Saint-etienne Sights and Landmarks Guide, France

Saint-Etienne is a lovely city lying in the Rhone-Alpes region. The city is historically renowned for its 16th century arms factory. During the French revolution, the city was temporarily renamed as Armeville or the “arms town”. Modern Saint-Etienne is popular because of its bicycle manufacturing units.

Saint-Etienne - Attractions and Activities

Saint-Etienne is a feast to the eyes of a tourist. There are landmarks, sculptures, water fountains, statues and historic homes that will mesmerize you.

Astronef - Saint-Etienne Planetarium - Saint-Etienne’s planetarium is the perfect space experience. It tells about the astronomy and cosmology is an elaborate fashion. You will be left to gape in wonder. It begins with the fundamental concepts and displays exhibitions which explain about the physics behind lightning and thunder, and unravel the mysteries covering the moon and seasons. The signature feature of the planetarium is the enormous hemisphere shaped screen.

Bastie d’Urf - This is one of the most impressive castles that belonged to the d’Urfe family. It consists of antique pieces that were once the assets of the d’Urfes. The basement is shaped as a cave festooned with stalactites. You will be amazed to the elegant divine statues that are lining the walls of the cave. In addition to this you will find a church and a chapel where you can pray in solace. Paintings from the famous Fontainebleau School and a series of Aubosson tapestries are stunning.

Geoffroy Guichard Stadium or “the Cauldron” is a world famous stadium that has witnessed some of the famous soccer matches in the sports history. The capacity of the stadium is 36,000.

Guizay Hill is a striking 2,953-foot hill. From here, you can get the view of the entire Saint-Etienne. The monts du Lyonnais and the monts du Forez can be seen in the east and the west directions respectively.

Jean Jaurs Square is a perfect place to hang out in case you wish to visit café and also socialize. The view of the colorful and attractive flowers will never let you shift the focus.

Place du Peuple is the 15th century square that has been used for public gatherings. The square is encompassed by the café and various boutiques thereby persuading the tourists to buy while enjoying the activities.

Then there are Stairless Residences whose architect disliked the stairs to such an extent that he built steep and inclined planes in order to reach the houses.

The Town Hall square is situated right in the center of the city. The architect of this early 19th century square was Jean-Michel Dalgabio. Presently the square boasts of trendy shops and urbane commercial establishments.

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