More than just an events venue, the Opera Nouvel is an architectural achievement. The original arcades of the original 1756 edifice remain, but it is the soaring vaulted roof, glowing in the Lyon night, that offers your first glimpse into its magnificently modern style.
Architect Jean Nouvel, for whom the opera house is named, designed the sleek glass addition to house what has been hailed as France's most interesting stage. Other new amphitheaters were added by digging several underground levels. Performances to satisfy lovers of opera, dance, symphony, and every other sort of music are held throughout the year.
One block east of the Bartholdi Fountain and Place de Terreax, the Opera Nouvel's striking silhouette, arcing with modern magnificence above the neoclassical neighborhood, is hard to miss. To get here, take Metro lines A or C (Hôtel de Ville-Louis Pradel), or buses 1, 3, 6, 18, 19, 40, 44.
