Lyon Activities, From Market Stalls to Courtyards

Lyon rewards the visitor who plans around appetite. The best things to do here involve a fork, a loom or a quiet step through somebody’s courtyard, and most of them cost less than a museum ticket.

Start at the market

Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse at 102 cours Lafayette, near Part-Dieu, has 56 merchants under one roof. Entry is free. Shops open Monday to Saturday from 7:30 to 19:30 and on Sunday from 7:30 to 13:00. The oyster bars keep longer hours, Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 22:00, so a plate of oysters with a glass of white wine works as a late lunch or an early dinner. The market carries the name of the chef who died in 2018, and the counters still show the standard he set.

Eat at a labelled bouchon

A bouchon is a specific kind of Lyon restaurant, not any casual bistro. Only places holding the “Les Bouchons Lyonnais” label are certified, and the association behind it, lesbouchonslyonnais.org , publishes the list. Expect checked tablecloths, a pot of Beaujolais and plates such as salade lyonnaise, quenelle de brochet and cervelle de canut, a fresh cheese whipped with herbs. Café Comptoir Abel, at 25 rue Guynemer, holds the label and opens daily. The tourist office lists à la carte plates at roughly €13 to €35 and set menus at €32 to €49. Book lunch rather than dinner if you want a quieter room.

Walk the traboules

Traboules are passages that cut through buildings and courtyards, built so silk workers could carry cloth between the hills and the river. Most are private homes. About 80 are open to the public, roughly from 07:00 to 19:00, and some stay open until 20:00 in summer. Keep your voice low, stay briefly, skip food and drink, and avoid large groups. Do not ring bells or push closed doors. The Cour des Voraces, a six-storey stone stairway at 9 place Colbert, is on the Croix-Rousse slope, not in Vieux Lyon.

Watch silk being woven

The Maison des Canuts, at 10 to 12 rue d’Ivry on the Croix-Rousse hill, shows how a Jacquard loom works. A guided weaving visit costs about €10, and a guided visit combining the museum with the traboules is about €18 on the tourist-office listing. It is closed on Sunday and Monday, so slot it into a weekday or a Saturday. The Maison des Canuts site has current times.

Moving around

TCL runs the metro, trams, buses and both funiculars. A single ticket is €2.10, a 24-hour pass is €7.10 and a carnet of 10 is €20.50. Validate when you board, because inspectors fine passengers without a valid ticket on the spot. The Lyon City Card costs €32, €44, €56 or €68 at the counter for 1 to 4 days, or €29.90, €41.90, €52.90 and €63.90 online, and covers transport, a Saône cruise and one guided tour. It pays off if you add two or three museums a day.

Pickpockets work Part-Dieu station, Place Bellecour and Vieux Lyon’s busy streets, so keep bags zipped in front of you. In the evening, take care around Place Gabriel Péri in La Guillotière and stick to the lit main avenues.

Plan around the calendar

The Fête des Lumières runs from 5 to 8 December 2026. It is free and fills hotels months ahead, so reserve early if you want those dates. Compare Lyon food tours if you would rather have a guide through the market and the old town, and check hotel rates on Booking.com for festival weekends.

For the landmarks behind these activities, read the Lyon sightseeing guide , and see the 2-day Lyon itinerary for a route that fits market, courtyard and dinner into one weekend.

Tip: go to the Halles on a weekday morning, buy cheese and charcuterie for later, then spend the afternoon on the Croix-Rousse slopes where the Maison des Canuts and the Cour des Voraces sit five minutes apart.

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