The Lyon Aquarium, a restored wetland on the banks of the Rhône and a nature trail featuring 26 remarkable trees each offer a different experience in La Mulatière. Aquatic life, river nature, tree knowledge and local heritage provide a range of topics to consider when planning a trip. If you are planning a stay here, you can first decide whether you are more interested in wildlife at the aquarium, observing nature or historical sites.
Aquatic worlds and river nature
The Lyon Aquarium is located at 7 Rue Stéphane Déchant, 69350 La Mulatière. You can watch the animals being fed in the Réunion tank at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays. If you would like to include this in your plans, check the schedule before your visit. The aquarium also showcases aquatic life from European rivers, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and African lakes. Its themes range from river habitats to marine regions and lakes; the feeding in the Réunion tank is a specific event in the weekly schedule.
The banks of the Rhône offer a different perspective on water: nearly 300 metres of riverbank in La Mulatière have been restored as a wetland. Willows and irises grow there, and the wildlife includes dragonflies, butterflies, snails, ducks, moorhens and even beavers. The wetland draws attention to the plants and animals of a restored habitat, while the aquarium showcases aquatic life from different regions of the world. The two present the theme of water in different ways, without requiring you to plan the same kind of visit.
Nature trail and tree knowledge
The Parcours des arbres admirables is a nature trail where you can discover 26 remarkable trees in La Mulatière. Information signs provide details to help identify them, their common and Latin names, information about their origins, and anecdotes. The trail thus combines looking at individual trees with learning their names and more about them. When planning your visit, you can distinguish this focus from observing species in the wetland: here, the trees and information about them are central, while the Rhône riverbank is home to a variety of animal and plant life.
Places and stories
The town’s history is also reflected in different ways. The Chemin de Fontanières is known as La Narbonnaise, the old Roman road. The former SNCF technical centre was France’s first railway workshop, founded in 1847. Both relate to a long past, but tell different stories: the Chemin is associated with a Roman road, while the former technical centre brings the history of the railway workshop to life. The date 1847 refers to the founding of the workshop.
Inside the Pavillon de la céramique, there are ceramic friezes featuring grapevines, bowls and wisteria branches, as well as painted cement tiles. These motifs give the pavilion its own arts-and-crafts theme. La Mulatière also maintains a century-old tradition of water jousting. In addition to architectural and industrial history, visitors can discover a local tradition connected with water.
During the European Heritage Days, La Fontanière organises educational tours of sites or monuments, as well as conferences. The specific dates vary from year to year; if you would like to include these activities in your plans, check the dates for that year’s events. This gives you a clear distinction when deciding on your trip: the aquarium and nature trail each have their own themes, while tours and conferences are tied to the Heritage Days. So choose your travel dates based partly on which of these experiences matters to you, and check the scheduled date for any activity you are interested in.
Discover more destinations: Chaponost, Odenas, Les Halles, Dardilly, Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, Lucenay, Chazay-D'azergues, Haute-Rivoire.
For the broader travel guide: Rhône.
