Musee de l'Imprimerie de Lyon
Musee de l'Imprimerie de Lyon
4.5
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Cordeliers - Jacobins
How to get there
- Cordeliers • 2 min walk
- Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel • 5 min walk
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4.5
195 reviews
Excellent
91
Very good
78
Average
22
Poor
4
Terrible
0
50207Ann
Cleveland, OH16 contributions
Oct 2022
OK, so my background is in printing and publishing, so this was right in my wheelhouse. If you don't care about the technology and development of this craft, you may be bored. But I realized as I pored over the excellent displays here that printing has been the most important technology to open up the world until the cellphone and internet. And I never knew that so much of it was centered in Lyon. Almost all descriptions are in French and English; many museums use a clumsy word-for-word translation into English, but the descriptions here are clear and elegant. You could probably spend 90 minutes here, but I think I spent twice that. Truly, one of the finest museums I visited on this tour of Europe, even though I'm biased. The building itself is fascinating and very old. I can't wait to return!
Written 3 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helen S
Chapel Hill, NC12 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
Fascinating museum, with French and English signage. I loved that they explained that Gutenberg's printing press emerged out of a context that meant Europe was ready for the printed work. But museum also spans the history of printing from its beginnings in China to the digital age.
Written 19 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelBugLA
Los Angeles, CA70 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
Visiting the Musée de l’Imprimerie et de la Communication Graphique in Lyon is rather like discovering that the restaurant in the little inn where you stopped for a quick meal while traveling in the French countryside actually serves a multi-course meal worthy of 3-star status. In addition to the beautifully preserved printing presses that are situated throughout the museum’s many rooms, which have a sculptural quality, so that walking through the museum and encountering them feels rather like a treasure hunt—and the how-to videos that bring ancient printing methods light for modern artists, the museum is also a reflection of the history of journalism, in its context as a form of communication, an incubator of social change, an instrument of protest, and as a recorder of the evolution of culture.
The museum is a kind of heaven for the bookish sort; you’ll want to find a small corner to hide in and flip through some of the books that are on display (impossible though, as they are under glass). The museum’s warren of rooms and levels makes it easy to get lost in any number of the sections of its permanent collection and featured exhibitions.
I first spotted the museum’s name in a bus-stop poster from the window of a taxi on the way to our hotel. It was advertising its 50th anniversary in documenting the history of printing, bookmaking and graphic design, and I marked it as a must-visit. (“Voir”-the temporary exhibition, runs through March 1). I was expecting to see some of my favorites from the world of advertising (and I was not disappointed), but there is so much more to the museum. As would be expected, there is a local focus to the permanent collection, as Lyon was a leader in the printing trade in Europe in the 1400s. There are stunning examples of calligraphy, beautifully carved historic print plates, classic posters from the art deco and art nouveau periods, as well as the golden age of advertising, and samples of comics, graphic novels, and album covers.
The staff is very helpful and has an infectious enthusiasm for the museum’s history and collection, which might seem to be a given, but having visited museums where the staff appears unengaged and aloof, it made for a unique and thoroughly pleasant experience. Go, and as is the case with any good meal, give yourself plenty of time to enjoy and digest.
The museum is a kind of heaven for the bookish sort; you’ll want to find a small corner to hide in and flip through some of the books that are on display (impossible though, as they are under glass). The museum’s warren of rooms and levels makes it easy to get lost in any number of the sections of its permanent collection and featured exhibitions.
I first spotted the museum’s name in a bus-stop poster from the window of a taxi on the way to our hotel. It was advertising its 50th anniversary in documenting the history of printing, bookmaking and graphic design, and I marked it as a must-visit. (“Voir”-the temporary exhibition, runs through March 1). I was expecting to see some of my favorites from the world of advertising (and I was not disappointed), but there is so much more to the museum. As would be expected, there is a local focus to the permanent collection, as Lyon was a leader in the printing trade in Europe in the 1400s. There are stunning examples of calligraphy, beautifully carved historic print plates, classic posters from the art deco and art nouveau periods, as well as the golden age of advertising, and samples of comics, graphic novels, and album covers.
The staff is very helpful and has an infectious enthusiasm for the museum’s history and collection, which might seem to be a given, but having visited museums where the staff appears unengaged and aloof, it made for a unique and thoroughly pleasant experience. Go, and as is the case with any good meal, give yourself plenty of time to enjoy and digest.
Written 9 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gentco
Manchester, UK540 contributions
July 2019 • Couples
We were really glad that we visited the Printing museum
Housed in a historic building that is worth visiting anyway
The fascinating exhibits are located on three floors and offer an insight into the development of printing and the dissemination of knowledge by the printed page
Lyon was an important centre for printing in Europe and you can follow a map to see all the places that the early printers lived and worked
Housed in a historic building that is worth visiting anyway
The fascinating exhibits are located on three floors and offer an insight into the development of printing and the dissemination of knowledge by the printed page
Lyon was an important centre for printing in Europe and you can follow a map to see all the places that the early printers lived and worked
Written 26 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
204IreneS
Woodford, VT33 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
Excellent guide through the history of printing and the role of books, newspapers, journals, and posters in getting us to where we are today. I would visit again when I return to Lyon. There is so much to take in and another visit would be valuable.
Written 27 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben B
ontario, canada179 contributions
July 2018 • Friends
While print culture is not a huge interest of mine, it is a huge interest for friends I visited Lyon with. I went along with them and am glad I did -- this little museum was really impressive. It really captured the development and rise of print culture in the West, and I found many of the displays engrossing. In fact, I got so caught up with the older material (say pre-1850) that I had to rush through the more modern sections to keep up with my friends, who were keen to see info on modern newspapers, computer printing, etc.
Definitely worth a visit. And a big plus is that the museum is just a couple minutes' walk to the larger Musee des Beaux Artes. Add it to your to-do list.
Definitely worth a visit. And a big plus is that the museum is just a couple minutes' walk to the larger Musee des Beaux Artes. Add it to your to-do list.
Written 22 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katrien S
Ghent, Belgium1,944 contributions
Oct 2017 • Solo
The museum is housed in an old mansion and relates the history of printing up till about today. In the beginning there are some examples of manuscripts from before printing, as well as woodcut prints, and the earliest book (facsimile) made with moveable type, which in not the Gutenberg bible, but a Korean official book published about 75 years earlier. From there it shows how the first books mimicked manuscripts to slowly move away to their own layout and the use of woodcuts for illustrations. There is a section on the arrival of newspapers, with details of their content and how censorship affected them. There is a whole section of the introduction of photos and colour. A very good overview.
Written 24 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
beatrice
Paris, France147 contributions
Oct 2014 • Solo
Probably the best museum with very interesting facts on the history of printing. You'll see how this influenced many of our habits today. The visit is 4 to 5 hours long if you want to read and take your time to see everything in details.
The visit is free if you have the Lyon Card pass giving you access to all museums in the city as well as unlimited access to the transportation system.
Big up to the staff who put out the amazing things there!
The visit is free if you have the Lyon Card pass giving you access to all museums in the city as well as unlimited access to the transportation system.
Big up to the staff who put out the amazing things there!
Written 23 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SoloSojouner
New York City, NY17 contributions
If you have an interest in print and the printed arts then visit this museum. It is a nice size and can be done easily in an hour. No, it is not "kid friendly", but then I haven't met too 6 year olds that were into the history and evolution of fonts and lithography.
Written 1 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeanie G
Illinois45 contributions
Sept 2019
The art of print, it's something that we just take for granted in this day and age. But, to see the history of print and all that had to be overcome in order to attain such a privilege, Musee de l'Imprimerie has comprehensively laid open for any who would see, the ingenious endeavor producing a book, a newspaper or, even a common magazine truly can be. So much power in the press!
Written 22 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arriveremo a Lione in mattinata, ma non potremo fare check in fino al pomeriggio, è possibile lasciare il bagaglio a mano nel guardaroba mentre si visita il museo? Grazie
Written 17 July 2019
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