Marché de la Croix-Rousse
Every Tuesday to Sunday morning, the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse transforms into one of France's most atmospheric outdoor food markets, where Lyonnais chefs shop alongside retirees and young families in a scene that feels entirely unperformed. This is the place to understand why Lyon calls itself the gastronomic capital of the world.
What to Buy, Taste and Smell
The market stretches for nearly 500 metres along the boulevard, with stalls piled high with Bresse chickens (the only poultry in France with its own AOC designation), Saint-Marcellin cheese so ripe it slumps off the board, and quenelles de brochet — the torpedo-shaped pike dumplings that are Lyon's most iconic dish. Charcutiers display rosette de Lyon sausages and paper-thin slices of jésus, a fat, wrinkled salami that is far better than it sounds.
Arrive before 9am to catch the market at its liveliest and to beat the queues at the best cheese and charcuterie stalls. Bring cash — many vendors still don't take cards.
The Croix-Rousse Neighbourhood Itself
The market sits in the heart of the Croix-Rousse plateau, the historic neighbourhood of Lyon's canuts (silk weavers), whose tall-windowed workshops — built to let in maximum light for the Jacquard looms — still line the steep streets. It's a bohemian, slightly scruffy quarter full of independent coffee shops, street murals and bookshops that feels genuinely distinct from the tourist-polished Presqu'île below.
After the market, duck into the Maison des Canuts on Rue d'Ivry, the world's oldest silk-weaving museum, where you can watch a Jacquard loom in action and buy hand-woven silk scarves directly from the workshop.
More of Lyon
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Lyon →
