Lyon
45°46′ N 4°50′ ECityPop. 519,127Lyon and the Alps
Lyon suits a traveller who times a December city break around the Fête des Lumières, the free light festival the city runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026, and the trade-off is a crowd of about 2 million visitors over those four nights, so book a bed early. The Christmas market on Place Carnot by Perrache station runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026, and the city's food carries the evenings either side of the festival.
Photo Emeric84 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Base yourself here for the Fête des Lumières, which the City of Lyon runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026. You can walk most of the festival sites from a hotel on the Presqu'île, the long strip of city between the Rhône and the Saône, and step back in for a rest between shows. Outside those four nights Lyon works as a food city with one central Christmas market and two main-line stations, Part-Dieu and Perrache.
Eat in Lyon
Halles de Lyon Paul BocuseMarket hall
Lyon's covered food hall at 102 cours Lafayette holds about 55 traders, from cheesemongers to butchers and bakers. Most stalls open 7:30 to 19:30 Monday to Saturday and close at 13:00 on Sunday, and the restaurants inside serve lunch from 11:30.
Chez les GonesBouchon
Chez les Gones is a traditional Lyonnais bouchon, the city's own kind of small, hearty restaurant, inside the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Restaurants in the Halles serve 11:30 to 14:30 Monday to Saturday and 11:30 to 15:30 on Sunday.
Drink in Lyon
Oyster counters at the Halles de Lyon Paul BocuseOyster bar
The écaillers, the shellfish counters in the Halles, open 9:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday and 9:00 to 16:00 on Sunday. Their late weekday hours make them a stop for oysters and a glass before a festival walk.
On 8 December 1852 Lyon inaugurated the gilded statue of the Virgin Mary on Fourvière hill, the evening sky cleared after a day of bad weather, and people lit candles in their windows. The modern festival grew out of that habit in 1999, when the city first ran four nights of light around the 8th, and it took the name Fête des Lumières in 2000. Today the organizer counts more than 2 million visitors per edition, and around a million of them pass through Place des Terreaux alone.
The City of Lyon sets the rules for more than 100 chalets on Place Carnot, at the foot of Perrache station in the 2nd arrondissement, and keeps a few for charities and for makers carrying the city's Fabriqué à Lyon label. Come for regional jars and bottles, chestnuts, foie gras and gifts by local makers, and plan to eat your proper meal elsewhere.
For that meal, go east across the Rhône to the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse at 102 cours Lafayette, five minutes on foot from Part-Dieu station. About 55 traders sell cheese, charcuterie, bread and wine, and the oyster counters stay open until 22:00 from Monday to Saturday, which makes them a useful stop on a festival night before the crowds build.
Worth knowing
- Book your hotel for 5 to 8 December 2026 as early as you can, since the festival draws about 2 million visitors over four nights.
- The festival programme with every installation and its site comes out in early November on fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr, and paper copies reach the information points in late November.
- Takeaway alcohol and glass containers are banned inside the festival perimeter, so leave the bottle of Beaujolais at the hotel.
- Arriving by train for the market, Perrache station opens straight onto Place Carnot; Part-Dieu sits across the Rhône on the east side of the centre.
Quick answers about Lyon
When is the Fête des Lumières in Lyon in 2026?
The Fête des Lumières runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026, according to the City of Lyon's festival site. Installations light up 19:00 to 23:00 on the Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, and 18:00 to 22:00 on Sunday 6 December.
When is the Lyon Christmas market in 2026?
The Lyon Christmas market on Place Carnot runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026, per the City of Lyon. It opens 11:00 to 20:00 Monday to Thursday, 11:00 to 22:00 on Friday, 10:30 to 22:00 on Saturday and 10:30 to 20:00 on Sunday.
Is the Fête des Lumières free?
Yes. The Fête des Lumières is free to attend, funded by the City of Lyon with public and private partners, and you need no ticket to walk the sites.
Why do people in Lyon put candles in their windows on 8 December?
The custom dates from 8 December 1852, when Lyon inaugurated the statue of the Virgin Mary on the Fourvière chapel and residents lit candles in their windows. Many Lyonnais still set lumignons on their windowsills every 8 December.
Is Lyon a good place to stay?
Base yourself here for the Fête des Lumières, which the City of Lyon runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026. You can walk most of the festival sites from a hotel on the Presqu'île, the long strip of city between the Rhône and the Saône, and step back in for a rest between shows. Outside those four nights Lyon works as a food city with one central Christmas market and two main-line stations, Part-Dieu and Perrache.
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby
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