Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse, Covered market in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France

Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse is a covered market in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It occupies a building with a wide glazed facade marked by a dark band of white capital letters, and inside it holds stalls for meat, fish, cheese, bread, pastry, wine and ready meals, arranged over three levels.

The market began in the 19th century as a large covered hall near the Cordeliers square, built under the prefect Vaïsse and opened in 1859. By the late 1960s the old structure was too small and out of date, so the city moved the traders to a new building in La Part-Dieu, which opened in 1971 and was later renamed in honour of Paul Bocuse.

Locals call the market the belly of Lyon, and the nickname says a lot about how people treat it: a place to buy the ingredients that define the city's cooking, from sausages and roast meats to quenelles and cheeses. Many of the stallholders are families known across the region, and their counters double as a meeting point for chefs, regulars and curious visitors.

The market sits next to the Part-Dieu district, a short walk from the train station and the large shopping center, so it fits easily into a day in the area. Go in the morning to see the stalls fully stocked and to watch the cooks and shopkeepers at work, and allow time to eat on site rather than rushing through.

The name change came in 2007, after the renovation, to honour a chef who had shopped there for years at stalls such as the Mère Richard cheese counter and the Sibilia charcuterie. Look up at the facade and you will see a portrait and a message of thanks to him, a small detail that many visitors walk past without noticing.