Vienne

Visit Vienne, Rhone-Alpes

Vienne is an important town in the Rhone-Alpes region, situated in the Isere department south of Lyon. It makes for an interesting stopover as you hurtle towards the south of France along the autoroute.

The town has a long and prestigious history dating back to the Allobroges, a tribe of gauls, and by Roman times Vienne was an important regional city. Although it started to lose importance to Lyon after the middle ages the town has several important monuments from both the roman and medieval eras.

Exploring Vienne

Roman monuments

The most impressive roman monument in Vienne is the 'Temple d'Auguste et de Livie' in the original city forum, converted into  a church during the middle ages.

You can also see the roman amphitheatre, still used as the venue for a jazz festival held in Vienne for two weeks at the beginning of July each year; and some thermal baths.

Excavation works in the Jardin de Cybèle have uncovered further remains of roman buildings, and you will also see the 'pyramid', an obelisk of roman origins that is believed to have once formed the centerpiece of a roman circus (place used for large events such as chariot races or gladiator fights).

Across the Rhone from Vienne the roman ruins at St-Romain-en-Gal features some very good mosaics and statues and an archaeology museum that explains life here at the time of the romans.

Medieval Vienne

The old town contains a number of medieval and balconied houses, typically built in the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of the houses are half-timbered, while others are in stone with intricately carved window surrounds and other decorative features.

There are several important religious monuments in Vienne. The 13th century former cathedral of Saint Maurice combines both roman and gothic styles. The stonework and carvings of the facade and the biblical characters represented in the capital stones inside the cathedral are among the highlights. The cathedral also contains some renowned Flanders tapestries.

The Church of Saint-André-le-Bas and the associated cloisters were once part of an important abbey complex in Vienne. The 12th century roman style church and cloisters have many fine stone carvings, columns and ornately carved capital stones, and are now used for various art exhibitions throughout the year.

The Church of Saint-Pierre has very ancient roots (possibly 6th century) and an entrance and belltower added in the 12th century. The church is now an Archaeology Museum containing artefacts and statues from the roman era.

The Museum of Fine Arts contains items from the roman epoch, as well as more recent items such as pottery and paintings from the last 500 years.

Around the town

The ruined castle that you can see on one of the hills above the town (Mont Salomon) is the Chateau de la Batie, built in the 13th century by the archbishop of Vienne as part of the fortifications of the city (the castle is not open to the public).

The other hill, the Mont Pipet, once formed part of the roman town then later became a further part of the town defences. The Chapel of the Virgin Mary and a statue, built in the 19th century, now stands on the hill and is the best place for a view across the rooftops of Vienne and to the surrounding hills.

Further afield

To the south-east of Vienne the Chateau de Septeme is an important medieval fortress where Catherine de Medici once stayed and originally at the centre of the town of Septeme.

When you visit the medieval castle you can also see the ruins of the earlier castle that stood here and the conciergerie, the only building remaining from the original town. Next to the castle there are attractive gardens within the extensive ramparts that surround the castle grounds.

See Rhone-Alpes and Isere (the region and department for Vienne) for more travel ideas...

Tourist classifications for Vienne: Village in bloom (ville fleurie) 3*;

Suggested places to visit near Vienne, France

Distances shown are direct, driving distances will be greater.

More suggestions: Cremieu 37km; Eveux 38km; Saint-Etienne 39km; Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez 47km; Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye 47km; Trevoux 47km; Anse 47km; Perouges 48km; Bagnols 49km;

Vienne tourist information: sights and attractions nearby

Eglise de Saint Estèphe (Roullet-Saint-Estephe) - religious monument (8km) : Chaponnay - ville fleurie 4* (12km) : Oeillon Crest - site of natural beauty (25km) : Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Lyon) - religious monument (26km) : Parc de Gerland - remarkable garden (26km) : Abbaye Saint Martin d'Ainey (Lyon) - religious monument (26km) : Pilat - regional natural parc (27km) : Ecully - ville fleurie 4* (29km) :

See more places and a map at places near Vienne