What You’ll Discover at Les Puces du Canal—Lyon’s Storied Flea Market
For us, Les Puces du Canal is more than just a flea market or brocante—it’s an experience. Whether you’re treasure hunting for specific antiques, browsing for fun, or searching for some small treasures, this Lyon institution offers a glimpse into history, style, and French culture. It’s a great ways to spend a Sunday morning. For first-time visitors, it’s helpful to know what to expect, what to bring, and how to make the most of your visit.
What to expect at Les Puces du Canal
Les Puces du Canal is one of the best flea markets has been around for almost 30 years and is located on the outskirts of Lyon, France in Villeurbanne. There are 200 permanent vendors/antique dealers onsite with room for 400 more day packers, or small vendors that set up shop on tables selling their wares for the weekend.
We’ve been to Les Puces du Canal many times. Sometimes there have been day packers and other times there haven’t been any of them. And honestly, it’s the permanent vendors where we have found almost all of the products we buy.
There are three main sections at Les Puces du Canal
- The covered but open-air stalls can be locked and closed when they are not open. This is where we find most of the items we buy. It’s located just beyond the entrance.
- The open lot is where all of the day vendors are when they are present.
- The covered warehouse is where most of the high-end antique shops selling furniture, chandeliers, and other large items.
Some things that we have found at Les Puces du Canal
By now, we have our favorite vendors and have somewhat of a relationship with a few of them. We have found vintage art, ashtrays, glass bottles, cutlery, jewellery, posters, linens, ceramics, vintage clothing, crocks, tea towels, and grain sacks. Although you can find copper at many of the stalls, there is one specific vendor where we can always find some extra good copper – both large and small items.
Can I park at Les Puces du Canal?
We’ve never had a problem finding parking. You can park on the street in the surrounding neighborhood. But we usually park on site. There is a 2-euro parking fee (a bargain when you’re used to paying for New York City parking), and the lot is located just behind the warehouse. It’s convenient for dropping bags full of product off at the car, so we don’t have to carry them around for the entire time.
What to bring with you
We buy quite a bit so we always have at least four shopping bags and make regular trips to the car to drop them off. We like to use bags with handles long enough to throw over our shoulders as the bags become quite heavy. Some vendors do offer small plastic bags for things you buy, but it is best to bring your own.
You’ll also need cash. There is an ATM on site if you run out but the exchange rate isn’t a very good deal so it’s best to plan and have too much rather than not enough. However, some vendors do have Venmo so that’s an option. But we’ve found that cash helps when negotiating the best price on an item.
How to make the most of your visit
What we love about Les Puces du Canal is that it has a very relaxed vibe and the vendors are generally very pleasant. Around lunchtime, you’ll find many of the vendors setting up communal tables and enjoying a casual lunch. But they have no problem jumping up and helping shoppers in their stalls.
We like to start by walking through the entire market, looking at all the different products, and making a list of things we want to come back to. We put an Asterix by the ones we think have multiple products that we want.
Can you negotiate on the prices?
Once we’ve done our walk-through, we get to work first going back to the shops where we’ll buy multiple items. We’ve found that we can negotiate a little harder with the vendors where we buy more items. And yes, we’ve found that everything is negotiable. We’ve also found they’re not afraid to say no if you go too low on price.
Make sure to stop by one of the small cafes for a break
One of our favorite things to do is stop by and sit down at an outside table at one of the cafes. They offer full menus but we usually opt for a coffee and a chocolate croissant.
The people-watching is great and you’ll see anything from locals, tourists, casual buyers, and bargain hunters, to high-end designers.
When is Les Puces du Canal open?
Les Puces du Canal is open year-round every Thursday and Saturday from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm and on Sundays from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. We usually get there around 8:00 in the morning and stay till closing. We have noticed that on Thursdays unless they are very busy, some vendors begin closing up around 12:00 or 12:30. So make sure you plan accordingly. We found this out the hard way. On our first visit, we went back to buy some products only to find the vendor had already closed.
Here are a few of our other favorite French flea markets
- Paul Bert Serpette – Paris’ largest flea market located in Saint-Ouen
- Porte de Vanves – also located in Paris
- Avignon Flea Market located in Provence
