As a destination in its own right or a day trip from Paris, Lyons is a beguiling city for any art lover, writes GEMMA TIPTON
ONLY IN LYONS could you search for a parking space, while listening to the strains of classical music, in an underground coliseum of a building For in Lyons, they are so passionate about art that you’ll even find it in the car parks.
At Parc Célestins, Daniel Buren's Sens Dessus Dessousrotates mirrored light around the space. You can see it from above, by periscope, from the Place des Célestins, or dive underground to experience the full magic.
There are 12 artist-designed car parks in Lyons; you can spot them by the yellow P sign (or look up all of them at lpa.fr). Parc Célestins won Car Park of the Year in 2006, but after visiting you wonder why they didn’t award it the prize in perpetuity.
But there's more to Lyons than its car parks. This multilayered gem of a city sits at the meeting point of the Rhône and Saone rivers. To the left bank of the Saone is the old city, where Renaissance and Gothic architecture combine, and semi-subterranean passageways, traboules, cut between streets. In the old city, and between the rivers, Lyons is easily walk-able, although excellent public transport, including trams and an underground system, make even its farthest reaches easy to get to, and at every reach you'll find another fascinating place to see art.
In the centre, the Musée des Beaux-Arts (mba-lyon.fr) has a peaceful courtyard and terrace café, as well as a collection that ranges from antiquities to 20th-century painting and sculpture. Wandering around, it’s oddly gratifying to discover that there was just as much questionable art made in former centuries as there is today. It’s the occasionally amazing pieces, the ones that rock your world, that make it all worth while – and you’ll find plenty of these in Lyons.
At the tip of the peninsula, known as the Confluence, a new quarter is being created with buildings by an international checklist of the world’s leading architects. The museum, a futuristic affair by the co-operative architectural design Coop Himmelb(l)au is still under construction and won’t be completed for a couple of years. But until December 31st, the old sugar warehouse, the Sucrière, will host the Lyons Biennale (biennaledelyon.com). Visit the Sucrière, then stroll back along the Saone promenade for lunch at the Domo restaurant (do-mo.fr), and pop in to some of the private galleries in the area.
North of Lyons, the Cité Internationale is an imposing new part of town, entirely designed by Renzo Piano. Clad in terracotta tiles, it all feels a bit much and lacking in architectural variety. The area is worth an excursion for the Museum of Contemporary Art (mac-lyon.com), which has an internationally renowned programme of exhibitions and, like the Sucrière, hosts the Lyons Biennale until the end of the year.
Walk north, passing quirky sculptures, including a giant bear, a pair of penguins and an origami bird, to stop for an after-art lunch or dinner at 33 Cité (33cite.com), where classic Lyonnaise favourites are given a contemporary twist.
After the uniformity of the Cité Internationale, the walk along the banks of the Rhône comes as a relief. There is a 20km cycle-way, but in the central part, teams of landscape architects have been given sections to design. The result is a gently changing environment, where you can stroll along, stopping for lunch or a drink at one of the boat cafés en route.
It says a great deal for French civic-mindedness that this area feels entirely safe, populated by families, walkers and couples lost in a world of each other.
Lyon is a beguiling mix of gothic, classical and contemporary architecture (which they’re not afraid to mix), art galleries and museums. Make it a destination in its own right or, taking the two-hour trip by TGV from Paris or Marseille, stop off for an art break to satisfy all tastes and senses.
You could even drive and give your car an art treat too.
Get there
Aer Lingus fly four times a week from Dublin to Lyons (aerlingus.com). Take the Rhonexpress tram from the airport to Lyons city centre in under 30 minutes (rhonexpress.fr). Get around with a Lyons City Card for full use of public transport and free museum access; one-day pass from €21 (lyon-france.com).
Lyon where to...
Sleep
For a central location, with river views and a price tag to match (from €380pr), there's the Sofitel Lyons Bellecour (sofitel.com). For a stay with a difference, try one of the city's idiosyncratic B&Bs ( chambres d'hôtes), which are nothing like Irish B&Bs. Stay in a former silk weaver's apartment, a Renaissance-style palace or even on a private yacht (lyon-france.com).
Eat
Lyons prides itself as a gastronomic capital, with more than 2,000 restaurants. The grand old man of Lyonnaise cuisine is Paul Bocuse (bocuse.fr), who has three Michelin stars and is so revered that the food market has been named for him. Despite the unprepossessing 1970s setting, Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse is worth a visit.
Typical food is to be found at Bouchons, former coaching inns, where you’ll be elbow-to-elbow with locals, drinking un pot de côtes (small bottles of Côtes du Rhône) and eating regional specialities. Try Chabert et Fils, on rue des Marronniers, just off Place Bellecour (chabertrestaurant.fr). Rue Merciere is also full of fun places to eat.
Visit
A decentralisation policy means Paris doesn’t hog all the good art, so take day or overnight trips from Lyons to these places of art pilgrimage. All are easily accessible by train.
Grenoble: marvellous mountains at the end of every street, public parks and two major art spaces make the trip worthwhile. Magasin is an experimental art gallery in a stunning industrial building, hosting shows by established and rising stars (magasin-cnac.org). The Musée de Grenoble not only has a world-class permanent collection, it also shows strong thematic exhibitions (museedegrenoble.fr). Overnight at the charming Park Hotel (park-hotel-grenoble.fr) and don't miss dinner by one of France's emerging super-chefs at le Fantin Latour (fantin-latour.net).
Musée d'Art Moderne St-Etienne Metropole:Also houses a major collection, although it mainly shows temporary exhibitions, including, in 2012, work by Irish artist Isobel Nolan (mam-st-etienne.com). The restaurant café also has a well-deserved reputation for excellent food .
Cité du Design:Housed in a former gun factory, this a hothouse of new design talent (citedudesign.com), after which you can take a trip to nearby Firminy to see architect Le Corbusier's extraordinary vision realised at Firminy-Vert.
You can tour his apartment block, which he described as “a machine for living”, and see his sports and arts complexes.
But the star of the show is the unforgettable l’Église Saint-Pierre, designed in 1970 but completed only in 2002 (sitelecorbusier.com).
Most museums in France have admission charges (from €3.50).
Overlooked art cities
There are always Paris, Madrid, London and Rome, but what about putting these European cities on your art map?
Vienna
For classical and contemporary art, and collections of Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. The MuseumsQuartier, in the former Imperial Palace, has an eclectic collection of historic and contemporary art and architecture (mqw.at).
Barcelona
For Gaudi’s brilliant architecture, Picasso and Miró museums, as well as the MACBA contemporary galleries (macba.cat).
Gateshead
Anthony Gormey's Angel of the Northput Gateshead on the map, but right now the city's Baltic Arts Centre is hosting the Turner Prize exhibition, the first time the annual jamboree has been staged outside London. Until January 8th, 2012 (balticmill.com).