A 20 minute train ride from Lyon is the small city of Vienne (population 30,000). Some of my friends got very excited when I said we were going to Vienne for 5€ – they thought we were going to Austria (“Vienna” in French is “Vienne”). During the Roman era, Lyon (Lugdunum) was the capital of Gaul. The nearby town of Vienne was also settled by the Romans 2000 years ago, and today is known for having the greatest concentration of architectural history in the entire Rhône-Alpes region (according to my guidebook).
In the place de Miremont are the visually stuning remains of the Jardin Archéologique de Cybèle, a former temple.
The city is strategically located on the Rhône river, and is surrounded by rolling hills.
The Rhône.
In the middle of the city is the incredible Temple d’August et Livie (10 BC). It comes as a bit of a shock, walking around the corning of a normal town and bam! It’s a Roman temple!
Temple d’August et Livie (10 BC).
There are several other relics of the city’s Roman past, including the Théâtre Romain, one of the largest amphitheatres at the time, capable of seating 13,000 people (not quite as big as the theatre in Lyon, which could hold 30,000 spectators). The theatre has been thoroughly restored and is still in use today.
Théâtre Romain.
Across the Rhône is the relatively new town of St-Romain-en-Gal. During construction in the '60s they unearthed the extensive remains of a Roman community that existed from 100 BC until 300 AD. This has been conserved as part of the Musée Archéologique Gallo-Romain, which includes an indoor display of some of the archaological finds as well as outdoor excavations of public baths, villas and warehouses that you can explore. There are some amazing mosaics that covered entire floors and walls that are still intact, and lots of household items.
Excavated Roman ruins.
Public toilets.
Recovered tiles in the museum, in surprisingly good shape!
There are some more modern (and by that I mean the Middle Ages!) that are also worth visiting in Vienne. The Cathédrale de St-Maurice, built between the 12th and 16th centuries, is a splendid mix of gothic and romanesque styles. There is also a chuch, Église St-Pierre, which has parts dating from the 5th century.
Cathédrale St-Maurice.
For lunch, we stopped at a kebab shop – these are everywhere in France! They’re the middle-eastern equivalent of a pita, although I must say I do prefer the Opa! pitas we have in Calgary. We also stopped to sample some chocolate at a small chocolaterie.
Overlooking the city are the ruins of an ancient fortress. We tried to climb the hill to visit it, but we concluded it wasn’t open to the public after an hour of walking and no entrance in sight.
Hilltop fortress.
We were successful, however, in climbing Mont Pipet, which has a beautiful medieval church at the summit and overlooks the city and the surrounding countryside.
Mont Pipet. On the left side of the hill is a cemetery.
Shed on Mont Pipet.
Had a great day in Vienne, although the weather certainly could have been better. It’s so nice to be able to just hop on a train and visit a town with such a rich history (although you can see a lot of history in Lyon!). Here are some more pictures from wandering around the city:
H! Can you kindly share how you managed to get to Vienne with just 5Eur pls? We are going there next week and are finding some difficulties to travel at such a cheap rate!! Thanks! :)
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