Aéroport Lyon-Saint Exupéry (LYS) is 25 km (15 miles) to the southeast of Lyon in the French Rhône-Alpes region. In addition to serving France’s second largest metropolitan area, Lyon Airport is also a popular springboard to Alpine resorts. Several transportation options are available with the number of destinations served by ski shuttle bus services dramatically more comprehensive during the winter season.
By Car to Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS)
Lyon Airport is conveniently located right next to highway A43 in the direction of Grenoble. Travelers heading for Geneva may use the A342 to connect easily to the A42.
Taxis are readily available but relatively expensive. Taxis from the airport to downtown Lyon cost around €40, to Grenoble €120, Annecy €160, and Geneva €200. Legal surcharges to the taxi meter include amongst others charges for luggage, more than four passengers, night time, Sundays, bad weather, and tolls.
- All major car hire firms are present at Lyon Airport. For car rental returns, follow the “Voitures de location” signs.
By TGV Train to Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS)
High-speed TGV trains stop directly at Lyon Airport in an impressive, futuristic-looking station. From the airport, 15 cities can be reached by TGV trains but no rail service is currently available to Lyon itself.
Cities that can be reached by direct TGV trains from Lyon Airport are Aix-les-Bains, Annecy, Arles, Avignon, Chamberly, Grenoble, Milan, Miramas, Modane, Montélimar, Orange, Oulx, Paris-Gare de Lyon, Turin, and Valence. Many cities are only served once or twice per day – many more connections are available from TGV stations in Lyon itself.
- Downtown Lyon and Lyon Airport will be connected by express tram from late 2010.
By Bus to Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS)
Regular, direct bus services are available from Lyon Airport to several towns in the region. Buses are currently also the most convenient way to reach downtown Lyon and Lyon’s train stations.
Buses from Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport to downtown run around three times per hour. Buses to Gare SNCF Part-Dieu take just over half an hour. (From February 2010, these buses no longer continue to Gare SNCF Perrache.)
A direct bus from Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport reaches Grenoble hourly in an hour. Other towns that can be reached a few times per day directly from the airport include Annecy (60 minutes), Chambéry (60 minutes), Saint-Étienne (1h15), Aix-les-Bains (90 minutes), and Annecy (120 minutes).
- More than 30 further towns and ski resorts can be reached by shuttle bus service during the winter ski season – usually from a few days before Christmas to early April. Reservations are generally obligatory and open each season during September.
Cheap flights to Lyon are available on low-cost airlines from many European cities while many North African cities also have direct flights to Lyon.
Henk Bekker - Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer currently living on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
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