Part-Dieu
The Vibe
Lyon's necessary modernity — the Pencil tower watches over a TGV hub and France's busiest shopping centre, not romantic but efficiently connected to everywhere and surrounded by serious working-lunch restaurants
Description
Part-Dieu is Lyon's modern commercial and transport hub — the TGV station connecting Paris in two hours, the Torre du Crayon (the 'Pencil', at 165 metres, 1977) visible from every quarter, and the La Part-Dieu shopping centre (one of the busiest in France) defining its street-level reality. It was built from scratch in the 1970s as an intentional counterbalance to the historic centre, and it shows: the urbanism is brutal and efficient rather than beautiful. What redeems it is the Auditorium de Lyon (seat of the Orchestre National de Lyon), the Bibliothèque de la Part-Dieu (Lyon's main library, housed in a dramatic cylindrical tower), and the Cité des Affaires business quarter that has gradually developed a lunchtime restaurant culture around it. For visitors it is primarily a transport node — the gateway from the TGV — but the surrounding streets hold some of Lyon's most reliable working lunch spots.
Neighborhood Stats
Popular With
- business-travelers
- day-trippers
- transit-passengers
- shoppers
- concert-goers
Key Attributes
- transport-hub
- business
- shopping
- skyscraper
- TGV
- modern
- commercial
Food Scene
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse (102 Cours Lafayette) sits on the Part-Dieu district's western edge and is reason enough to pass through. Le Splendid (1 Place Jules Ferry) is a classic brasserie for pre-concert dining before Auditorium performances. La Brasserie des Brotteaux (adjacent quarter) serves the business lunch crowd with reliable Lyonnaise standards. Café Comptoir Part-Dieu serves working lunches for office workers. Sushi Kyoto and other Asian restaurants on Rue de Bonnel cater to the international business community.