Whether you're a foodie or simply like the sights and smells of a fresh food market, Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse is one stop you won't want to miss on your next trip to Lyon.
Named after famed French chef Paul Bocuse, Les Halles de Lyon is a bustling indoor food market that features an array of local ingredients and dishes. From fresh seafood to sausages to pastries, this market will delight both your culinary curiosity and your taste buds.
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About Les Halles de Lyon
Lyon's first covered food market opened in 1859 at Place Cordeliers. But it wasn't until more than a century later in 1971 that Les Halles opened its doors in the city's La Part-Dieu sector.
The aim was to highlight Lyon's world-famous reputation as a center of gastronomy. And who better to act as the market's ambassador than one of the world's best chefs, Paul Bocuse—the only chef whose Lyon-area restaurant earned and maintained three Michelin stars for more than 50 years.
You can see homages to Bocuse throughout the market, including a series of posters depicting him with his mentor, chef Eugenie Brazier, under whom he trained.
In the early 2000s, the market was renovated. Now the multi-story facility houses more than 50 vendors—from fish and cheesemongers to wine sellers and butchers—serving some of France's finest quality foods and beverages.
What to see at Les Halles de Lyon
We visited the market as part of an excursion during a week-long AmaWaterways cruise up the Rhone River. It followed a stop a few days earlier in the medieval city of Avignon, where we checked out the local food market there, Les Halles d'Avignon.
Both halls feature a wide selection of gourmet foods, but Lyon's is larger, covering more than 13,000 square meters. And our guide took us on a unique tour of the market, stopping at various stalls and recounting their connections to the local food culture.
Here are some of our favorite food stalls and ones we'd recommend you check out on your next visit.
Butchers and sausage makers
Among the most prevalent vendors at the food market are the butchers and sausage producers. We marveled at the selection of dried sausages, or saucission. But what struck us the most were the Bresse chickens.
These sought-after chickens are known for their delicate meat. They're also known as the symbol of France due to their white bodies, red crests, and blue feet — colors that mimic the French flag. Just how sought-after are they? At Paul Bocuse's restaurant in Lyon, he served a Bresse chicken dish that cost around $300!
Our guide mentioned that they're required to be sold with their heads on so you can see the red crest, proving that they're actually true Bresse chickens.
Wine shops
Lyon sits near the top of the Rhone River valley, where the Rhone and Saone rivers meet. And the city is just south of France's Beaujolais wine country, which neighbors the Burgundy region. So it's no surprise that there was plenty of wine to explore at Les Halles.
We were able to try a Chardonnay from the nearby Coteaux du Lyonnais region which was rich and citrusy. And we also spent a fair amount of time simply browsing the wine shops and drooling over the many bottles we wished we could have taken back with us!
Cheesemongers
From the wine section, we headed over to one of the abundantly stocked cheese counters. Since Marlynn is dairy-free, we didn't try any. But the selection ranged from soft French goat cheeses like Pelardon and Couer de Chevre to Villageois Blanc Fermier, a local white cheese made from cow's milk.
And many more in between. All of them were fresh and the aromas were amazing (in a good way!)
Seafood
Like Les Halles d'Avignon food market we visited earlier on our trip, Les Halles de Lyon featured a vast fresh seafood selection. From mussels and oysters to prawns and a variety of fish, the seafood area alone is a chef's delight.
This was also one of the most bustling areas of the market as many vendors not only sold fresh seafood, they also made it to order so you could grab a quick lunch from one of the counters and go.
Frog legs
The same was true for the Baba frog's legs stand. Located near the front of Les Halles, it's hard to miss. Just look for the large white frog logo. While not necessarily my first choice for a quick French meal, the vendors here were busy with large pans, preparing dishes for the day. And yes they confirmed, frog's legs do taste like chicken!
Praline tarts
By this time, we were ready to move on to dessert. Luckily, there were plenty of sweet options on display.
Perhaps one of the most famous sweet treats in Lyon are the Tartes a la Praline, or praline tarts. This bright pink dessert is made with almonds coated in caramelized sugar that's been dyed with red food coloring, producing the distinctive hue.
The overall taste is crunchy and very sweet. We each had a thin slice of the tart pictured above and that was enough to give us a nice sugar high for the rest of the morning. But we did save some room for the other pastry stalls!
Pastries
France is known for pastries. It's not uncommon to eat a chocolate eclair (or two) for breakfast along with your morning coffee. Which suits me just fine!
And we found plenty of pastries to like at Les Halles de Lyon.
From decadent chocolate glazed treats to small apple tartes tatin and colorful cookies, the selection was amazing. And although the prices were somewhat higher here than you might find at a local patisserie, the presentations were simply mouth-watering.
Restaurants
If you're looking for a sit-down meal, Les Halles also has you covered. It features several on-site restaurants, including Maison Rousseau, a bouchon-style eatery located in the heart of the market.
Bouchons are unique to Lyon. These unassuming restaurants serve traditional, hearty, local dishes in a laid-back atmosphere. The kind of place where locals know each others' names.
Maison Rousseau specializes in seafood. From fresh oysters to crabs to seafood platters, you could easily spend an afternoon making your way through the menu. Sadly, we were there before the restaurant opened, but it's on our list if and when we return to Lyon.
Visiting Les Halles de Lyon
Les Halles de Lyon is located at 102 Cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon. It's about a 20-minute walk from Lyon's main train station, the Gare de la Part-Dieu.
Most of the food stalls are open Monday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and
Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The market's restaurants are open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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If you visit, please be sure to let them know that you read about it on Urban Bliss Life! And if you snap some pics, tag us @UrbanBlissLife and #UrbanBlissLife on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.
Disclosure: This was part of an AmaWaterways press trip along the Rhone River. All opinions and photos are, as always, our own.
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