The Fresque des Lyonnais is a large trompe-l'oeil mural on the corner of Quai Saint-Vincent and Rue de la Martinière, on the Presqu'île bank of the Saône in Lyon. A plain, windowless building has been painted to look like a lively apartment block, with famous people from 2,000 years of Lyon's history standing on its balconies and at its windows. It was unveiled in 1995, and part of the fun is working out who is who.
The Fresque des Lyonnais at a glance
- Where: 2 Rue de la Martinière, at the corner with 49 Quai Saint-Vincent, in the 1st arrondissement, facing the Saône.
- Created: inaugurated on 18 May 1995.
- By: the mural painters of CitéCréation, the Lyon collective behind many of the city's painted walls.
- What it is today: an open-air mural of more than 800 square metres over two sides of the building, free to see at any time.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, enough to find a few favourite faces.
How the faces were chosen
The mural was part of a 1990s project to brighten up the area between the Saône and the Croix-Rousse slopes. To pick the people, the organisers asked several bodies, including the Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts de Lyon and local history societies, for lists of notable Lyonnais. About 250 names came back, and cross-checking them gave 24 historical figures. Six living Lyon personalities were then added at street level.
The historical figures range from the Roman emperor Claudius, born in Lugdunum, and the early Christian martyr Blandine to the Renaissance poet Louise Labé, the physicist André-Marie Ampère, Joseph Marie Jacquard of the Jacquard loom, the architect Tony Garnier, the long-serving mayor Édouard Herriot and the Lumière brothers, who invented the cinematograph. The six contemporary figures were the broadcaster Bernard Pivot, Abbé Pierre, the footballer Bernard Lacombe, the chef Paul Bocuse, the crime writer Frédéric Dard and the film director Bertrand Tavernier.
What to look for
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry near the top of the wall, with the Little Prince from his book beside him.
- The Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, and Laurent Mourguet, the puppeteer who created Guignol, Lyon's famous puppet.
- Paul Bocuse, the chef, at ground level, among the six contemporary Lyonnais painted close to the pavement.
- The painted shop fronts on the ground floor, including a trompe-l'oeil bookshop whose windows name more than a hundred Lyon writers and artists.
- The illusion itself: step back to the river and the painted windows, shutters and balconies look three-dimensional; walk up close and the wall is flat.
Lyon, city of painted walls
Lyon has more than 150 murals, and CitéCréation has painted many of them. The Fresque des Lyonnais is one of the best known, together with the Mur des Canuts on the Croix-Rousse plateau, a huge painted street scene that the artists have updated several times over the years. If you enjoy this one, the Croix-Rousse mural is a good next stop.
Tips for your visit
- Look at the mural from the Quai Saint-Vincent side or from the Passerelle Saint-Vincent footbridge to see the whole wall and the trompe-l'oeil effect at its best.
- Afternoon light falls well on the Saône side; in the morning parts of the wall are in shade.
- Before you go, read a list of the 30 figures. Spotting them yourself is more fun than reading the names off a sign.
Nearby
- Passerelle Saint-Vincent: the slim footbridge over the Saône a few steps from the mural, with a view of the Fourvière hill and the Basilica on top.
- Saint-Paul and Vieux Lyon: cross the footbridge for the Renaissance streets and traboules of the old town on the other bank.
- Place des Terreaux: the square in front of the City Hall, with the Bartholdi Fountain and the Museum of Fine Arts, a short walk away.
- The Croix-Rousse slopes: the hillside streets and passageways of the old silk weavers' district rise just behind the mural.
See Lyon with World City Trail
Our Lyon scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 52 minutes of walking, and includes places such as Vieux Lyon and the Cathedral of Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Lyon.
Play the Lyon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Lyon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Lyon →
Facts checked in October 2026.