What is the « Triangle d’Or » ? A historical neighborhood of Lyon

Between all neighborhoods of the 6th district of Lyon, the Golden Triangle is one of the most iconic and well-known ones. Sometimes falsely qualified as residential, not very commercial and undynamic, this neighborhood has made a big evolution over time to offer an exceptional quality of life to its residents. Today, it possesses multiple advantages: close-proximity shops, daycare centers, schools, and well-connected public transportation that makes this part of the city easily accessible from different train stations. Prejudice put aside, Yves Mettetal and our Primmo Lyon real estate experts, present at 23 avenue Foch since 1988, show us what makes this neighborhood so charming and attractive.

The Triangle d’Or (Golden Triangle) of Lyon

Before anything else, let’s define the exact zone! Yves Mettetal, at our agency situated 23 avenue Maréchal Foch, shares his delimitation of the neighborhood. “I would say the Golden Triangle is situated between the river Rhône, the Boulevard des Belges and the Rue Duquesne. Some people consider the triangle to continue onto the Cours Franklin Roosevelt, but that would more be the Foch neighborhood.”

A family-friendly neighborhood

Today, many couples with small children live in this neighborhood. Indeed, the 6th district possesses a multitude of daycare centers and schools for children of all ages.

  • Ecole de la Rédemption, from 2 years old until the end of primary school (CM2, 11 years old)
  • Ombrosa, international school in the Rue Vendôme
  • School buses for the international school in Gerland
  • Jean Racine, the neighborhood’s primary school
  • Collège Vendôme, middle school
  • Lycée Edouard Heriot, high school

The 6th district is a very international environment, with lots of expats choosing to invest in this part of the city before leaving abroad. This way, they have a familiar place with a sure value when they come back to France. With its good schools, well-organized public transportation, and good-quality universities around, this type of buyer knows they’re making a low-risk investment inside the Golden Triangle. Those who need to leave for a few years across Europe or the world generally rent out their apartment during their expatriation to come back to it later. Finally, the Covid crisis motivated a lot of Parisians to move to Lyon. The Golden Triangle is one of their favorite neighborhoods for all the same reasons.

Sought-after real estate

The price per square meter falls between €5000 and €7500 with a steady upward tendency since over 30 years. The 6th district of Lyon proves to be a good investment opportunity, with prices that keep going up due to a small offer in this sought-after area. Another interesting piece of information: the population of the 6th district has slowly diminished (-1%) over the year 2021 and is getting younger. In 2021, the number of residents totaled at 49 737. The biggest age group is 20 to 24-year-olds: 2635 women and 2269 men, totaling 4904 people or 9% of the population.

The Golden Triangle, a well-connected neighborhood

With the rise of home-office jobs over the last few years, the Golden Triangle has a major advantage over its neighboring areas: it has direct connections to the train station Part Dieu. The bus lines C1 and C6 of the TCL network make this station accessible in less than 10 minutes, from where it’s possible to continue to the airport for example. Bus line C4, that follows the avenues Foch, Saxe and Jean Jaurès, connects this neighborhood to the surrounding areas. The residents also have bus line 27 at their disposal, which runs between Villeurbanne and Cordeliers. In case of strikes, the residents of the Golden Triangle are only very mildly inconvenienced as they can go to the station or other modes of transportation very easily on foot.

A lively and commercial neighborhood

The Golden Triangle often suffers from its reputation of being a residential and non-dynamic neighborhood. However, nothing could be less true! An impressive number of shops and local businesses can be found:

  • 4 proximity supermarkets
  • Picard in the Rue Duquesne
  • 2 high-quality caterers/delis
  • Butcher shop
  • 2 dry cleaners
  • 4 bakeries
  • Shoemaker
  • Drugstore
  • Hairdressers and flower shops
  • 2 greengrocers “Cerise et Potiron”

The Golden Triangle also disposes of multiple open-air markets:

  • The market of the Rue Tête d’Or, every Wednesday and Saturday
  • Place Elmaleh, every Friday
  • Rue Bellecombe, every Tuesday and Thursday

Parc de la Tête d’Or as a yard

When discussing all the positive points of the Golden Triangle, we also immediately think of the advantageous access to the Parc de la Tête d’Or. Created in 1857, the same year as Central Park in New York, this park spreads out on 117 hectares and disposes of 8 different entry gates. Multiple events take place here year-round, contributing greatly to the happiness of the Lyonnais. The famous botanical greenhouses are a great activity for any weather. Good to know: since 1988, the Primmo Foch agency has sold over 25 apartments on the odd-numbered side of the Boulevard des Belges, with a private access to the Parc de la Tête d’Or!

Lyon’s history at every street corner

Present since 1988 at 23 avenue Maréchal Foch, the Primmo Foch real estate agency has been able to observe all the changes that happened to this neighborhood for over 30 years and bears witness to the history that made the Golden Triangle into the prestigious neighborhood that it is today. Yves Mettetal tells us: “We arrived in this neighborhood in 1988. Between 1968 and 2014 the Banque Rhône-Alpes had its headquarters in this area, which made the Golden Triangle a meeting point for businessmen from Lyon and its surroundings. This contributed a lot to the neighborhood it has become today. Many businessmen and regionally important people would meet in this area to talk business or to have lunch. The neighborhood was full of restaurants run by famous ‘mères lyonnaises’. The restaurant L’Habit Rouge still exists, one of the last ‘mères lyonnaises’. It’s been going strong for over 45 years, at 10 rue Lieutenant Colonel Prévost.”

As Yves Mettetal explains, each building and each apartment has its own history. The Primmo Foch agency, at 23 avenue Maréchal Foch, also has its very own history! Indeed, this building was originally the Boucherie Guichard butcher’s shop until 1965, which explains the marble floors and walls as well as the outside gates. After, this building was occupied by Michel Sitousky Zadounïasky, artist and ironworker, until Primmo took over.

You can find all practical information regarding the 6th district on the website of City Hall here.

Contact us! Do you have any other questions regarding a sale or acquisition inside the Golden Triangle of Lyon? Don’t hesitate to contact us, we’re at your service for responding to all your inquiries!

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