So in May 2017 I came to Lyon on holiday for four nights. I was really excited to be there because it was my first time in France’s second city and my first time back in France after 25 years, more of which later.
There’s heaps to see, do and eat in Lyon. I’ve dedicated one post to a walk in Vieux Lyon, the old town, and two posts to eating out. This introductory post looks at more modern design in different parts of the city. My Google map is here.
One of the first things you’ll experience is the Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry; the new train station at Saint-Exupéry Airport.
Built between 1989 and 1994 it was designed by Santiago Calatrava.
He was also the architect for the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia (my post here).
If you’re on a PC, click on the pics above to enlarge them.
Another modern building I like is the old Citroën Garage on the corner of Rue de Marseille and Rue de l’Université.
Built in 1932, the Art Deco façade fronted an 18-meter high hall the size of six football fields (31,500 m²) which housed the car assembly line.
The garage has been described as “the largest service station in the world” (Jean-Pierre Gagneux). It took 35 million euros to convert it into an office building.
I’m also a fan of the brutalist parking garage, Parking des Halles de Lyon, at 156 Rue Garibaldi over in the 3rd Arrondissement.
I didn’t see much street art in Lyon but I wasn’t really looking.
Next a lengthy post on all the beautiful things to see in Vieux Lyon, the oldest neighbourhood in the city.