Unusual visits of the flea market Puces du Canal

Immerse yourself in the colourful world of Lyon's flea market on Thursday and Sunday mornings. Over the course of a two-hour tour discover a rich variety of styles and antiques, and meet enthusiastic dealers in the heart of the second largest flea market in France after Saint Ouen in Paris.

After an account of the market's centuries-old history, the tour stops at some of the shops and stalls that represent Lyon’s heritage and reflect the major styles in the decorative arts, from the Renaissance to the Industrial age.

The unusual vies with the beautiful in a set designer’s paradise, as you progress down the aisles of the “Halle Louis La Brocante” covered market, where an episode of the eponymous television series was filmed. Loft style or curiosity shop, the displays compete for originality in the new “Village des Containers”. Here, specialists in “recycled” objects can be found alongside experts in the Vintage style.

After meeting a Flea Market “character” at each stand and a coffee at one of the bars or on the terrace of a trendy brasserie, the tour ends at the exhibition in the new Hotel des Ventes aux Enchères du Canal (auction house) ... Unless you wish to continue in the pages of a new book dedicated to Lyon’s Flea Market - “Les Puces du Canal 20 ans de Brocante à Ciel Ouvert” (“20 years at Lyon’s open-air Flea Market”) (Published by Editions Lyonnaises d’Art et d’Histoire).