Getting in Lyon

By Air

Lyon-St-Exupery Airport (formerly known as Lyon-Satolas) is France’s fastest growing airport in terms of passenger numbers. it is located 25km (15.5 miles) to the east of Lyon city centre. Lyon-St-Exupery welcomes over six million passengers each year. More than 40 airlines regularly use the airport, flying to over 100 destinations, including 38 international cities.

Major airlines: Air France is the national airline. Other carriers include Alitalia, British Airways, Continental Ailines, Delta Airlines (which operates a direct line between New York and Lyon), Lufthansa and SAS.

Approximate flight times to Lyon: From London is 1 hour 35 minutes; from New York is 11 hours; from Los Angeles is 15 hours 40 minutes; from Toronto is 11 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 24 hours.

Airport facilities: These include ATMs, a post office, travel agency, infirmary, snack bars, restaurants, a newsagent, pharmacy, duty-free shops in all departure lounges and two hotels - Sofitel and Kyriad . There are also several car hire companies including ADA, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National Citer and Sixt. All car hire offices are situated on a specific car park opposite Terminal One.

Business facilities: The Business Centreprovides office facilities and rooms, which are available for hire by the hour or day. All rooms are equipped with telephone and paperboard, while other facilities, such as overhead projectors, sound systems, VGA-SVGA video projectors, video recorders and TVs, Minitel and slide projectors are available on request. Secretarial and catering services are also available.

Arrival/departure tax: included in the price of the ticket.

Transport to the city: The cheapest alternative to the city centre is the Satobus coach, which operates Monday-Sunday 0600-2320, costing Pound Sterling 8.20 for a single, or Pound Sterling 14.60 return (journey time - 45 minutes). Taxis are also available at the airport and a fare to Lyon city centre costs approximately Pound Sterling 30.50 during the day or Pound Sterling 40 at night with GiE Taxi Aeroport .

There is a High-Speed Train (TGV) station , for connections to Paris, Avignon, Cannes, Nice and other destinations around France. Contact SNCF , for fare and timetable information, reservation and booking for further information.

By Rail

The city has two main railways stations - Lyon Part-Dieu, Place Beraudier, and Lyon Perrache, 10 Cours de Verdun. The stations share roughly equal amounts of the train traffic to and from the city. Both stations have a cafe, snack bar, ATM, newsagent, tourist information office and a bus link to Lyon-St-Exupery Airport.

SNCF is the national rail service provider. The French TGV network is now highly developed, branching out in three main directions - south-east (Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean), Atlantic and north.

National rail enquries should be directed to the SNCF Ligne Vocale hotline, which provides timetable and service information for all domestic and cross-border rail services. The line is available daily 24 hours.

Rail services: A high-speed TGV (Train Grand Vitesse) service leaves Lyon for Paris almost every half an hour (journey time -2 hours), providing 30 services between the cities per day. Direct services are also available to and from Geneva (journey time - 2 hours), Turin (journey time - 4 hours), Montpellier (journey time - 2 hours), Marseille (journey time - 2 hours) and Nantes (journey time - 7 hours).

Transport to the city: There are plenty of buses and taxis available at the railway stations. Both stations are also served by the Metro.

By Road

is located at the heart of a dense network of motorways, which are designated by the letter ‘A’ and a corresponding number, including the A6, A7, A42 and A43, although there are tolls on most French motorways. National roads bear the prefix ‘N’ and minor roads are classed as ‘D’ (departementale) roads.

The minimum legal driving age is 18 years old. Traffic drives on the right. Seatbelts must be worn by all front- and rear-seat passengers. A national driving licence, the car’s registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times or the driver is liable to be fined. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for right-side driving by either using beam deflectors or tilting the headlamp bulb-holder. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. The speed limit in urban areas is 50kph (31mph), 90kph (56mph) on main roads and 130kph (81mph) on the motorways. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio while driving is 0.05%.

EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner’s domestic policy.

Road and route information is provided by Societe des Autoroutes Rhône-Alpes and Autoroute du Soleil ASF .

Emergency breakdown service:

Automobile Club 24/24, 7/7 (08) 0008 0001

Routes to the city: Main routes to Lyon are the A6 from Paris, the A7 from Marseille, the A43 from Geneva and the A48 from Grenoble.

Approximate driving times to Lyon: From Grenoble - 1 hour; Geneva - 1 hour 30 minutes; Marseille - 2 hours 40 minutes; Paris - 4 hours.

Coach services: The coach station is situated at Lyon Perrache railway station, 10 Cours de Verdun. its facilities include cafes, restaurant, ATM and bureau de change. As there are no telephone numbers for the coach station, it is better to contact the individual companies directly. Within the Rhône-Alpes area, the main operator is Transports Publics Autocars. Eurolines provides links throughout Europe. Other operators include interbus to Spain and intercar for Portugal, Spain and Geneva.