Discover Local Lyon: What to Do Around Mercure Lyon

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Lyon, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Lyon in 5 picks

Marché de la Croix-Rousse

Tuesday to Sunday mornings, roughly 100 stalls stretch along the boulevard — cheese, bread, rotisserie chicken, flowers for Sunday lunch. This is where the neighbourhood actually shops, not a display for visitors.

A bouchon on the slopes

The traditional Lyon bistros on the Croix-Rousse hill serve the same dishes as the ones downtown — quenelle, tablier de sapeur, salade lyonnaise — usually for less, and usually to a room full of regulars.

Vieux Lyon and its traboules

The Renaissance quarter across the Saône hides traboules — covered passageways once used by silk workers to move goods, rain or shine. Look for unmarked doors; some are still open to walk through.

Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse

The city\u2019s food hall, near Part-Dieu, is where to go for a proper splurge — charcuterie, cheese counters, oysters at 10am if you\u2019re that kind of traveller.

Place des Terreaux at dusk

Bartholdi's fountain, the Hôtel de Ville, and the Fresque des Lyonnais mural just around the corner. Come as the light drops and the square empties of day-trippers.

Where to eat
A bouchon isn't a themed restaurant — it's a specific, still-living Lyon institution: checked tablecloths, short menus, dishes built around offal and pork that haven't changed in decades. Order the quenelle de brochet if you want the classic, or tablier de sapeur if you're feeling braver. On the Croix-Rousse slopes, you'll pay less and sit among locals rather than tour groups.
Two rivers, one hill
Lyon's centre sits on the Presqu'île, the narrow strip between the Rhône and the Saône. Vieux Lyon is a short walk west across the water; Croix-Rousse rises steeply to the north, a former silk-weavers' district that still feels like its own village. Most of what matters is walkable — you just have to decide which direction to go.
Right outside your hotel
Mercure Lyon Centre Beaux Arts sits near Place des Terreaux, on the Presqu\u2019île between both rivers. The Saône and Vieux Lyon are a few minutes on foot one way; the Croix-Rousse market is a walk up the hill the other way — steeper than it looks on the map, but it\u2019s how locals do it.
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FAQ

A traditional Lyon bistro, usually family-run, serving hearty regional dishes like quenelle, andouillette and salade lyonnaise. The best ones on the Croix-Rousse slopes are known for serving locals more than tourists.

Tuesday through Sunday mornings, along Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse. It's closed Mondays.

Mercure Lyon Centre Beaux Arts is on the Presqu'île, a short walk from the Saône — cross one of the bridges and you're in the old town.

Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Lyon, all within reach of these picks.

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Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Lyon, all within reach of these picks

View hotels