Meeting people in a city is easier when you attend a recurring event: a run on Thursday evening, a debate on Tuesday, a games night once a month. You see the same faces again, and a stranger quickly becomes someone you know. This guide only lists events that the organiser describes on its own page.
The options at a glance
| Name | Area, venue | Format | When | Price (year) | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courir à Lyon | Lyon 1, Lyon 6, Villeurbanne | Four running sessions a week | Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday 7 pm, Saturday 9 am (summer timetable) | Free (2026) | Website in French |
| UPMS Running Club | Locations listed in the monthly programme | Group runs | Monthly programme on Instagram | Not stated | Website in French |
| Café-Philo Lyon | Lyon 2, Café de la Cloche; Guillotière, Ninkasi | Philosophy debate in a café | Tuesday 7:30 pm | Not stated | Announcement in French |
| Talk Talk Ici | Komé Café, rue Lanterne, and other venues | Language exchange | Several times a week | 2 € for non-members, plus something to eat or drink (2026) | One featured language per session, often English too |
| Games night at White Rabbit | Lyon 6, cours Lafayette | Board game night, 16 places | Third Thursday of the month, 7 pm | 13 € with two drinks (2026) | Announcement in French |
| Lyon Toastmasters Unlimited | Lyon 6, town hall of the 6th arrondissement | Public speaking | First and third Thursday of the month, 7 pm | Free visit (2026) | French and English |
| The Brain Academy | Venues vary, in and around Lyon | Board games, karaoke, role-playing games, sport | Several times a week | Free for members, small contribution otherwise (2026) | Website in French |
| Shall We Swing? | Lyon 1, Lyon 3, Villeurbanne | Swing dance and yoga classes | Monday to Friday, not in school holidays | Free trial class until the end of October, then 10 € (2026) | French, some classes in English |
| Timeleft | Restaurants and cafés; venues vary | Dinner, coffee or walk with four to six strangers | Dinner Wednesday and Friday 8 pm, coffee Saturday 3 pm, walk Sunday 10 am | Subscription, plus food and drinks (2026) | French or English |
"Not stated" means we found no price, not that it costs money.
Running
Courir à Lyon (Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon 1, La Doua)
The association offers four free sessions a week for different running levels. Beginners are welcome at some sessions, but the Tuesday urban trail is not suitable for them. On Thursdays at 7 pm, at the Parc de la Tête d'Or, the session suits all levels: a warm-up, strength work or intervals, then a lap of the park. On Sundays at 7 pm there is another session in the park; on Saturdays at 9 am, intervals at the UFR STAPS at La Doua, in Villeurbanne. On Tuesdays at 7 pm, the urban trail starts from the Distance Store, rue de la Platière, in the 1st arrondissement, and climbs towards Fourvière and the Croix-Rousse; the association points out that this run is demanding and not suitable for beginners. The page still shows the summer timetable, so check it before you go. couriralyon.fr
UPMS Running Club (locations listed in the programme)
Un Peu Mais Souvent is a running club in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy and Aix-les-Bains, which describes running as an excuse to meet people. Each month, the programme of runs and events is published in the pinned post on its Instagram account, and you sign up for runs through the UPMS Running Club on Strava. The website gives no prices. unpeumaissouvent.com
Talking
Café-Philo Lyon (Café de la Cloche and Ninkasi Guillotière)
Every Tuesday, people meet in a café to debate a philosophical theme; everyone is welcome, with their ideas and their point of view. The topic is voted on at previous sessions, and an introductory text is published a few days before. Two sessions run at the same time: one at the Café de la Cloche, rue de la Charité, near place Bellecour, and one upstairs at the Ninkasi Guillotière, place Antonin Jutard. You can arrive from 7:20 pm for a 7:30 pm start. Places are limited; you sign up on Meetup. Café-Philo Lyon on Meetup
Talk Talk Ici (Komé Café and other venues)
Conversation sessions organised by Toc Toc Ici, an international cultural association in Lyon. Each session features one language, for example French, English, Spanish, German, Japanese or Chinese, but several languages are often spoken, and English is common. It is not a class: there is no teacher and no lesson, and all levels are welcome. The meet-ups take place several times a week, among other places at the Komé Café, rue Lanterne. Taking part is free for members of the association and costs 2 € for others, paid in advance on Meetup; at the venue, everyone orders at least a drink or a dish (2026). Talk Talk Ici on Meetup
Lyon Toastmasters Unlimited (town hall of the 6th)
A public speaking club, in French and English, that brings together people from France and other countries. It meets on the first and third Thursday of the month at 7 pm, at the town hall of the 6th arrondissement, rue Bossuet. The meeting includes prepared speeches, improvisation exercises, where each contribution lasts one to two minutes and guests can take part, and evaluations. You don't need to be bilingual or prepare anything; you can simply watch, and visitors can try a meeting for free. Lyon Toastmasters Unlimited on Meetup
Playing
Games night at White Rabbit (cours Lafayette)
A board game night at the White Rabbit games bar, 21 cours Lafayette, in the 6th arrondissement, on the third Thursday of the month at 7 pm, with 16 places. You choose the games together, and the organiser or the bar staff explain the rules. Entry costs 13 € with two drink tokens (2026); you can also eat there. You sign up on Meetup. Games night on Meetup
The Brain Academy (venues vary)
A Lyon association that organises several meet-ups a week: board games, karaoke, role-playing games, hidden-identity games and sports outings, in the city centre and around the Lyon region. Most activities are open to non-members, but some are reserved for members: check the event's conditions in the calendar, then sign up on Meetup. Events are free for members; others pay a small contribution, the amount of which is not given on the website (2026). brain-academy.fr
Dancing
Shall We Swing? (Lyon 1, Lyon 3, Villeurbanne)
A school that gives weekly classes in lindy hop, balboa, solo jazz, solo blues, yoga and acroyoga. Classes run Monday to Friday, except during school holidays and the public holidays listed by the school. They take place at the Cosy Club, in the 3rd arrondissement, at the BB Club and in a hall at Croix-Paquet, in the 1st arrondissement, and at La Boca, in Villeurbanne. There are classes for beginners. A trial class is possible in classes that still have room: it is free until 31 October 2026, then costs 10 €. For partner dances, the school advises signing up with a partner who dances the other role, or ticking "peu m'importe" (no preference) for the role. A few classes are taught in English. The school also organises social dances. shallweswinglyon.com
Sharing a table with strangers
Timeleft (restaurants and cafés)
An app that brings you together with four to six people you don't know yet. In Lyon, dinners take place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm, coffee meet-ups on Saturdays at 3 pm and walks on Sundays at 10 am. You book on your own, in French or English, and the app tells you the venue twelve hours before. You need a subscription, whose price is shown in the app, and you pay for what you eat and drink (2026). timeleft.com/lyon
How to choose
- Frequency: every week (Courir à Lyon, Café-Philo, Talk Talk Ici, Timeleft) or once or twice a month (White Rabbit, Toastmasters)?
- Language: do you want to practise your French, speak English, or both? Toastmasters and Talk Talk Ici mix languages.
- Timing: Tuesday evening to debate, Thursday evening to run, play or speak in public, at weekends for a coffee or a walk.
- Price: several events are free; others ask for a small contribution or for you to order something. Check the conditions in each announcement.
- Signing up: Café-Philo, Talk Talk Ici, White Rabbit and The Brain Academy go through Meetup, UPMS through Strava, Timeleft through the app.
For organisers
If you host evenings like these, you know the moment: people get on well and then lose touch. before is a web app for organisers. Guests check in at the door with a QR code in their browser, without installing an app, and anyone who likes takes a selfie. The day after, the afterparty is open from 10 am to 8 pm. Anyone who shared a selfie sees everyone else who shared one there and can press the button for meeting again for up to five people. At 8 pm everyone finds out at the same time who wants to see each other again, and only then does a chat open. One-sided wishes stay invisible, and nobody receives a rejection. Nobody needs a profile. More on the page before for organisers.