Parc de la Tête d'Or is Lyon's great lung — 117 hectares of English-style parkland on the east bank of the Rhône, about 15 minutes' walk or a tram ride north from Place Bellecour. The park contains a large lake (with rowing boats), a free zoo (with giraffes, rhinos, and big cats), an outstanding rose garden that blooms in June, and a botanical garden with heated greenhouses. On summer weekends the park fills with families; on weekday mornings it is quietly beautiful.
The Tête d'Or is free to enter, as is the zoo, making it one of the best-value afternoons in Lyon. The park's north gate opens onto the Cité Internationale, a business and cultural complex where the Interpol headquarters is located.