Free and Cheap Coworking Spaces in Lyon for Laptop Work
Last updated: September 2026
Intro
Lyon is one of the easiest French cities to work in for free: its public libraries need no card for a seat or the wifi. Two things have changed that most guides miss. Anticafé Lyon closed in March 2026, yet local roundups still recommend it. And the Vaise médiathèque is shut for works until August 2027. This guide covers what is open now, checked on 23 September 2026.
Taking an afternoon off? Lyon also runs as a self-guided walking tour in the Ciceru app, with a story and a quiz question at each stop, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM.
⚡ Quick answer
- Best free option: the Part-Dieu library, with no card needed and free wifi
- Cheapest by the hour: Mama Works, from €5 an hour plus VAT
- Best day pass with call booths: Come'N'Work, €25 plus VAT
- Café-coworking: Sofffa in Guillotière, €6 an hour
- Main warning: city libraries close on Sundays and Mondays
🆓 Free places to work
Bibliothèque de la Part-Dieu
- 📍 30 boulevard Vivier-Merle, 69003, metro B Part-Dieu
- 🕐 Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 19:00, Saturday 10:00 to 18:00
- 🚫 Closed Sunday and Monday
- 🆓 Entry and reading on site are free, with no card needed
Designed by Jacques Perrin-Fayolle and opened in 1972, it was the largest library in France by capacity when it opened. It is the most reliable free desk in the city.
How the library wifi works 📶
Connect to the BML network, open a browser and choose ouvrir un compte gratuit. You set a username with your email and confirm the link you receive within 15 minutes. You don't need a library card; the card is only for borrowing.
Bibliothèque du 4e (Croix-Rousse)
- 📍 12 bis rue de Cuire, 69004
- 🕐 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 13:00 to 19:00; Wednesday and Saturday 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 19:00
A calmer branch up on the hill, useful when Part-Dieu is full.
Bibliothèque Diderot (university library)
- 📍 5 parvis René Descartes, 69007
- 🕐 Monday to Friday 14:00 to 19:00
- 🪪 Any adult can register for free as a lecteur non-emprunteur (a reader who doesn't borrow), which opens the work rooms and the wifi
⚠️ Not open to visitors: the INSA Marie Curie library in Villeurbanne is reserved for INSA members, even though some lists include it. The Vaise médiathèque is closed from 2 May 2026 to August 2027.
💶 Cheap paid options
Mama Works
- 📍 92 cours Lafayette, 69003, near Part-Dieu
- 💶 From €5 an hour plus VAT
- 📞 Phone boxes included
Come'N'Work
- 📍 3 rue Saint-André, 69007
- 💶 €25 a day plus VAT (about €30 including VAT), or a 20-hour card for €62.50 plus VAT
- 🕐 Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00
- 📞 Two soundproofed call cabins
La Cordée
- 📍 Several Lyon sites, including 4 quai Jean Moulin (Terreaux-Opéra)
- 💶 €3.25 an hour plus VAT, on top of a €35 monthly fee and a €35 sign-up fee
- ✅ Built for longer stays rather than a single day. Ask about a trial day first.
☕ Café-coworkings and laptop cafés
As reported by Tribune de Lyon in February 2025, so check they are still open before you go:
- Sofffa, 27 rue Cavenne (7e): €6 an hour or €29 a day, with work rooms and a lounge
- Modjo, 152 rue du Docteur-Bouchut (3e): café downstairs, coworking upstairs for €15 a day or €10 a half-day
- Comme à la Maison, 36 rue Chevreul (7e): laptops are welcome, but the wifi stops after two hours
- Le Rancard, 259 rue Vendôme (3e): a laundrette and tea room, best for a morning session
That same list still includes Anticafé. According to Anticafé's own site, the Lyon café closed in March 2026, and the brand now operates only in Bordeaux and Strasbourg.
📞 Taking a video call
- ❌ Library reading rooms are for quiet work
- ✅ Come'N'Work and Mama Works have call booths
- ✅ La Cordée's Terreaux-Opéra site has phone booths for members
🧭 Practical tips
- 🏙️ Where to base yourself: Guillotière (7e) has the most laptop cafés, Presqu'île the most pay-by-the-hour spaces, and Part-Dieu the big library and the station.
- 🗓️ Public holidays: 1 and 11 November and 25 December 2026, then 1 January, 29 March, 1, 6, 8 and 17 May, 14 July and 15 August 2027.
- ☀️ August: many Lyon cafés close for a week or two, so check before you go.
❓ FAQ
Do I need a library card to work in a Lyon library?
No. Entry and on-site use are free. The wifi needs only a free account you create in your browser.
What is the cheapest coworking in Lyon?
For a few hours, Mama Works from €5 an hour plus VAT. For a full day with call booths, Come'N'Work at €25 plus VAT.
Is Anticafé Lyon still open?
No. It closed in March 2026.
✅ Before you go
Start at Part-Dieu if you want a free desk and pay only when you need to talk. Library hours change over the summer, so check the Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon site before you go.
When you're done, the Lyon self-guided tour runs at your own pace. Heading to the capital next? Read the companion guide to working cheaply in Paris.
