Car rental in Lyon

Lyon by car

Two rivers meet at Lyon and pin its oldest quarters onto a peninsula between them, with a hill rising on either side. Whoever travels between Paris and the Mediterranean passes through, which is why tunnels burrow under the Fourvière slope.

Driving in Lyon

Lyon is reached by A6, A7, A42, A43 and A46. Lyon has a low-emission zone: check the sticker rules before driving into the centre. Parking in the centre is paid and marked by zone. Streets in the old centre are narrow, a smaller car is easier.

Where to park

Park-and-ride car parks around the city are signed with blue P+R signs from the motorway and stand beside major metro or tram lines, run by TCL; they close late at night, so cars cannot stay overnight. Most of the many underground car parks are operated by LPA.

Arriving by road

The motorways join on the east side through a ring road, the Périphérique, which is free of tolls apart from its northern stretch, Périphérique Nord. That stretch offers a way around the Fourvière tunnel on the A6, which is regularly jammed. Onlymoov’ reports traffic jams and scheduled tunnel closures.

From the airport without a car

Rhônexpress runs from Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport to Part-Dieu station, with a stop at Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie for metro line A. To find it, follow the red signs and walk through the TGV station, then take the escalator down from the terminal building. Bus 47 goes to Meyzieu, where tram T3 continues to the centre.