Lyon (France), a Working Holiday Visa Destination

Shopping

There are three main commercial zones in Lyon: the Part-Dieu shopping centre, the Confluence shopping centre and Presqu’île, where businesses are on rue de la République and around.

Expect a bunch of clothing shops as well as many bookstores, including large chains like Decitre or Gibert (the latter offers a big selection of second-hand books) or small independent bookshops (Raconte moi la Terre for travel books, Terre des Livres, etc.). Presqu’île, like most other neighbourhoods, has the usual mix of small businesses—record stores, clothing stores, jewelry stores, craft stores, etc.

You can shop for groceries at the many food markets. This is the cheap way to buy fruits, veggies, meat, cheese, etc. Note that some market focus on organic products, local producers and others are a mix of everything.

There are different supermarket chains, from Monoprix (the most expensive), to Casino, Super U or Carrefour Market (average prices) to Lidl (the cheapest option). Quality and price vary greatly.

In the city centre, most supermarkets usually close at 8:30 pm and a few open until 10:00 pm. Small independent grocery stores are open 24/7.

Biocoop, L’eau vive, La Vie Claire and Naturalia are the most popular chain stores for organic food and bulk products. De l’autre côté de la rue and 3 petits pois are locally owned businesses. Satoriz, located in the suburb, is usually a little bit cheaper.

Seriously… you won’t starve in Lyon!