The Best Bookstores in Lyon

We’re venturing a bit beyond the Presqu’île to Rue de Marseille, to the Librairie Rive Gauche. A general-interest bookstore, it offers book lovers an unparalleled literary experience! You’ll always receive excellent advice and feel right at home in this wonderful neighborhood bookstore. Plus, author meet-and-greets are often organized!

It needs no introduction, as its iconic storefront captivates both locals and tourists alike. Whether inside or out, the Bal des Ardents is a little corner of paradise you’ll never want to leave. Books? They’re everywhere—in the wide aisles and the narrow ones alike—making this bookstore a place straight out of a movie set.

A Bookstore of One’s Own would have been Virginia Woolf’s sanctuary. A space entirely dedicated to feminism, here you’ll find tons of books highlighting centuries of female authors—often overlooked—whose work is absolutely fabulous. It’s an inclusive space, open to everyone, where you can find comics, novels, poetry, plays, children’s literature, and many other books just waiting for you!

A general-interest bookstore located on the Presqu’île, Passages is surely one of our favorites in this selection. The featured titles are always excellent choices, and you’ll receive insightful and relevant advice from the staff working in this delightful haven of literature. Here, you’re bound to find something you love, and we assure you—it’ll be very hard to leave empty-handed!

This time, we’re turning our attention to a specialty bookstore that you’re bound to love. The Expérience bookstore is entirely dedicated to comic books, housed under a vaulted ceiling completely covered in original artwork by creators! The incredibly warm and passionate staff welcomes you as if you were at home, and that alone makes it an incredible place where you’ll be eager to return!

Here’s another great bookstore in Lyon, this time specializing in used books. Culture never dies, especially when it comes to giving a book a second life. The bookstore Les Voraces awaits you in the heart of Croix-Rousse with a wide array of reading material across all genres, with a special focus on children’s books, novels, comic books, and art books.

We head up the Pentes toward Croix-Rousse to enter the Librairie des Canuts with its magnificent blue facade. You’ll find everything there, especially a very well-stocked children’s section—perfect for finding a new story to tell your little one. Special mention goes to their “Lyon” section, which will teach you more about our beautiful city!

It takes a bit of effort to reach this gem, but it’s well worth the trip! A Titre d’Aile is a bookstore specializing in children’s and young adult literature, though it also offers a selection for adults. Here, every detail is carefully curated: from the storefront to the interior, the colors of the featured books will instantly put you at ease. There’s also a room upstairs where you can flip through a book with your child if you’d like. A truly cozy little nest that exudes a sense of togetherness and a love of books—just the way we like it.

Kamon Shoten is the place to find hidden gems in Japanese literature. With a Japanese-style lounge and a dining area, you can discover your favorite manga while enjoying a delicious curry or sipping a nice cup of tea! It’s a fantastic spot that also features a fiction section, travel guides, figurines, and many other surprises.

Last but not least—and surely the icing on the cake—is the one we love more than anything else: the Ouvrir l’Oeil bookstore. Small in size but big on selection, here you’ll discover books you won’t find anywhere else. The selection is curated with passion, and from the moment you step inside, you’ll be transported into the most soothing atmosphere this unique spot in Lyon has to offer. Let yourself be lulled by the gentle song of words and enjoy spending long hours discovering all these books that are just waiting for you!