Parc de la Tête d'Or
On Gingerguide's self-guided Lyon audio tour, Parc de la Tête d'Or is a stop worth about ~120 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type park
- Suggested visit ~120 min
- Lyon Lyon guide
About Parc de la Tête d'Or
Lyon's magnificent 105-hectare city park with a rose garden of 15,000 roses, a free zoo, a lake for boating, and botanical gardens, the most beautiful park in France.
The Parc de la Tête d'Or is the largest and most beautiful urban park in France after the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes in Paris, covering 105 hectares in the north of Lyon's peninsula. Opened in 1857 and designed by landscape architects Eugène Bühler and Denis Bühler, the park is named either after a golden head (tête d'or) supposedly buried somewhere within its grounds, or after the golden weeping willow trees that line its lake. Its features include a large lake of 16 hectares where rowing boats and pedal boats can be hired; a zoo (the Parc Zoologique de Lyon) that is entirely free to enter; a rose garden, one of the finest in Europe, with over 350 varieties and some 15,000 rose plants; a winter garden (greenhouse) with tropical plants; and extensive botanical gardens. The park is also home to the international rose competition garden, where new rose varieties are evaluated. On weekends, the park is the gathering place of Lyon's families, joggers, cyclists, and young people: a great democratic green space that serves the whole city. The park contains several historic statues and monuments, including an equestrian statue of Napoleon III and a copy of the Bartholdi Lion of Belfort.
Did you know? The Parc de la Tête d'Or's rose garden hosts an annual international competition for new rose varieties, breeders from around the world submit new cultivars to be judged over two years for beauty, fragrance, and disease resistance.
How much time do you need at Parc de la Tête d'Or?
Around ~120 min works well for Parc de la Tête d'Or — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Parc de la Tête d'Or?
Yes — Parc de la Tête d'Or made the cut as one of 25 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Lyon. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Lyon
Hear the story of Parc de la Tête d'Or
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