LYON - GETTING AROUND

On Foot

Walking is a great way to explore all the different areas of the city and offers the best way to discover the hidden gems. The city center is not so big and most attractions can be reached from each other on foot. The walk from Place des Terreaux to Place Bellecour, for example, is about 20 min. The rule of thumb is that metro stations are generally about 10 min walk apart.

Be careful when crossing major intersections: traffic is crowded and often times cars are seen running red lights.

By Bicycle

Pick up a red-and-silver bike at one of 340 bike stations throughout the city and drop it off at another with Lyon`s Vélo'v bike rental locations. Start by paying a one-time flat fee for a carte courte durée (short-duration card, about €1.50 for 24 hours, about €5 for seven days). Once equipped with the card, you`re entitled to unlimited rentals. Pay all fees with a chip-enabled credit card using machines installed at bike stations.

Lyon has an increasing number of safe cycling routes. Be cautious when it comes to crossing major roads. There are two hills in the city with steep slopes. It`s even possible to take a ride to anywhere in the city and drop off the bike at a different location. Just remember that bike stations will be full at certain hours - for example, stalls tend to fill up on Friday evenings. But, if you plan your trip away from the crowds, you should be fine. There is an iPhone app called Vélo which can help you find a bike or a free parking slot.

By Taxi

Lyon has one of the most efficient city taxi services, but they can be quite pricey. The maximum limit of fares is fixed by the authorities: Approximately €2 when you board, then per 0.6miles: €1.34 (daytime, 7:00 am - 7:00 pm) or about €2.02 (night, Sundays, holidays). The driver may charge a minimum fare of about €7 for any trip. It is also worth noting that taxi may charge extras for a 4th passenger, pickup at a train station or airport, or for large pieces of luggage.

You can easily find taxis in front of both train stations, on the place Belecour end of rue de la Barre, at the northern end of rud du President Edouard Harriot and along quai Romain Rollandin Vieux Lyon.

By Public Transportation

A network of Métro lines, trams, and buses branches out to serve the city. This public transportation system is regarded as one of the most efficient in the country. A plan de poche (pocket map) is available at any office of TCL (www.tcl.fr), which handles all forms of public transportation.

Tickets are valid on all forms of public transport, costing about €1.70 for the average ride or about €15.10 for a carnet of 10 tickets. Most short-time visitors may want to purchase a Ticket Liberté day pass for about €5.20.

Central areas are very well served; so are the campuses and eastern suburbs, where many routes are concentrated. The western suburbs are more residential and can be difficult to reach.

There are four metro (subway) lines (A to D). Trains generally run every 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the line and the time. Information screens above the platforms display the waiting times for the next two trains and useful information such as delays, upcoming closures, etc.

Line A (red, Perrache - Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie) serves Presqu`île, the neighborhoods around Parc de la Tête d`Or and then runs under Cours Emile Zola, Villeurbanne`s main artery. The last two stops (Laurent Bonnevay and Vaulx La Soie) provide numerous connections with buses to the eastern suburbs. Line A connects with line D at Bellecour, line C at Hôtel de Ville, line B at Charpennes, tram lines T1 and T2 at Perrache and T3 at Vaulx La Soie. It is very busy during rush hours, especially between Bellecour and Hôtel de Ville.

Line B (blue, Charpennes - Gared`Oullins) serves most notably Part Dieu station and Gerland stadium. It connects with line A at Charpennes and line D at Saxe-Gambetta.

Line C (yellow, Hôtel de Ville - Cuire) uses a short cog railway and serves the Croix-Rousse hill. Due to the configuration of the infrastructure, the frequencies are not very good.

Line D (green, Gare de Vaise - Gare deVénissieux), the busiest of the four lines, is entirely automated; this allows good frequency in off-peak hours, especially at night and on Sundays.There are many bus connections to the suburbs at Gare de Vaise, Gorge de Loup, Grange Blanche, Parilly and Gare de Vénissieux.

The metro is generally reliable, clean and comfortable. Besides the classical metro, two funiculars run from Vieux Lyon metro station to Saint-Just and Fourvière.

There are also five tram lines (T1 to T5) that are useful if you plan on going to suburban areas.

There are over 100 bus lines that allow you to go virtually anywhere reasonably far away from the center. Some of them use trolley (electric) buses; Lyon is one of the few cities in France which still use this system. There are two special bus lines: C1 and C3, where you will find big articulated trolley buses which run very frequently. These are sometimes referred to as Cristalis.

By Car

It is recommended to avoid driving within the city limits due to heavy traffic and problematic parking which can be hard to come by and quite expensive. That said, it`s worth renting a car if you plan to visit the wine countries and destinations outside the city center. You can rent cars at the train station Lyon Part Dieu including Avis, Hertz, Europcar and Budget.

If you do arrive by car, use one of the city-center car parks or park and ride locations on the outskirts of Lyon with excellent transport to the city center.

On-street parking Lyon
In the inner city paid parking applies on Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am - 7:00 pm. Maximum stay is 1 hour 30 min., parking rate 1st hour is about €2.00 (first 15 min are free).

On quai Romain Rolland a flat rate of around €3.00 is set from 7:00 pm till 9:00 am.

Parking is free on Sundays and national holidays as well as the entire holiday month August (except the inner city).

Car parks Lyon
Unlimited parking is set to car parks in the city center. Parking rates in public car parks: Between €1.65-1.95/hour, daily maximum about €15.50. Special rates apply for evening and overnight parking (approximately €5.00).

Park and Ride
Lyon is not car-friendly so if you arrive by car, you are advised to park on one of the many P+R locations on the outskirts of the town. Public transport is excellent. The city of Lyon offers free parking in co-operation with the public transport of Lyon.

By Boat

Le Vaporetto operates navettes (passenger ferry boats) to Lyon`s new Confluence neighborhood. Boats (about €2) depart hourly between 10:00 am and 9:00 pm from riverbank docks on the Saône near place St-Paul and place Bellecour, returning from the Confluence dock between 10:30 am and 9:30 pm. Travel time is 30 minutes from the St-Paul dock and 20 minutes from the Bellecour dock.