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"Lyon Transportation and infrastructures
Get in
By train
From the rest of France, train is generally the most convenient way to reach the city, except for some regions, the Southwest for example. Lyon has three main train stations serving national and regional destinations:
* Perrache (M/T: Perrache) is the historical station. It is just a short walk away from Place Bellecour and generally more handy if you are staying in the city centre.
* Part-Dieu station (M/T: Part-Dieu) was opened with the first TGV line in 1981. It is in the heart of Lyon's main business district.
* Saint-Exupéry (the station is outside the city and serves the airport).
There are also three smaller stations serving suburban and regional destinations: St Paul (B: C3-Gare St Paul), Vaise (M: Gare de Vaise) and Gorge de Loup (M: Gorge de Loup).
Lyon is linked by TGV (fast trains) to Paris (two hours) and Marseille (1 hr 45 min). Many other domestic destinations are served directly, and there are several direct services to Brussels every day (4 hours). TGVs to and from Paris serve both Perrache and Part-Dieu stations; other TGVs generally serve only Part-Dieu.
Coming to Lyon from London by Eurostar may be interesting given the bad quality of the city-airport link. It is faster and easier to change trains in Lille rather than Paris.
For schedules, fares and bookings, see the SNCF website.
By bus
International bus services are operated by Eurolines to and from Perrache station.
By car
Lyon is a major automotive hub for central and southern France:
* A6 to the north — Paris.
* A7 to the south — Marseille, Nice, Spain, Italy.
* A43 to the east — Grenoble, the Alps, Northern Italy.
* A47 to the west — Saint-Étienne, Clermont-Ferrand, Massif Central, west of France.
* A42 to the northeast — Bourg-en-Bresse, Geneva (Switzerland), Germany.
Get around
On foot
The city centre 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 minutes. The rule of thumb is that metro stations are generally about 10 minutes walk apart.
Be careful when crossing major axes: traffic is dense and running red lights is a very popular sport.
You can also visit Lyon in footing. Jogg'in City offers several sightjogging tours of Lyon.
By public transport
Lyon's public transportation system, known as TCL, is regarded as one of the most efficient in the country. Central areas are very well served; so are the campuses and eastern suburbs, where many jobs are concentrated. The western suburbs are more residential and can be difficult to reach. As everywhere in France, the network can be perturbed by strikes from time to time.
There are four metro (subway) lines (A to D). The first line of the network was line... C in 1974 (lines A and B were already planned but line C took less time to complete because it used an existing funicular tunnel). Line A opened in 1978. Trains generally run every 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the line and the time.
* Line A (Perrache - Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie) serves Presqu'île, the neighbourhoods around Parc de la Tête d'Or and then runs under Cours Emile Zola, the main artery in Villeurbanne. 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 and tram lines T1 and T2 at Perrache. It is very busy during rush hours, especially between Bellecour and Hôtel de Ville.
* Line B (Charpennes - Stade de Gerland) serves most notably Part Dieu station and Gerland stadium. It connects with line A at Charpennes and line D at Saxe-Gambetta.
* Line C (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 (Gare de Vaise - Gare de Vénissieux), 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 respectively.
There are also four tram lines (T1 to T4). They are not very interesting if you stay within the city centre; they are most useful to reach campuses and suburban areas.
With more than 100 bus lines, you should be able to go virtually anywhere reasonably far away from the centre. 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 (actually the brand name of the vehicles) but people do not really use, or even know about this name.
Metros and trams run approximately from 5AM to midnight. Some bus lines do not run after 9PM. Check the TCL website for details.
Maps can be found online:
* Simple map:
* Detailed map: You can ask for a copy of this one in the main metro stations.
The prices are: €1.60 for a single journey (valid for 1 hour after the first use on buses, trams, metro and funiculars, unlimited number of transfers, no return), €4.50 for a daily pass. Tickets can be purchased from electronic kiosks located at the stations, but it is important to note that they do not accept paper money (only coins) and foreign credit cards are likely to be rejected. Group tickets are available from the tourist office.
In the directions given in this article, M stands for metro, F for funicular, T for tram and B for bus (line(s) and stop are indicated).
By bicycle
Lyon has an increasing number of safe cycling routes. Problematic points remain, especially when it comes to crossing major roads. Also keep in mind that there are two hills with steep slopes! A map of cycling routes is available online:
Since May 2005, Lyon has also had a public bicycle service called Vélo'v which allows travellers, after registering a credit card, to pick up, and drop cycles to and from over 300 points around the city. You need a credit card (Visa/MC/French CB) to make use of the service. It is very cheap:
* 1-day ticket: €1, then free for the first 30 minutes of each ride, €1 for 30 to 60 minutes, then €2 every 30 minutes.
* 7-day ticket: €3, then same fares as the 1-day ticket.
30 minutes is generally more than enough if you stay close to the city centre.
If you have taken a bike and realize that it has a problem (broken chains, warped wheels, flat tires or even missing pedals are commonplace), just put it back into its place and repeat the procedure to take another one. Recent improvements to the system have made this operation fast and easy.
Note that the system only works with a European credit/debit card. Otherwise the transaction is aborted, no explanations given on the terminal. It is supposed to accept all cards with a chip, but those with foreign cards could experience difficulties. Also note that you must rent a bike immediately after purchasing a temporary pass or the ticket will become inactive (this is only true for the first rental). The terminals have only limited English translation making it a rough start, but once you get to know the system, it is a great way to move around the city. There are so many bikes that it can sometimes be a problem to return them.
By car
Traffic is dense, parking is either very difficult or quite expensive, and there are quite few directional signs. Avoid driving within the city if you can. For the city center, look for signs reading "Presqu'île". In the Presqu'île and other central neighbourhoods, it is strongly advised not to park in 'prohibited parking' areas; you could be towed. Tickets for unpaid parking are also commonplace; a specific brigade of the city police is in charge of checking parking payments in the city centre. The penalty for unpaid parking is €11 (you might get several tickets in the same day in central neighbourhoods); the penalty for parking in a prohibited area is €35. If you park in a dangerous place (e.g., you block an emergency exit), the fine can be up to €135.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 and an additional charge may be required for drivers under 25 years old. Major rental companies have offices at Part-Dieu and Perrache railway stations, and at the airport. Best to hire from Part-Dieu, as the subsequent navigation is much easier.
Taxis
Taxis are quite pricey. The fares are fixed by the authorities: €2 when you board, then per km: €1.34 (daytime, 7AM-7PM) or €2.02 (night, Sundays, holidays). The driver may charge a minimum of €6 for any trip. There are also a number of possible extra charges: €1.41 for the 4th passenger, €0.91 per animal or large piece of luggage, €1.41 for a pickup at a train station or airport.
Taxis cannot be hailed on the street; you need to go to a taxi station or to call for one. The major taxi companies are:
* Lyon Taxi Prestige (Personal Welcome Lyon Airport, City and Wine tours), Lyon - France, ☎ +33 687 974 790. 24/24 7/7. Lyon Taxi Prestige, for the regular cost of a taxi, provide high level taxi service in Lyon and everywhere in France. Executive and VIP Service with personal welcome at Lyon Airports and Train stations. We can organize for you city tours, wine tours (Beaujolais, Rhône Valley and Burgundy). Ski resorts transfers, free Wifi on board
* Allo Taxi, ☎ 04 78 28 23 23.
* Taxi-Radio, ☎ 04 72 10 86 86.
* Cabtaxi, ☎ 04 78 750 750."
This articol is release from Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It use material from Wikitravel voices: "Lyon".
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