Cafeography
Lyon · Terreaux & Les Pentes

Cafés in Terreaux & Les Pentes

Place des Terreaux and the silk weavers' slopes above it, where Lyon's specialty coffee bars cluster.

Photo: Atypeek Dgn, Pexels License

Place des Terreaux closes the northern end of the Presqu'île, under the Croix-Rousse hill. Simon Maupin built the Hôtel de Ville on its east side in 1646–1651, and the former abbey of Saint-Pierre-les-Nonnains on the south side has housed the Musée des Beaux-Arts since 1803.1 Bartholdi's fountain, bought from Bordeaux in 1890, went back up on 22 March 2018 after restoration in Paris.1

Behind the square, the Pentes (slopes) climb to the plateau through stepped streets and traboules, passages cut through buildings and courtyards.2 In the 19th century this was Lyon's silk-weaving district.2 The coffee bars sit low on the slope, on Rue de la Platière and Rue Paul Chenavard near the square, and higher up around Place du Griffon and the Montée de la Grande-Côte.

Local tip: Go to Slake on Rue de la Platière on a weekday morning if you need to work: laptops are limited at lunch and brunch and not allowed at all on weekends.7

At a glance

61Cafés listed
39With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Nuage Café, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–21:00).
  • Closes latest: Le Moulin 1883, until 01:00 (Daily 07:00–01:00).
  • Most listed streets: Bd de la Croix-Rousse (3), Rue Fernand Rey (2), Rue Paul Chenavard (2).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (25%), outdoor seating (20%), vegetarian options (18%).

La Papoterie

  • 12 Quai de la Pêcherie
  • Mon 11:30–22:00 · Wed 14:00–22:00 · Thu 11:30–22:00 · Fri 14:00–22:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–20:30
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Au Nid Gourmand

  • Mon–Tue 08:30–14:00, 15:30–18:00 · Wed 08:30–14:00, 15:30–16:30 · Thu–Fri 08:30–14:00, 15:30–18:00
Map WebsiteIs this you?Report

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Coffee chains in Terreaux & Les Pentes

Getting up the Pentes

Metro line C starts at Hôtel de Ville – Louis Pradel and climbs to Croix-Paquet and Croix-Rousse on a Von Roll rack; Croix-Paquet station sits on a 17% incline.3 The section began as a funicular in 1891 and reopened as a rack metro in 1974.3 An older funicular ran up Rue Terme from 1862, described as the first urban funicular in the world; it closed in 1967 and its tube became a road tunnel.2

On foot, the Montée de la Grande-Côte runs up beside the Jardin de la Grande Côte, a garden of more than 6,000 m² planted with mulberry trees in memory of the silk trade.2

Specialty coffee below Place du Griffon

Slake has a second Lyon bar at 18 Rue de la Platière; the house, open since 2015, roasts some of its own beans and works with local roasters.7 Fika, at 2 Rue Fernand Rey, belongs to Baptiste Miquet, who found coffee while cooking in Buenos Aires; his Fika Roasters supplies cafés, restaurants and bars across the city.8

At 3 Rue de l'Abbé Rozier, La Boîte à Café fills the former headquarters of the roaster Mokxa. Amélie Michel and Terry Bernard took it over in 2023 and pour beans from KB in Paris, Friedhats in Amsterdam and Mokxa itself, and Le Fooding priced its Ethiopian cold brew at €4 in 2025.5 Papé on Rue Louis Vitet and Zeitgeist Café on Rue Hippolyte Flandrin are two more specialty stops.

Slower cafés higher up

Kafé Stockholm, at 10 Rue Saint-Polycarpe, is a Swedish café with filled breads, soups and pastries all day, and Swedish tea, kombucha and soda next to the coffee.6 Le Perko faces Place du Griffon and opens at 07:30 on weekdays. Mellow, at 26 Rue Paul Chenavard, opens at noon and closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Tomé shuts on Wednesdays.

Aux Thés des Merveilles, at 59 Montée de la Grande-Côte, is a tea room with a terrace and Wi-Fi, open from Tuesday afternoon to Sunday.

A museum terrace and late hours

Les Éclaireurs, the tea room and restaurant of the Musée des Beaux-Arts at 20 Place des Terreaux, is run by the Luyat brothers' pastry house and serves specialty coffee.4 It seats about fifty indoors and more than 80 on a summer terrace above the museum garden and its sculptures, and opens 10:00–17:45 daily except Tuesday, when the museum is closed.4

For coffee after dark, Le Moulin 1883 on Rue Puits Gaillot is open daily from 07:00 to 01:00, and Café des adjoints on Rue Fernand Rey serves until 00:30 Tuesday to Saturday. Nuage Café, on Rue des Capucins, keeps 07:00–21:00 every day.

Sources

  1. Place des Terreaux, Wikipédia (French), accessed October 2026
  2. Pentes de la Croix-Rousse, Wikipédia (French), accessed October 2026
  3. Lyon Metro Line C, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Restaurant - salon de thé Les Éclaireurs, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, accessed October 2026
  5. La Boîte à Café (published 25 August 2025, updated 9 December 2025), Le Fooding, accessed October 2026
  6. Kafé Stockholm, Gault&Millau, accessed October 2026
  7. Slake Coffee House: Jacobins, Terreaux, Annecy, Slake Coffee House, accessed October 2026
  8. The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Lyon, France (Emily Sujka, 16 June 2025), Sprudge, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

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La Guillotière

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Jean Macé & Gerland

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In Terreaux & Les Pentes, also browse: Specialty coffee Terrasses Wi-Fi Open late Vegan & vegetarian

FAQ

Terreaux & Les Pentes cafés: questions

Where can you drink specialty coffee near Place des Terreaux in Lyon?

Slake has a bar at 18 Rue de la Platière, and Fika, whose owner roasts as Fika Roasters, is at 2 Rue Fernand Rey. La Boîte à Café, at 3 Rue de l'Abbé Rozier, occupies the roaster Mokxa's former headquarters and pours beans from KB, Friedhats and Mokxa. In the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Les Éclaireurs also serves specialty coffee.

How do you get up the Pentes de la Croix-Rousse in Lyon without walking?

Take metro line C from Hôtel de Ville – Louis Pradel. It climbs to Croix-Paquet and Croix-Rousse on a rack, and Croix-Paquet station sits on a 17% incline. The route began as a funicular in 1891 and has run as a rack metro since 1974.

Is there a café in the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Lyon's Place des Terreaux?

Yes. Les Éclaireurs, run by the Luyat brothers' pastry house, serves specialty coffee, pastries and savory dishes at 20 Place des Terreaux. It has about fifty seats inside and more than 80 on a summer terrace above the museum garden, and opens 10:00–17:45 every day except Tuesday.

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