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La Place Bellecour, Lyon

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La Place Bellecour is the third largest square in France and the largest pedestrian square in Europe. In the center of the square you’ll see the Sun King himself, Louis XIV, mounted on a horse in an extravagant and lavish pose. On the west side of the square is a statue of the Petit Prince and the book's author Antoine de Saint-Exupery. These two representations are reminders of the two opposing forces in French history: aristocracy and egalitarianism. The square itself was a vital symbol used by rulers to represent shifts in power by renaming the square with each new era: from kings, to conquerors, to guillotine, and back again. It is a great stop for panoramic photos and a view of some masterful French architecture. A visit to La Place Bellecour represents just the start of the adventure when you use our Lyon trip planner to plot your vacation.
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La Place Bellecour reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.0
2,346 reviews
Google
4.4
TripAdvisor
  • The Bellecour is the centerpiece of the city in many ways and the literal center. It holds the milepost 0 of the city - all distances are measured from that point. Ringed by restaurants and the... 
    The Bellecour is the centerpiece of the city in many ways and the literal center. It holds the milepost 0 of the city - all distances are measured from that point. Ringed by restaurants and the...  more »
  • You will find a tourist center here! Also, a few small food/snack shops. The Hop On/Off stages from this area also. My hotel was across the street so very convenient! 
    You will find a tourist center here! Also, a few small food/snack shops. The Hop On/Off stages from this area also. My hotel was across the street so very convenient!  more »
  • La Place Bellecour doesn’t have much in it, but they do special events there (they had a big race the day we arrived), and the tourist office is there, so it’s a good place to know about. 
    La Place Bellecour doesn’t have much in it, but they do special events there (they had a big race the day we arrived), and the tourist office is there, so it’s a good place to know about.  more »
Google
  • It's sort of open ground with ferris wheel. Nice place to spend afternoon or evening. You can walk to nearby eateries or just sit there doing nothing... Monument of Louis XIV was covered with restoration work. There was some sort of historical information printed on sheets, but all of that was in French as expected. Nonetheless it is beautiful place.
  • Just a big, open square with a statue of Louis XIV in the middle but the view of the basilica is awesome. Especially at night. And the convenient parking underneath is close to the funicular to go up and to the restaurants and shops in the center.
  • This place is really big. It also has a cool stature. you can go for a walk there, but since this place is so huge. and on the square is almost impossible to find like a few a bit or bars restaurants. I guess there is just interesting when an event takes place. Pity.
  • A lovely place to spend time and have fun. A nice place for family. A lot of place for kids to run around.
  • For being the main square in Lyon, I have to admit it really sucks! It's empty, it's literally impossible to find any benches, it's filled with some kind of strange sand that doesn't make any sense at all. I don't really find any sense of the existence of this square!! The only good thing is that it is very convenient from a transport point of view

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