How To Get Around Lyon

If you have begun planning your trip to Lyon, you might have looked into the fun things to do in the city as well as where to stay. There are many special things to do at night in this beautiful old city and lots of great shopping to enjoy as well. Lyon is one of the most amazing places in France to visit, and you will find that this city is very simple to navigate as well.

Before you get started on any of your other plans for your time in the city, you need to be sure that you have your luggage secured properly. Storing your luggage safely in Lyon is easy, and once your bags are safe, you can head out to have fun. From train stations to metro lines, there are many ways to get around this beautiful and historic city.

Most of the public transport system options are available from 5 am to midnight, which makes this city easy to navigate at all hours of the day. You can easily check the timetables for all of the different tram, train, and bus lines when you pick up your Lyon city card or online. If you don't want to commit to the Lyon city card, you can also opt to pick up a ticket from locations that sell single journey tickets. There are also boat shuttle service connections throughout the city which can make for a fun alternative transportation experience on a nice day.

Most of the locations in both the old and new city where you can buy tickets will give you information through interactive map kiosks, and you can readily search for information about where to go via Google maps. Getting around Lyon is really simple despite the fact that you might need to use different modes of transit during a round trip journey around the city.

What Do You Need to Get Around Easily?

This city is so simple to navigate that you will not need to do a lot of preparation for your trip. You will probably want to pick up the Lyon city card, which offers you a great way to save money during your stay. You can also opt to have your tickets purchased in advance if you have someplace specific that you want to visit outside the city center.

There are some options like Allo Taxi and other transportation companies that can help you out if you cannot find a bus stop or tram station. While this is not a city that offers a high-speed train line to get from one side of town to the other, there are many fun ways to enjoy your trip from place to place that are much more enjoyable.

Make sure that you also take a look at unique options like boat fares and cycling paths throughout the city. There are many ways to take in what Lyon has to offer, and you can avoid times like rush hour by getting creative about the ways that you move from place to place.

How To Get Around Lyon By Train

Central Lyon offers access to two main train stations, the Gare de Perrache and the Presqu'île. There are also TGV stations that are located southeast of the city. Most of the train lines that operate in Lyon will drop you off within easy walking distance to the sights that you want to see, and you can purchase tickets online for these train lines. If you get the Lyon city card, you can easily hop onto trains and other public transport and head to all of the various parts of the city.

The Lyon city card allows you access to some of the best things to do and see in the Lyon metro area, and you can easily recharge your card. Forty-nine of the stops along the train and bus routes in the city are wheelchair accessible, but there are older parts of these transit lines that are not going to be as friendly if you have this need. TGV trains are all accessible but these are going to be the way that you access things outside Lyon rather than attractions within the city.

Even Vieux Lyon offers really good access for disabled travelers, and you might only have to plan ahead a little to take part in the best things to see and do in the city center. The funicular lines in the city are also fairly accessible and you can use the tourist office or the fantastic mobile app for the transit system to verify which locations will work for your needs.

How To Get Around Lyon By Bus

Bus transit in Lyon is free with your Lyon city card. You can also pay per ticket at the stops. This can hold up other travelers and create an issue with making it on the bus that you want to take, so plan in advance if you are not getting the city card. There are 130 bus lines in and around the city, and they can actually get you close to most of the things that you might want to experience.

Bus travel is always a bit chaotic, what with watching the map of stops and making sure to hop out on time, but you will get good direction from the travel routes, and you should not have any issues. When you get into areas like Vieux Lyon, you will be able to walk to all the attractions with ease. Part of the point of heading to the areas around the old city is to walk and see things like the Hôtel de Ville and the sidewalk cafes and shops while you wander.

The bus is a great companion for other ways to travel around this city, and you can easily mix bus travel with train travel and tram travel. The Lyon city card makes the process of shuffling through different kinds of transportation very seamless, which is really unusual for a large city. You will find that places like the confluence district are so much more enjoyable if you can walk along them and the public transport system will get you to the farthest reaches of the city without any trouble as well.

How To Get Around Lyon By Car

Renting a car in this city is almost always the most complex way to get around from place to place. Most of the city is accessible only to foot traffic, and parking can be an absolute nightmare as well. You will also be missing out on the best parts of the city if you are fighting with parking and driving while you try to discover Lyon. If you are thinking about heading outside the Lyon area to other surrounding towns and sights, then a car rental might be a good idea. Otherwise, the metro stations and bus stops will help you to see the city with a lot less stress.

Remember that there are five tram lines and many bus drivers in the city at your disposal. You should consider the public transport network your best bet for this kind of trip and make sure that you do not make yourself crazy trying to get around one of the largest cities in France with a car. If you are worried about the cost of getting into the center of Lyon and are only planning to visit for the day, you can rent a car and park. You can then pick up a single ticket for your trip into the city and then use the same single ticket to head back to your vehicle.

There are also good taxi options like the Taxis Lyonnais company. You might not need to rent a car to head to other locations at the far reaches of the city if you reach out to these companies. Taxi transportation inside the city is just as tough as rental car travel, but there can be times when a car is the right choice rather than using the public transportation system.

A new option within the city is the so-called "tourist taxis". These are operated by English-speaking drivers and they are sort of like a tour combined with transport to your hotel or a place of interest. These cars cannot take you down into the Rhône River area, but they are a big help if you are just leaving the Saint Exupéry Airport or arriving in the city from another location.

Ride-sharing apps are not a big part of the transportation scene here, so you should figure out other ways to get from place to place. You will enjoy the city center and outlying areas much more effectively if you do not plan on getting a taxi, a rideshare, or a rental car to get around.

How To Get Around Lyon on Foot

Lyon is one of the best places to plan to use your feet to get around. Most of the center of the city like Vieux Lyon, is old enough that it is not accessible by car, and there are no public transportation options within the narrow and old streets. You can enjoy access to all of the major shopping streets on foot, and the Place Bellecour and many of the other public squares are very easy to get to when you are walking around Lyon.

Shopping in the city is also highly walkable, and you can enjoy places like the Confluence Shopping Centre and the Lyon City Centre on foot with ease. Most of the metro lines will take you to a good drop-off location that will give you ready access to many walkable spaces within this large city. Lyon public transport is really easy to use, but you might not need to utilize it to enjoy the oldest parts of the city.

French cities are often highly walkable, and Lyon is no different. If you choose to use public transportation, you can easily mix and match your walking hours and your time on the funicular lines, the boats, and the more traditional options like the bus.

Make sure that you add the Place Bellecour, the Gallo Roman Museum, the trendy Confluence area, and the many shopping streets to your list of things to see when you are walking. You will pass by so many delightful shops and cafes in the Old Lyon area that you would miss if you were driving around or riding the bus or tram to all of the touristy things that you want to see. Allowing the Old Town to surround you and inspire you is a great way to find out what Lyon is all about.

Lyon is Very Easy to Navigate

Lyon is one of the easiest places in France to get around, and you will have great accessibility options here as well. Most places in this city are highly walkable, and you can trust that you will be able to get around the entirety of the city with the various options that are part of the public transport system. The Lyon city card is a big help to your travel efforts, and you will not regret investing in this valuable tool for use during your stay.

If you have been worried about staying around or very close to the things that you want to experience, you can breathe a little sigh of relief now that you have learned about the transport system. Getting to any part of this city is really easy, and you will not have to struggle to find ways to access higher points in the city or outlying areas.

Always make sure that your bags are securely stored before you jump onto the train or onto a bus. You will have more fun touring the city if you make sure that your bags are stored in a place that will keep them safe for the duration of your visit. Lyon is a special city, and it is one of the easiest places to navigate in all of Europe!