Getting around Lyon
By Rhônexpress tram from the airport, by metro and on foot in the centre, by funicular up to Fourvière.
- From the airport
- Rhônexpress to Part-Dieu
- Single trip
- €2.10, valid for one hour
- 24 hours
- €7.10
Lyon runs on a single TCL ticket, and the one place it does not work is the airport tram. The Rhônexpress is a separate service with its own fare, so the journey into town begins with a purchase of its own. After that metro, tram and funicular share one system. The centre is flat enough to walk, though the hills of Fourvière and the Croix-Rousse ask for more than legs.
From the airport to the city
The Rhônexpress tram links Saint-Exupéry airport with Part-Dieu in under 30 min. It runs every 15 minutes through the day and every 30 in the early morning and the late evening, with the first departure at 4.25 and the last at midnight. A single ticket costs €15.20 and a return €26.70. Terminal 2 has closed, so every flight now uses Terminal 1, which sits 19 km from the centre as the crow flies.
The tram calls first at Saint-Exupéry station, which a footbridge joins to the airport, then at Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, and finally at Part-Dieu. La Soie is the stop worth knowing. Metro line A starts there and runs to Bellecour, so a hotel on the Presqu'île needs no detour through Part-Dieu. The tram is also the only way in with a fixed fare and a fixed journey time.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Part-Dieu or Perrache
The TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches Part-Dieu in 1 h 54 to 1 h 58, with departures at about every hour. Part-Dieu is the main station and sits on metro line B, while Perrache stands on line A at the southern tip of the Presqu'île. From Part-Dieu to Bellecour you change once, at Saxe-Gambetta onto line D or at Charpennes onto line A.
TCL tickets and how to validate
Since 1 September 2025 the network has been divided into six fare zones, but a visit stays in zones 1 and 2, the core of the Métropole. Inside it the choice is between a single trip and a 24-hour ticket, and the table sets both out beside the Rhônexpress. Validate every time you board a vehicle or enter a station, and again on each transfer. A contactless bank card works as a ticket too: touch the red reader on board and the cheapest fare is worked out for you, with the charge arriving the next day.
Prices are for zones 1 and 2, the metropolitan core.
Metro, tram and funiculars
The network has four metro lines, seven tram lines, two funiculars and a river shuttle. Lines A and B carry most visitors: A runs from Perrache through Bellecour and Hôtel de Ville to Charpennes, and B joins Charpennes to Part-Dieu and Saxe-Gambetta. Four stations let you change line: Bellecour (A and D), Hôtel de Ville (A and C), Saxe-Gambetta (B and D) and Charpennes (A and B). The metro runs from about five in the morning to about midnight.
Line C leaves Hôtel de Ville for the Croix-Rousse, and Hénon is the stop for that district. Line D passes Vieux Lyon on its way to Monplaisir-Lumière. Both funiculars start from Vieux Lyon metro station on an ordinary ticket: F2 climbs to Fourvière and its basilica, F1 goes by Minimes to Saint-Just. Tram T1 runs from Mairie du 3e to the Confluences museum, and the Navigône shuttle crosses the Saône.
On foot and by bike
The saying that Lyon is small and everything is on foot holds for the Presqu'île. Bellecour, Terreaux and Hôtel de Ville lie within a walk of each other, and Vieux Lyon is a stroll across the Saône. It does not hold for Fourvière, the Croix-Rousse or the Confluences, which are uphill or far, so ride up and keep your legs for the lanes at the top. The city also runs a bike scheme, Vélo'v.
Where to next
Lyon in 2 days
→Fourvière before the museum opens, the long traboule after lunch, the market hall before 2.30 and the Confluences until 6.30: two days by the hour.
Provence · 200 km
→The lavender flowers briefly; the region works all year
How well does Lyon suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Lyon
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
How do I get from Lyon airport to the centre?
The Rhônexpress tram runs from the airport to Part-Dieu station, costs €15.20 and takes under 30 min. From there continue on metro line B.
Is a TCL ticket valid on the Rhônexpress?
No, the Rhônexpress has its own ticket. Use a TCL ticket for the metro and trams, and if you stay on the tram as far as La Soie, change there to metro line A.
How much is public transport in Lyon?
A single trip in zones 1 and 2 costs €2.10, and a 24-hour ticket €7.10.
Ready for Lyon?
Front row for the next trip
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