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The Rhône and the Saône in Lyon
Lyon is built where the broad, powerful Rhône meets the slow, winding Saône. The Rhône riverbanks now form a promenade of about 5 km between the Parc de la Tête d'Or and Gerland.
Two characters
The Rhône leaves Lake Geneva blue-green and remains a powerful river, whose floods were feared. The Saône, narrower and calmer, is darker; where they meet, its waters mix slowly with the Rhône's.
Riverbanks and the Confluence
Former car parks and utility quays, the Rhône banks have become a promenade with cycle paths, play areas and gardens. At the southern tip of the Presqu'île, the Confluence district has replaced industrial wasteland and has housed the Musée des Confluences since 2014.
The Miribel-Jonage Grand Parc
About ten kilometres to the north-east, this park of roughly 2,200 hectares is one of Europe's largest peri-urban parks. Developed from 1968 between two 19th-century canals, it offers water sports and walks, and also serves as a flood-expansion zone for the Rhône.
The bridges
More than twenty bridges and footbridges cross the two rivers. In September 1944, the German army blew up almost all of them before leaving the city.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the Rhône and the Saône meet?
At the southern tip of the Presqu'île, in the Confluence district.
Which river is wider in Lyon?
The Rhône, wider and straighter than the Saône.
Parks and gardens in Lyon
Lyon's architectureUpdated 25 October 2026.