A Few of the Best Things to See and Do in Lyon, France
If you are traveling through France and thinking of adding a stop in Lyon, here are a few of the best things to see and do in Lyon, France.
We first discovered Lyon when searching for French flea markets as we planned to open our online shop. Many people I follow visit Lyon a few times a year to source antiques for their shops so Lyon was a must-stop on our first buying trip.
Not only was the stop at the flea market a big success for us (it’s where we find many of the products for our shop), but we also discovered a wonderful city full of great food and memorable things to see. We spent three nights in Lyon and felt like we had seen much of the city. Now a regular stop on our buying trips, feeling like we had seen much of the city.
Lyon is a very walkable city
Although Lyon is the third largest city in all of France, considering its size and population, it remains a very friendly city for walking and biking. On our first day of exploring, we chose to walk. After over 30,000 steps and more than 13 miles, we had covered a lot of the things we’d wanted to see. But if you get tire of walking, there is good public transportation.
The boulevards are spacious, and you can actually walk side by side in most areas without much bobbing and weaving. There is also plenty of shopping along the way and endless places to stop in for a coffee, drink, or snack – all of which we did.
After spending the better part of the previous day shopping at the flea market (a very successful shopping event indeed), the next day, we set out on foot to explore the city as it was our first time in Lyon.
We spent three nights in Lyon and felt like we saw a lot of the city. Here are a few of our favorite things.
Our first stop: Les Puces du Canal Flea Market
Originally Le Puces du Canal was in a different location. But in 1995 it moved to where it is today and it quickly became France’s second largest flea market. There are over 200 boutiques, five restaurants, a bar, and a boulangerie. You can even park right on the premises for €3.
It’s a unique combination of outdoor tables with vendors selling lower-end items and permanent stalls selling high-end antique furniture, lighting, copper, art, and things like vintage bottles, ashtrays, cutlery, crocks, porcelain, and so much more.
Flea market days and hours of operation
The brocante or flea market is open Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, with Sunday being the most popular. We typically shop on Thursdays and Saturdays to avoid the crowds. If you choose to visit on a Thursday, not every shop is open but there is still plenty to see and buy. There are more shops open on Saturday and Sunday, but if you can only make it one day, you’ll be happy on any of the days.
A few tips
Some people know this, but in case you don’t, as you enter each shop, it’s important to greet the owner with “bonjour”. The greeting is traditional French and shop owners are often offended without the proper greeting.
We like to take a pass through the entire market, decide what we want to buy from each stall, and then when buying multiple items from one vendor, we can typically negotiate a better price.
What you’ll find: vintage coat racks, loads of furniture, and ashtrays
Copper & tureens
We always have a few things in mind, like vintage linens, copper, and glassware and we can always find a few surprises. Everyone is lovely and very helpful. We can negotiate with our limited French and the help of Google Translate and, of course, the calculator.
Silver, Dishes, Glassware, Linens & Cups
If you’ve ever wanted to visit a brocante in France, this one would not leave you feeling like maybe there’s a better one! If you are looking for silver, china, porcelain, pottery, copper, linens, enamelware, furniture, postcards, glassware…it was all here.
The Old Lyon District & Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Cobblestone Streets of Old Town Lyon
We walked to Old Lyon one afternoon. It was past lunchtime and way too early for dinner, but we enjoyed strolling the cobblestone streets and having a coffee at one of the many cafes. There are so many alleyways, courtyards, and small streets to explore. Old Lyon is recognized as part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage site.
Old Lyon is at the base of Fourvière Hill. It’s a long and steep climb to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière, but the view is incredible. According to Trip Advisor, it’s 580 steps. I lost count way before that. There were a few cafes at the top, and I could only imagine how difficult they must be to staff. Either they find people living on the hill or someone who doesn’t mind a difficult commute!
The view at night from Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourviere
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Most people think of Paris as the food capital of France, but it’s actually Lyon. And Paul Bocuse is one of the most legendary culinary figures of France. Many of the great French chefs were trained by him, so it’s only appropriate that this spectacular food hall bears his name. If you’re a foodie like us and find yourself in or passing through Lyon, this food hall is a must-stop along the way.
Cheese
Oysters & Chicken
It’s a great collection of carefully hand-picked vendors consisting of butchers, specialty cheese shops, bakeries, fishmongers, fresh country vegetables, any other kind of French food specialty vendor imaginable, and a handful of restaurants serving traditional Lyonnaise dishes to the locals at lunchtime.
The restaurants in Les Halles start to fill up around 11 am
It’s best to get there earlier in the day. We started our visit with a brief stop for a coffee and chocolate croissant which didn’t disappoint. We had planned a picnic at a local park for that evening and decided to get all of our food here – a fresh baguette, four different kinds of Chevre cheese (some of the absolutely best cheese we’ve ever had), a country pate, some roasted chicken flavored Lays potato chips (you have to try them and won’t believe how good they are) and finished with a praline tart. Lyon is known for its bright red-colored praline baked goods.
A picnic in the park
Why pralines are a staple in Lyonnaise cuisine
Pralines are a staple in Lyonnaise cuisine, especially in pink. Perhaps the most famous Lyonnaise dessert is the Tarte à la Praline (praline tarte) and the Pralulin (a praline-filled brioche). Locals love these desserts because of their rich, sweet flavor and pink color.
Legend has it that in the 19th century, a Lyonnais pastry chef who admired the pink roses in the Rhône region was inspired to tint his pralines the same pink color.
Pralines are typically almonds cooked in a pink caramelized sugar. Sometimes pecans and hazelnuts are also used. These pink pralines are deeply ingrained in Lyon’s culinary history and identity. You’ll see them in every window of all the local bakeries. The pink color is impossible to miss.
A nice place to stay in Lyon
If you are visiting Lyon, I highly recommend the Airbnb Indusoft Apartment where we stayed. It’s in a central location and is more like staying at a nice hotel with amenities like a washer/dryer and a fully equipped kitchen. They had everything you could possibly need. The kitchen was well stocked. There was a dishwasher with cleaning pods so that you didn’t have to buy a thing.
The apartment seems to be newly renovated and so beautiful! It was exactly as in the photos and in pristine condition. Directions for accessing the building (also clean and beautiful) were easy and felt very secure.
The apartment is ideal for short or long-term stays. You really could not ask for more and the price is beyond reasonable.
For us, Lyon started as a place to source vintage finds but quickly became so much more. With every visit, we uncover delicious foods and new beautiful corners of the city we haven’t seen before. If you’re looking for a destination that blends shopping, history, culture, and food, Lyon might just be your next perfect stop.
