Lyon & Provence in February or March?

None of those places are fully dependent on tourism, so they may be quiet but still plenty active. Out in the country might be a different story. Weather wise, the mistral is a real thing and it can get COLD. I was there in April and it went from 78 degrees to freezing overnight, with brutal winds. If you’re looking for a warm weather destination, it’s a risky one.

In cities pretty much everything will be open, although hours are shorter than in the summer. As previous poster mentioned, the weather may not be great. Lyon could still be kind of wintry, although the worst will be over. Marseille, Aix, etc. will be more temperate although not warm. Touristy sites in the countryside may well be closed until April (Easter holiday).

Smaller museums, etc., in southern France may not be open as many days a week in February/March as they are in the summer. I noticed that pattern when checking websites for a May trip to the area. Even May sometimes meant an extra day of closure each week as compared to June-August. I had thought winter was high season down there, but no.

It's ok in the cities, but many restaurants won't have outdoor tables out yet. The Mistral winds are some of the most awful days around when they come out of the Alps, shooting down the Rhone about every third day. Very icy, strong winds. We spent 6 months in Cassis and one of my sons went to the university in Aix, so we had a lot of Mistral experiences. You need winter coat, hat, gloves, scarves. We stayed in on Mistral days. Nope, not a time of year that I'd go to any of those places south of Lyon. From April on it's better.