5 Magical Lyon Bookstores to Explore
Bonjour, book lovers! Today, we’re diving into the third largest city in France to discover the very best Lyon bookstores.
Lyon is the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région and is the third largest city in France. Though it’s oft overlooked as a destination compared to the more popular Paris, it’s a beautiful city with a lot to entertain. In 2023, it was officially named a UNESCO City of Literature, and there’s tons to do there to entertain a bookworm.
During my recent time in Lyon, of course I traveled all across the large city hunting down independent bookshops to find the very best ones. From these travels, I’ve narrowed the list down to my five favorites.
So without further ado, let’s get into it: here are my top picks for the best bookstores in Lyon.
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Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.
Librairie Le Père Pénard
The Librairie Le Père Pénard was one of my favorite bookstores that I visited during my recent travels in Lyon. It has a long history in the city dating back over 150 years. On their website, they claim to have been used as a movie set and even as an outpost of the resistance during World War II.
This storied bookstore’s current iteration dates back to the 1990s, when it was taken over by a group of friends who have a passion for books.
The Librairie Le Père Pénard is one of the most gorgeous bookstores to browse in Lyon. It’s massive, and it just seems to go on and on with multiple rooms and more than one floor of books. All the books that you’ll find here are secondhand – on their website they claim, “always secondhand books otherwise it’s less fun. You have to hunt for the pearl every day.”
As a lover of used bookstores myself, I am totally on board with this approach.
There’s a fantastic selection across a variety of genres, though of course the bulk of the books here are in French. However, English speakers can locate a full shelf of used English titles. With a constantly changing stock, you never know what you might find there.
Check them out at: https://www.leperepenard.com/
Location: 2 Quai Fulchiron, 69005 Lyon, France
Related: Traveling elsewhere in France? You can be in Marseille by train in less than 2 hours from Lyon, where you shouldn’t miss the infamous Count of Monte Cristo prison, the Chateau d’if.
Le Bal des Argents
Le Bal des Argents is arguably the most Instagram worthy bookstore in Lyon, though I’d never recommend visiting a bookshop just for that reason (book lovers only, please; we don’t need issues with overcrowding like at Acqua Alta in Venice or Livreria Lello in Porto).
This bookstore located in the heart of Lyon’s second arrondissement near Place des Terreaux. To enter, you’ll pass through a literal archway of books over the front door to the bookshop. This is a stunning book sculpture that gives you the feeling you’re going down the rabbit hole in all the very best ways.
Once inside, you’re surrounded by multiple rooms of books, mostly in French, but you might stumble across some English language titles and enjoy browsing the various posters and prints here. If you are a French language reader, you can find a wide variety of books in philosophy, world literature, graphic novels, and comics. All of these are housed in beautiful surroundings with real dark academia vibes.
Le Bal des Argents has been a Lyon institution since 2003. They set themselves apart in their commitment to stocking lesser-known authors and books from independent publishers. They pride themselves on selling books that are often overlooked by the mainstream bookstores.
Don’t miss this bookshop when checking out the best Lyon literary destinations.
Check them out at: https://www.lebaldesardents.com
Location: 17 Rue Reuve, 69002 Lyon, 2nd Arrondissement
Related: if you love book sculpture, the infinity column of books in Prague needs to be on your bucket-list
Librairie A Titre d’Aile
The Librairie A Titre d’Aile is a little more off the beaten path in Lyon. It’s a gorgeous children’s bookstore that, while it may be small, has much to stimulate the imagination and to inspire young and old readers alike to dive into a good book.
In this cozy bookshop, they prioritize quality over quantity, focusing on books with engaging stories, unique perspectives, and beautiful aesthetics. Their bookstore philosophy focuses on fostering a growing love of books in children and young adults, something that’s evident from the book selection to the decor here.
This adorable bookshop is definitely worth a stop, even for non-French readers. All the books at Librairie A Titre d’Aile are new and in the French language. It’s a great place to take in some great bookish vibes and to discover books from local authors and smaller publishers as well.
Check them out at: https://atitredaile.fr/
Location: 23 Rue des Tables Claudiennes, 69001 Lyon, France
Librairie Inter-Fun
The Librairie Inter-Fun is another children’s bookshop that book lovers of all ages will enjoy. Find it just a few blocks from the Golden Head Park, which is sort of the central Park of Lyon (and a great place to pass a sunny afternoon).
Librairie Inter-Fun specializes in international children’s books and games, and you can find a huge variety of books, not only in French, but also in English, Spanish, Italian German and other languages as well.
This bookstore had the widest selection of English language books of all the shops that I visited, and while it is a children’s bookshop, there was a shelf of English language adult titles as well.
This cute Lyon bookstore has been around since 1983, with the goal of introducing children to different cultures and languages through books and games. It feels like it’s taken straight out of the movie You’ve Got Mail, with vibes very reminiscent of Meg Ryan’s New York City bookshop. It’s the perfect place to find gifts for kids and to spark your imagination with books, games, and puzzles.
Check them out at: https://www.inter-fun.fr
Location: 59 Rue Vendôme, 69006 Lyon, France
Related: Lyon is also only a 2-hour train ride from Paris. If you’re spending time in the capital city, make sure you don’t miss these 5 free things to do in Paris for book lovers. Plus, don’t miss my favorite Paris bookstores.
Librairie Cafe Un Petit Noir
Can a city really even be a city if it doesn’t have a bookstore café? You can find Lyon’s bookstore Café at the Librairie Cafe Un Petit Noir.
It’s located on a quiet street with great views of the city. You can stop for a browse and a coffee or tea; the menu features various coffee, teas and other drinks, as well as some pastries and snack foods.
The decor is mid-century modern and relatively minimalist. On the shelves, you can find French books in a variety of genres, including philosophy, poetry, science, sexuality and eroticism.
This is a small shop, but it makes for a cozy space to read, work, browse, and socialize.
Check them out at: https://www.unpetitnoir.fr/
Location: 57 Mnt de la Grande-Côte, 69001 Lyon, France
Related: The bookstore cafes in Berlin are some of my favorites I’ve been to in Europe.
Travel Resources At-A-Glance
All of the following are links to sites and services I actually use to book and plan my travel or to purchase books or travel gear.
For flights: Skyscanner is my number one go-to resource for booking flights. I love using the “explore” function to find the cheapest places I can fly during a given time or using the fare calendar to identify the cheapest days to fly.
For hotels and lodgings: For hotels, hotels.com, and for vacation rentals, VRBO.com. I’ve had much better experiences with private rentals through this website than through other popular private vacation rental websites.
For car rentals: Kayak allows comparisons across a wide range of booking agencies and lists reviews of companies as well. I’ve found this to be the most user-friendly and efficient way to compare car rental prices.
For tours & excursions: Viator and Get Your Guide are my top choices for booking excursions and tour experiences in a new destination.
For travel gear: Amazon.com and REI for more outdoorsy items. Check out my travel gear recs here.
For booking trains & buses: I find the Omio app and website to be the most easily navigable for comparing options for public transportation, especially in Europe,
Best travel credit card: My favorite travel rewards credit card for European travel has been the Chase Sapphire Rewards card. Visa is accepted just about everywhere in Europe, and there are no foreign transaction fees on the card. Some of the travel benefits I love on the Chase Sapphire include free TSA pre-check or Global Entry (worth it every time), an annual $200 travel credit, an annual $200 hotel benefit, built-in rental car, and trip insurance, and points are worth 50% more when used to book travel. I travel around Europe a LOT, and I end up with many free flights and hotel stays from using my points on my Chase Sapphire.
For books: Bookshop.org often has prices as good as Amazon or sometimes better, but profits go to indie bookstores all over the country. Whenever possible, consider buying your books from this online indie bookshop resource.
Hopefully this helps direct you to all the best Lyon bookshops during your time in this great French city.
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