975, coinciding with its 50th anniversary. The museum, renowned for its Bernard Zehrfuss-designed architecture and monumental staircase, continues to draw crowds with its engaging exhibits.
Key events contributing to this success included the temporary exhibition “An Empire, Peoples,” which attracted 8,500 visitors, and the inauguration of “Explore Ancient Lyon.” The latter leverages digital technologies, such as virtual reality headsets, to offer immersive experiences of ancient sites, enhancing visitor engagement. The museum also currently hosts the exhibition “C’est canon! Art among the Romans,” running until June 7th, which explores Roman artistic practices.
Museum of Fine Arts: Two-Decade Attendance Record
The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon experienced an unprecedented year in 2025, recording approximately 375,000 visitors. This marks the highest attendance for the institution in the last two decades. This achievement is attributed to a successful combination of factors: a permanent collection spanning 5,000 years of art and history, captivating temporary exhibitions, and a diverse range of cultural events.
The museum’s cultural programming included concerts, nocturnal visits, and flashlight tours, all designed to offer unique perspectives on its collections. Notable exhibitions in 2025 included tributes to artists Simon Hantaï and Fred Deux, showcasing their works from July 12, 2024, to April 6, 2025. The exhibition “Étretat, Beyond the Cliffs,” a highlight for many, remains on display. The year 2026 has also started strong with the “Dialogues in Modern Collections” exhibition, presenting new thematic pathways and artistic dialogues.
Musée des Confluences: Lyon’s Foremost Museum
The Musée des Confluences maintained its status as Lyon’s most visited museum, welcoming nearly 700,000 visitors throughout 2025. This translates to an average of 2,192 entries per day. These figures significantly surpass those of 2022 and 2023, nearly matching the attendance of 2024, a year that benefited from promotions celebrating the 10th anniversary of its deconstructivist architectural marvel.
The museum attracted a diverse audience, with one-third of its visitors being national and international tourists. Its loyal local following is evidenced by the 14,340 annual passes issued in 2025, offering cost-effectiveness from the second visit onwards. The ongoing exhibition “Amazonies,” a collaborative effort with representatives of Brazilian Amazonian peoples, has already captivated 339,841 visitors and is scheduled to close on February 8, 2026.
These impressive attendance figures across Lyon’s leading museums underscore the city’s appeal as a cultural destination and the continued public interest in art, history, and science.
Source: https://tribunedelyon.fr/sorties/expositions/musees-lyon-cartonne-en-2025/
