Culture & sport
La Part-Dieu district has a wide range of cultural facilities, so between reading, films and music there’s a wealth of activities appealing to a wide public. There is also a fair share of sport, with plenty of places to enjoy playing a sport and two major sports centres.
Culture
Auditorium
La Part-Dieu’s well-known concert hall has been part of the landscape since 1975. Home to the Lyon National Orchestra, an occasional quick concert is held in the Maurice Ravel Auditorium during lunch hours. This contributes to the lively atmosphere in the district.
The auditorium holds over 110 performances a year, with both symphonic and quick concerts, but also chamber music, world music, films, Happy Days and even electronic music for the Nuits Sonores festival!
La Part-Dieu municipal library
Inaugurated in 1972, Lyon’s municipal library is in a 17 story building, known as the silo, and ranks as one of the largest in Europe. It is considered to be an international benchmark for the digitisation of its collection. In 2007, it was given an entrance on the railway station side, making it easier to get to. In 2016, it was awarded first prize in the Lumières 2016, which recompenses projects that highlight our heritage. It also has a digital library, called Numelyo, providing free access to digital books, magazines, photos, posters and prints.
Archives
Since September 2014, the City and Département Archives has been located on the new Rue Mouton Duvernet (South Part-Dieu), in a building with a gold façade designed by architects Bruno Dumetier and Gautier-Conquet. It is responsible for the collection, classification and development of archive documents, but also the conservation of antiquities and art objects. It also puts on a number of exhibitions.
Bourse du Travail
The Bourse du Travail on Place Guichard seats 1,950 people for a variety of entertainment: concerts, humour, variety, theatre, conferences and also dance. In the past, the theatre, built in 1891, was an important site of revolutionary activism, dear to anarchists.
Cinemas
The shopping centre houses 14 cinema screens run by the UGC group on levels 2 and 4, showing a large number of box-office films. You can get there by the B Metro (Part Dieu station), bus lines 25, 28, 36, 37, 41, 47, 59, 59E, 70 and 99 (Part Dieu bus stop) and the T1 tram line (Part Dieu station). Under the shopping centre project, the two multiplexes will be made into one and will provide access to 18 cinema screens on the roof terrace.
La Part-Dieu is not La Défense, but a district in which it is a pleasure to live 24 hours. For me, this is a fairly basic dimension of the district’s attractiveness.
Sport & relaxation
Take a break between two meetings, in the evening or as you leave work to enjoy a little sport. It’s a rare opportunity in business districts, but you can do this at Lyon Part-Dieu where there is a wide choice of activities.
Vivier Merle Sports centre
Easily identified by its large panoramic window, it is an ideal place to play basketball, volleyball or tennis on the three courts available. In addition to this space there is a gym and a climbing wall open to local sports clubs, school groups and students.
Public spaces and private clubs
There are many spaces throughout the district for enjoying a sport. There are bowling grounds on Place du lac, the Edgar Quinet sports ground and also the Nelson Mandela esplanade. Many private clubs are also available: fitness centres, martial arts centres, squash and badminton courts
Garibaldi Swimming pool
For those who prefer swimming, the Garibaldi swimming pool has a 33 m long pool with 5 swimming lanes.
Piscine Garibaldi – City of Lyon website
Find out everything you need to know on culture and sport in Lyon on OnlyLyon Tourism.
OnlyLyon Tourism – Sports & relaxation
