The French reviewers have done a good job of summing up the pros and cons of the museum and its unusual under-the-hillside architecture, so rather than repeating everything they've said, I'll encourage you to read their reviews (using Google Translate if necessary).
I will say that the Rick Steves guide we were using seemed to imply that you had to buy a ticket to the archaeological museum in order to enter the adjacent ruins of the 2000-year old pair of Roman theaters.
That was not the case. In fact, as we wound our way down through the museum, I kept thinking we would get to the bottom and there would be gate that would open into the amphitheaters.
Nope. We got to the end of the museum and simply had to take an elevator back to the top so that we could exit the museum and then walk our way next door to the theaters.
(We weren't the only ones confused by this. There was a mother and child who seemed just as mystified as we were.)
I mention this only because there was an admission charge to the museum - 4 Euros, plus a free audioguide, I believe. Not exorbitant and it's nice to support the conservation of ancient artifacts, but it would have been nice to know we had the *option* of just visiting the theaters for free.
(I think the locals know the deal, because the museum was pretty empty while the theaters weren't crowded, but certainly had a few more visitors.)
As for the theaters themselves, well it's just amazing to me to be able to sit where Romans sat thousands of years ago to watch plays, poetry readings, speeches and other spectacles with all of Lugdunum (the ancient Roman name for Lyon) spread out below them. For more on Lugdunum, capital of the Roman province of Gaul, see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugdunum
There are buildings and alleyways just uphill ('behind' the theaters too, but I don't think anyone knows what those builds were used for. Maybe that was the snack bar? :)
One interesting little detail I discovered was that there were giant poles (wooden poles, I presume) that the Romans would jam into certain specific holes in the rock. They would then stretch some sort of canopy between these poles in order to provide shade for any daytime performances. The canopy could be taken down, I believe, for evening shows. Pretty innovative idea, I thought! (OK, maybe not on the same scale as building aqueducts, but still cool. And speaking of aqueducts, you can find the ruins of an ancient Roman water pipeline right next to the theater too.
As for the museum, one of the French reviewers said it well -- There are a wealth of artifacts, but I do think that presentation could be better -- visually and on the audioguide. I have an intrinsic interest in ancient Roman history and I'm ashamed to admit that I found the museum rather dull.
I think that if I were coming back to Fourviere hill, I might just visit the theaters and skip the museum. I would sit on a stone bench and bring along a history of Lugdunum to read and remember the people who built these enduring monuments thousands of years ago. read more