Photos: Yves Tennevin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Cayambe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 SashiRolls, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Yves Tennevin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Cayambe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 SashiRolls, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lyon's silk-and-spice trade, through food
Your local guide
Inès Bonnet
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Highlights
- Former trading houses, now restaurants
- Buildings that once stored goods, not diners
- Spices tracing centuries-old trade routes
- Ingredients that reached France through Lyon
- An hour connecting trade and food
About this tour
This session traces Lyon's historic trading wealth through food, from former trading houses on Rue Mercière to a shop still selling spices along old trade routes. You see how buildings once used for storage and trade now serve an entirely different purpose. Inès, who trained at a culinary school nearby, explains which ingredients passed through Lyon first before reaching the rest of France.
The call opens with a sound check on the street, then moves at a formal, structured pace toward the shop. Inès has each stop carefully prepared in advance and leaves space at the end for questions that come up along the way. A short list of what was covered follows by message afterwards.
This suits anyone interested in trade history as much as food itself. It also works well before trying Lyonnais cuisine elsewhere in the city.
Included
- Live video session with a local guide
- A close look at the dishes and where locals buy them
- A short list of places and dishes to try later
Not included
- Food and drinks shown on camera
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Lyon before heading out.
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Rue Mercière trading houses 21 min
The camera takes in a row of former trading houses, their ground floors now restaurants but their upper storeys largely unchanged. I explain what these buildings originally stored before food took over.
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A spice and produce shop 21 min
You see shelves of spices and preserved goods through a shop window, several tracing back to trade routes Lyon controlled for centuries. I point out which ingredients arrived here first, before spreading elsewhere in France.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Lyon: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Salade lyonnaise and Vieux Lyon, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Paris time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Lyon, showing you Rue Mercière trading houses and A spice and produce shop live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to buy or cook anything?
No. This is a conversation: the guide describes the dishes and where to find them, so you can try them yourself whenever suits you.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Lyon live with my phone.
Times shown in Paris time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Fri 6 Nov · 8 seats left From 23,00 €
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