Quirky Things To Do In Lyon Only During Weekends and For FREE

I like weekends in France! At the beginning I was very angry that the shops are closed on Sundays! And I was angry seeing so many French people in the galleries, museums and always with kids! It could get sometimes very crowded or noisy! I couldn’t understand how the 2 month old baby can enjoy the Modern Art Museum for example…Well, people learn with the age (I am so old!) and experience (I have been in Lyon for some time now) and now i understand…Firstly: no shops on Sundays, let us benefit from the free & quality time we can spend with family, friends and actively and secondly, taking kids everywhere is a different to my previous understanding of bringing up kids. But I learnt that doing it this way, we can actually help our kids! They will get the habit of discovering things, spending time in an active and interesting way, we teach them to be flexible etc…and maybe you don’t realize but those 2 month kids learn a lot actually. Anyways…So the weekend in Lyon. What can you do?

There are so many things you can do in Lyon! I have written about 25 things to do in Lyon for free25 things to do in Lyon for free; I wrote about Lyonnais Parks and all the museums of Lyon. I wrote what to do when it’s raining in Lyon or when you want to spend romantic time in Lyon. Today, let me show you the real ‘cream of the cream’, my top & top unusual, quirky things to do in Lyon but what is important ,they are ONLY available during weekend and they are for FREE. Very cool, isn’t it?

1. Le Demeure de Chaos; Located about 10 mins away from centre Lyon, in a lovely village of Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or, it is a contemporary art museum created by Thierry Ehrmann, the founder and CEO of Groupe Serveur and Artprice.com. This Businessman – turned artist has turned his 17th-century home in France into the “Abode of Chaos” – the replica (post-)war zone. According to the New York Times it is “one of the most important and most emotional artistic adventures of the 21st century”.  According to the mayor of the town: “It’s humanly intolerable, ugly, dramatic, with its images of destruction. I bet this place is something you have never seen!

Adresse : 17 Rue de la République, 69270 Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or; When: Weekends, afternoons, How Much: FREE

2. Marche de Creation; This is a market considered as a permanent cultural event in Lyon, full of artists and their works! It is like an open-air art gallery across all its forms: painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, prints, jewellery. It was created in 2010 and since then it has got very popular among Lyonnais people and tourists.

Adresse : Quai Romain Rolland; 69005 Lyon; When: Only Sundays mornings, How Much: FREE

3. Le Jardin Rosa Mira; Spectacular, charming, little garden built by Jules Senis who moved to Lyon from Spain and who got seriously sick. To get motivated and positive he started to built this garden and dedicated 25 years of his life to his monument to survival. He dedicated his finished work to his mother, Rosa Mir Mercader. The small garden covers an area of 360 square meters and draws on Spanish heritage, including the influence of Gaudi’s Park in Barcelona. So it’s quite unusual place to see in Lyon.

Adresse: 87, grande rue de la Croix Rousse – 69004 Lyon; When: Saturdays, 2pm- 5.50pm, 1st April till 31 October, How Much: FREE

4.  Planetarium; It is a special place in Lyon where you can discover and explore our universe. Visit it to observe the sky and astronomical phenomena that occur there displayed in a huge room with a giant – 15-meter-wide dome screen. Visit a temporary exhibition, take part in workshops (if you are aged  5-12) or participate in courses for children or adults. And don’t forget about the permanent exhibition: “History of the Universe – From the Big Bang to a Grain of Sand”. So as you can see, there is pretty a lot to do!

Adresse: Place de la Nation, 69120 Vaulx-en-Velin; When: 1st Saturday of the month, the admission to the Planetarium is free for all*! Opened from 10:30 am, there is no reservation possible on that day, places limited to 450 on the whole day., How Much: FREE *

5. Chasselay Musee; It’s a particular yet interesting museum located just about 20 mins from Lyon. It represents the daily lives of families in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Created in 1988, it still has Gothic remains and a remarkable staircase. It has 3 floors and there are always some temporary expositions you can look at here. That is why you might be asked to pay 2 Euros to enter.

Adresse: 87, grande rue de la Croix Rousse – 69004 Lyon; When: Sundays, 10-12pm and 2pm-6pm; Opened at the demand so call before to book in: 04.72.54.93.46 / 06.73.45.82.57, How Much: FREE (eventually 2 Euros)

Bonus Idea: Why not getting an amazing FREE to admire view of Lyon from the top of Le Crayon at Saturday night? There is a bar – Celest Bar at the last floor of the Radisson hotel. It overlooks the south of the city. Yes, it’s pricey, yes you can go there any day of the week (but not Sundays!) but it’s ideal for a special occasion and good to visit when you have time and you won’t rush to work the next day! So take your time, get a drink and enjoy view of Lyon!

Adresse: 129 Rue Servient, 69326 Lyon; When: Saturdays, 7pm-10.30pm; (opened every day of the week BUT restaurant is closed on Saturdays lunch time and Sundays the whole day!), How Much: FREE

Did you know any of them? Have you visited or are you going to visit any of those quirky lyonnais places? Could you add some other unusual, quirky things to do in Lyon only during weekends and for free? Challenging task to do? Please share with me, I would love to visit! Thank you!

By the way, did you know you can read, safe and use on the go this article and others when visiting different places? Well, there is such an application called with GPSCityMap which you can get for free here with my article. Happy traveling!