From the first covered market at Les Cordeliers to the gastronomic temple of Part-Dieu, the story of a Lyon institution now ranked the world's 3rd best market.
The story begins well before the current walls. As early as 1859, Lyon opened its first covered market on Place des Cordeliers, where the reputation of the "belly of Lyon" was gradually forged. But it was on 1 January 1971 that Les Halles as we know them were born: a vast modern complex of several thousand square metres, opened in the Part-Dieu district, just steps from the railway station and the new shopping centre championed by the city.
In crossing this threshold, the market changed scale without losing any of its soul. Beneath a single glass roof gather oyster sellers, cheesemongers, butchers, charcutiers, fishmongers, greengrocers, chocolatiers, pastry chefs, wine merchants and caterers. Each stall tells a story of craftsmanship: the quenelle, the rosette, the pate en croute, the truffled cervelas, the praline brioche, all signatures of the Lyonnais terroir and its nourishing region, from Bresse to the Dombes.
In 2007, after a major renovation, the market took the name Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. The tribute was self-evident: the chef from Collonges, an ambassador of French cuisine around the world, did his shopping here and chose his products himself for his restaurants. The name sealed an alliance between a place and a legend.
Today, Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse bring together some fifty exceptional houses, guardians of a living heritage. This excellence has just been celebrated far beyond France's borders: the market now ranks among the three best markets in the world, a distinction that confirms what the people of Lyon have always known. The belly of Lyon has never lived up to its name so well.