Free Wi-Fi Hotspots in Lyon, France
Many businesses in Lyon offer Wi-Fi access. However, the majority of them charge a fee for it. It can be frustrating to have to pay for a drink and for Internet access at a café, especially if one only needs to connect briefly. Fortunately, there exist a few places in Lyon where Wi-Fi access costs little or nothing.
Lyon’s Restaurants and Cafes with Free Wi-Fi
For a pleasant and quiet work space, visit Raconte-moi la Terre, a bookshop-cum-café tucked away on a back street by the landmarked Place Bellecour. Only need a quick connection? Pop into the McDonald’s on rue de la Barre, also near Place Bellecour. Keep in mind that this fast food joint is a popular hangout for the younger crowds of Lyon so it gets relatively loud.
Wi-Fi and Computer Access at Lyon’s Local Youth Center (CRIJ)
Known formally as Les Centres Régionaux Information Jeunesse (CRIJ), this organization is a resources center opened to people of all ages, locals and visitors alike. The atmosphere is welcoming and the staff is helpful. CRIJ can be a good place for brief work and also for visitors to Lyon who want a clean, safe environment to take a pause, look up information, and/or reorient themselves. Guests can bring their own laptops or use the center’s computers. There is a time limit on how long one can be on a computer. Printing is available for a nominal cost.
Internet and Computer Service at Lyon’s Public Libraries
About half of the computers at the public libraries in Lyon are equipped with Internet access. However, these are often in great demand. Waiting time tend to be long. At the main branch in Part-Dieu, guests have the option of signing up in advance for a 30 minute slot on a computer with Internet. Recently, the Jean Mace´ branch became the first and so far, only public library in Lyon to have free Wi-Fi access.
Internet at Lyon’s Part-Dieu Shopping Center
A number of people frequent the Part-Dieu mall not for shopping but for taking advantage of free Wi-Fi, available in the space around the sole water fountain of the shopping center. Given its surroundings, this Wi-Fi hotspot is probably ideal for quick uses of the Internet. On Sundays, when the Part-Dieu shopping center remains accessible but stores are closed, this Wi-Fi hotspot can be pleasantly quiet.A Future for Free Wi-Fi Access in Lyon?
According to ADERLY, a Lyon-based professional business agency, the Lyon’s city government has launched Wi-Fi terminals, free and accessible to all, in the following areas in the city: Place Louis Pradel, Place Bellecour, Place de la République and on the banks of the Rhône river.One can only hope that this project will continue to expand and that visitors and local inhabitants of Lyon will in the near future be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi in many more places in the city.
