Cafeography
Terrasses · Lyon

Café terraces in Lyon

Tables on Place Sathonay, the Saône quays and the Avenue des Frères Lumière.

Photo: Helena Jankovičová Kováčová, Pexels License

A terrasse is a café's outdoor seating, on a sidewalk, a square or, in season, a parking space. Under the rules in force since 1 March 2024, seasonal terraces, those on parking spaces included, set up from the first Saturday of March.12 The regulation ends the season on 31 October; in 2025 the city let terraces stay out until Sunday 2 November as a one-off.2

Part-Dieu has the most café terraces, ahead of Terreaux & Les Pentes and the Presqu'île. Monplaisir has the highest share: more than half of its cafés put tables outside.

Local tip: Go to Place Sathonay on a weekday afternoon: Au Coin de la Rue serves 11:30–18:30 Monday to Saturday, and the streets around the square have been car-free since 2022.3

Where these cafés are: Part-Dieu & Préfecture (14), Terreaux & Les Pentes (12), Presqu'île (10), Monplaisir & États-Unis (9), La Guillotière (9), La Croix-Rousse (6), Brotteaux & Foch (6), Vieux Lyon (5), Jean Macé & Gerland (3), Vaise (3), Confluence (1).

At a glance

78Cafés listed
57With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: L'Industrie, from 06:00 (Mon 07:00–22:30 · Tue 06:00–22:30 · Wed 07:00–22:30 · Thu 06:00–22:30 · Fri 07:00–22:30 · Sat 06:00–22:30 · Sun 08:00–22:00).
  • Closes latest: L'Antisèche, until 01:00 (Mon–Sat 17:00–01:00).
  • Most listed streets: Rue Salomon Reinach (3), Avenue des Frères Lumière (2), Rue Chevreul (2).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (41%), wi-fi (26%), vegetarian options (24%).
La Croix-Rousse

Bistrot Theleme

  • Rue Pelletier
  • Mon 12:00–14:30 · Tue 12:00–14:00, 17:00–22:00 · Thu 12:00–14:00, 17:00–22:00 · Fri 12:00–14:00, 17:00–23:00 · Sat 12:00–23:00 · Sun 11:00–15:00
  • +33 4 78 27 47 23
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La Guillotière

Pimpon

  • 16 Rue de la Madeleine
  • Wed 09:30–19:00 · Thu–Fri 09:30–14:00, 16:00–19:00 · Sat 10:00–19:00 · Sun 10:00–13:00
  • +33 4 72 76 45 84
Map FacebookIs this you?Report

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Place Sathonay and the Pentes

Place Sathonay was laid out in 1817 on the site of a convent of the Clarisses founded in 1304, and carries the name of Nicolas Fay de Sathonay, mayor from 1805 to 1812.3 The streets around it were planted and closed to traffic in 2022, the two cast-iron lion fountains below the Jardin des Plantes steps were restored in 2024, and players of boule lyonnaise still use the gravel.3

Au Coin de la Rue, at number 5, serves bubble tea next to its coffee and has Wi-Fi, open 11:30–18:30 Monday to Saturday. Up the slope, Aux Thés des Merveilles on the Montée de la Grande-Côte and Kafé Stockholm on Rue Saint-Polycarpe also set tables outside, and Les Éclaireurs seats summer guests above the sculpture garden of the Musée des Beaux-Arts.

Place de la Croix-Rousse and the plateau

The bronze Jacquard by Denis Foyatier that stood on Place de la Croix-Rousse from 1901 was melted down under Vichy, and a stone statue by Élie Ottavry has taken its place since 1947.4 Bull Café, at number 24, has tables facing it.

Maison Poupoule on Place Marcel Bertone, Momento Coffee and Régal café, which serves until 23:30 every night, are the plateau's other terraces. Le Mouton Masqué on Rue Richan, which also has outdoor seats, opens at 07:30 on weekdays.

Buvettes on the Saône and the Rhône

Drinking at the water's edge has its own name in Lyon: the pieds humides (wet feet), the riverside kiosks once called bancs de soupes (soup stalls).5 The Buvette Saint-Antoine at 2 Quai des Célestins, at the end of the Passerelle du Palais-de-Justice, has kept the habit going since 1872, with a terrace looking across to Saint-Jean and Fourvière.5

Buvette Bonaparte, on the same bank, also serves outdoors. Over on the Rhône side, Vélcroc and Café Du Pond keep tables outside in the 6th, Vélcroc until midnight, or 01:00 from Thursday to Saturday. In the Parc de la Tête d'Or, Café du Lac seats people outside 08:00–20:00 every day.

Monplaisir and the squares of the left bank

On Avenue des Frères Lumière, L'Industrie has outdoor tables from 06:00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays until 22:30. Café Lumière, at 20 Rue du Premier-Film, serves on its shaded terrace until 22:00 from Tuesday to Saturday and until 19:00 on Sundays.6 Brasserie des États-Unis opens 06:00–20:00 every day, and Orient 69 on Route de Vienne until 20:30.

Elsewhere on the left bank, Café Paradis has a terrace on Place Kléber, Chalyamba on Place Raspail, and Gnome & Rhône on Avenue Maréchal de Saxe. On the Presqu'île, Café des Jacobins has tables on Place des Jacobins and Café Bellecour sits on Place Bellecour.

Terrace rules and smoking

The 2024 rules keep a walkway at least 1.5 m wide clear of tables, require an ashtray on every table and ban single-use plastic tableware.1 Terraces close at midnight on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays instead of 01:00, and in Vieux Lyon, Rue Mercière and Rue des Marronniers they may open at 10:00 rather than 11:00.1

Smoking is still allowed on most café terraces. Since 1 July 2025, however, smoking has been banned in public parks and gardens, and a terrace that stands inside one falls under the ban.7

Sources

  1. Horaires, propreté, végétalisation… Les nouvelles règles des terrasses à Lyon (Nathan Chaize, 6 June 2023), Lyon Capitale, accessed October 2026
  2. La mairie de Lyon prolonge exceptionnellement les terrasses saisonnières jusqu'au 2 novembre (31 October 2025), LyonMag, accessed October 2026
  3. Place Sathonay, Wikipédia (French), accessed October 2026
  4. Place de la Croix-Rousse, Wikipédia (French), accessed October 2026
  5. La terrasse du jour : Buvette Saint-Antoine (16 July 2015, updated 22 April 2026), Lyon Capitale, accessed October 2026
  6. Café Lumière, Institut Lumière, accessed October 2026
  7. Interdiction de fumer dans certains espaces extérieurs : les terrasses sont-elles concernées ? (18 July 2025), GHR (Groupement des Hôtelleries et Restaurations de France), accessed October 2026
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By area: Vieux Lyon Terreaux & Les Pentes Presqu'île La Croix-Rousse Brotteaux & Foch Part-Dieu & Préfecture La Guillotière Jean Macé & Gerland

FAQ

Terrasses in Lyon: questions

When is terrace season for cafés in Lyon?

Seasonal terraces, including those built on parking spaces, set up from the first Saturday of March under the rules in force since 1 March 2024. The regulation ends the season on 31 October; in 2025 the city made an exception and let them stay until 2 November. Terraces close at midnight on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

Can you smoke on café terraces in Lyon?

On most terraces, yes, and every table must have an ashtray under Lyon's 2024 terrace rules. Since 1 July 2025, smoking has been banned in public parks and gardens, so a café terrace that stands inside a park falls under that ban.

Which squares in Lyon have café terraces?

Place Sathonay, below the Jardin des Plantes, has Au Coin de la Rue at number 5. Bull Café faces the Jacquard statue on Place de la Croix-Rousse, Café Paradis is on Place Kléber, Chalyamba on Place Raspail, and Café des Jacobins and Café Bellecour on the Presqu'île squares of the same names.

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