Wine Bars in Lyon: Where to Drink Beaujolais & Rhône
Ten Lyon wine bars worth planning an evening around, from Vieux-Lyon to Brotteaux, with what each pours, how booking works and where to sit.
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Lyon earns its reputation as France's gastronomic capital, but it is also one of the best cities in the country for a glass of wine. The city sits on the Rhône between Beaujolais and the Northern Rhône Valley, with Burgundy a little further north and Savoie and Bugey to the east, so a single wine list here can span several regions. That geography makes Lyon a practical base for a trip that combines city tasting with vineyard visits.
The bars below come from a Lyon-based tour operator's published round-up of ten wine bars in the city, which gives addresses and describes each venue's style. Treat the ranking as that publisher's selection rather than an official verdict, and use the details here to decide which addresses fit the evening you want. Many venues publish their own hours and booking rules, which is worth checking before you set out.
Why Lyon Works as a Wine Base
Few European cities put you this close to so many distinct appellations. Beaujolais lies immediately north, the northern Rhône begins just south, and the Côte d'Or is a straightforward run up the A6. A day in the vineyards followed by an evening in a Lyon wine bar lets you compare what you tasted in a cellar with what a caviste pours from the same region. If you are building that kind of trip, start with the broader guide to wine tasting in Lyon and then choose bars that match the regions you plan to visit.
The practical advantage is that you do not need a car for the city half of the trip. Lyon's métro and tram network connects the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th arrondissements where these bars cluster, so you can plan one evening around Vieux-Lyon and another around the 6th without crossing the city twice. Save the driving for the vineyard day, or join a tour and leave the car behind entirely.
How Lyon Wine Bars Work
Lyon's wine bars follow a few recognizable formats. Some are full wine bars with a kitchen, others are cavistes, shops that keep a cellar in the morning and open as a bar in the afternoon or evening. That dual identity explains why a place can look closed at midday and be busy at six, and why the same address might sell you a bottle to take away or a glass to drink in.
Reservation policy is the detail that decides your evening. The round-up flags La Cave des Voyageurs as taking no reservations, so arriving early matters there, while Bel-Ami advises booking in advance. Elsewhere, several bars host private events or winemaker meetings, which can take over the room on a given night. When you call or email, ask two things: whether the kitchen serves platters or a fuller menu, and whether the bar is open for walk-ins on your date.
Vieux-Lyon and Saint-Paul
Start in the old town. La Cave des Voyageurs on Place Saint-Paul sits at the end of Vieux-Lyon and keeps a cellar book of more than 900 references, weighted toward Burgundy, Beaujolais and the Rhône Valley. The atmosphere is bistro-like, with seats at the counter or upstairs, and the mixed platters built from local products are the house specialty. Because it does not take reservations, plan to arrive early or accept a wait on a busy night.
The Saint-Paul quarter itself rewards a slow walk, with the Saône and the old streets making an easy loop back toward the métro at Vieux-Lyon. Pair this bar with a daytime Beaujolais wine tour and you get the contrast the city does best: gamay in the morning, Burgundy and Rhône by the glass at night.
Place Sathonay and the 1st Arrondissement
Place Sathonay is the heart of Lyon's 1st, and Bel-Ami at 34 rue Sergent Blandan anchors the square. The kitchen serves a daily lunch menu and evening dishes to share in a tapas style, and the wine list is built from bottles the staff have tasted at the estate. Booking ahead is advised, which makes this the bar to plan around rather than stumble into.
Two more addresses sit within a short walk. Octobre Caviste on rue de la Platière is a neighborhood bar run by Olivier and Mathieu, with sharing plates and a list that leans toward the Rhône Valley and Languedoc. Soif! on rue Terme, a few steps from Bel-Ami, combines a wine bar with arcade games, which suits a group that wants something besides a quiet counter.
The 6th Arrondissement Around Brotteaux
The 6th has the densest cluster. Clos Bis on boulevard des Brotteaux describes a selection of over 2,000 wines alongside sharing platters and seasonal dishes, and it hosts private events, tastings and winemaker meetings, so the room can be booked on some evenings. Granit on cours Franklin Roosevelt shares its ownership with the Roosevelt cellar, which means a retail shop and a bar in one address. Le Casse-Vins on rue Bugeaud comes from the team behind M Restaurant and Bouchon Sully, with chef Marie Poutier in the kitchen and Suzanne Dahine recommending bottles in the dining room. Saints Vivants on rue Ney was created by partners from La Nouvelle Cave in the same district.
Because these addresses sit within a few blocks of each other, the 6th works best as a single evening on foot rather than a list to tick off across the week. Check the métro at Brotteaux or Masséna and walk from there. If your afternoon has been spent in the Northern Rhône, this is where to finish the day with a bottle from the same slopes.
The 2nd Arrondissement Near Ainay
Two bars make the 2nd worth the detour. Klima on rue des Remparts d'Ainay, near the Ainay basilica, is a cellar in the morning and a bar in the afternoon, with a selection that leans organic, biodynamic and natural. The food stays simple on purpose: mature cheese from Mons in the 2nd, charcuterie from Olio Di Serra, and vegetarian spreads built to flatter the wines rather than compete with them.
Muraato on rue Charles Dullin is another caviste that opens as a bar for a limited window, and it keeps a strong Corsican section alongside references from Champagne and the Jura. The round-up notes that the bar hours are short and that Thursdays run longer, so confirm the day's timing before you build an evening around it. The delicatessen and small-plates side is a draw in its own right.
What Lyon Pours
Lyon's advantage is range. Beaujolais is the closest wine region, and the crus from Morgon, Fleurie and the Côte de Brouilly show gamay at its most structured; the Côte de Brouilly in particular gives a firm, granitic edge that surprises drinkers who expect Beaujolais to be light. North of the city, the northern Rhône means syrah in Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, and viognier in Condrieu.
Beyond those two, the lists reach into Burgundy for pinot noir and chardonnay, and into Savoie and Bugey for the alpine whites that rarely travel far. Use the bar list as a preview: if a Corsican or Jura bottle at Muraato catches your eye, that is a signal to look for the region on your next trip. The broader wine tasting guide covers how these appellations fit into a Lyon itinerary.
Pairing a Bar Night With a Wine Day
The strongest version of a Lyon wine trip combines a vineyard day with a city evening. Go north to Beaujolais, where the Pierres Dorées villages and the crus sit within an hour or so of the city by road, or south into the northern Rhône for Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage. Organized Lyon wine tours handle transport and appointments, which matters because many estates receive visitors by appointment only.
If you would rather build the day yourself, the Lyon wineries guide covers estates that open their doors near the city, and the Château de Pizay in Beaujolais is a known stop with a visitor offering. Return to Lyon in the late afternoon and you have time for a glass before dinner.
Getting Between the Addresses
Lyon's métro makes the bar-hopping plan realistic. Vieux-Lyon and Saint-Paul are on Line D, Place Sathonay and the 1st are a short walk from Hôtel de Ville on Lines A and C, Brotteaux and the 6th are on Line B, and Ainay in the 2nd is served by Ampère-Victor Hugo on Line A. Grouping bars by arrondissement, as this guide does, keeps each evening to one or two métro rides rather than a city-wide crawl.
A taxi makes sense only when you are crossing from the 5th to the 6th late at night or carrying bottles home. For everyone else, the walking distances inside each district are short and the métro runs late enough for a dinner that ends at a reasonable hour.
Booking and Practical Notes
Ask about glass pours versus bottles when you sit down, since a caviste-bar often lists both and the by-the-glass selection may be shorter than the shelf. For groups of four or more, phone ahead even at bars that normally take walk-ins, and mention if you want the sharing platters so the kitchen can plan. Private events can close a room entirely, so a quick call the day before saves a wasted trip.
Prices, opening days and seasonal closures vary by venue and are best confirmed on each bar's own page or by phone, as the published round-up gives addresses and formats rather than a price list. If you are heading onward to Burgundy, the Beaune wine bars guide follows the same neighborhood-first approach for that city.
Plan Your Lyon Wine Evenings
Build two evenings rather than one long crawl. Give Vieux-Lyon and Saint-Paul the first night, with an early arrival at La Cave des Voyageurs and its no-reservations policy, then take the 6th for the second, booking Bel-Ami or Clos Bis ahead and leaving room for a walk between Granit and Saints Vivants. Keep the 2nd for an afternoon stop at Klima or Muraato, when the caviste format is at its best.
Whoever is driving should not taste. Use the spittoons that bars provide, appoint a designated driver, or take the métro and a taxi so nobody has to choose between the glass and the road. The city is compact enough that public transport covers nearly every address in this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a wine bar called in France?
In France a wine bar is usually simply a bar à vin, and in Lyon you will also meet the caviste model: a wine shop that keeps a cellar during the day and opens as a bar later, sometimes for only a few hours. The labels matter when you plan an evening, because a caviste's bar window can be short and may not run every day. Check the venue's own page or call before you build a night around one address.
What wine is Lyon famous for?
Lyon is not a wine region itself, but it sits between several. Beaujolais gamay is the closest, with crus such as Morgon, Fleurie and Côte de Brouilly; the northern Rhône supplies syrah from Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage and viognier from Condrieu; Burgundy, Savoie and Bugey are within reach of many city lists. That range is why a single evening of bar-hopping can cover several appellations.
Are Lyon wine bars walk-in or reservation?
It varies by venue, and the split is worth knowing before you go. La Cave des Voyageurs in Vieux-Lyon takes no reservations, so early arrival is the practical strategy, while Bel-Ami on Place Sathonay advises booking ahead. Bars that host private events or winemaker meetings can also be closed to walk-ins on a given night, so a quick call or email the day before is the safest approach for groups.
Which Lyon wine bars focus on natural wine?
Klima, near the Ainay basilica in the 2nd arrondissement, keeps a selection that leans organic, biodynamic and natural, and its food is deliberately simple: cheese, charcuterie and vegetarian spreads. Muraato, also in the 2nd, is known for signature winemakers and a strong Corsican section rather than a strictly natural list. Other bars mix conventional and natural bottles, so ask what is open by the glass when you arrive.
Can you visit Beaujolais wineries from Lyon without a car?
It is possible but not effortless, since many estates receive visitors by appointment and outlying villages are poorly served by scheduled transport. Organized wine tours from Lyon handle the driving and the appointments, which is the simplest option if you want to taste properly. Independent travelers should plan around train or bus connections to a main town and then a taxi, and should not taste if they are driving.
Sources
Notes for your next wine trip
Optional updates to our winery and wine-town guides.
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