Candles lit along the Saône quay at night during the Fête des Lumières in Lyon, with Fourvière hill behind
Photo: Dmitry Djouce / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Essentials

Lyon Travel Tips: Getting Around, Airport, Passes and When to Go

How to get around Lyon, reach the airport, use passes and pick a month, from 16 guides checked against official pages, with Fête des Lumières 2026 dates.

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The short answer. Use the TCL network (metro, tram, bus and funicular) and walk the rest. Take the Rhônexpress tram from the airport, because its ticket isn’t valid on TCL and you’ll need a TCL ticket on top. Go in May, June or September if you can, or in the first week of December for the Fête des Lumières, which runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December in 2026. Markets here mostly run in the morning and skip Monday.

Roam Lyon read 16 guides on this question, in English and French, and counted what each one recommends. Roam Lyon is a data platform as well as a guide, so the hours, dates and prices below come from official pages and not from those guides. The TCL site (tcl.fr) refused automated readers, so no TCL fare or timetable is printed here. Check the fare on tcl.fr or the TCL app on the day. No hotel is named and no room price is typed, because none has been checked against its own page. Look at rooms on the map and on a booking site for your dates.

What the guides agree on

One TCL network covers metro, tram, bus and funicular. Recommended by 11 of 16 guides read. They treat it as the way to get around beyond the centre. The Rhônexpress FAQ confirms the basic rule, saying a TCL ticket is used for one hour from the first validation in the metro, trams, trolleybuses and buses. Fares and timetables are on tcl.fr and in the TCL app.

A TCL tram on line T1 at a stop in the Part-Dieu district of Lyon
Photo: Benoît Prieur / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)

The funicular up to Fourvière. Named by 11 of 16 guides read. It starts in Vieux Lyon and climbs the hill to the basilica and the Roman theatres. No official page was readable for its fare or hours, so check them on tcl.fr. The Fourvière basilica and the Roman theatres are both up there, and the Fourvière guide covers the hill.

The Fête des Lumières in December. Recommended by 9 of 16 guides read. The City of Lyon page says it’s a free festival with 27 works over four evenings, from 5 to 8 December 2026. The festival site gives the hours as 7pm to 11pm on Saturday 5, 6pm to 10pm on Sunday 6, and 7pm to 11pm on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8. The Parc de la Tête d’Or has its own, more restricted hours during the festival, listed on the festival site. Three guides add that you should book a room well ahead.

Day passes and the 10-ride carnet. Recommended by 8 of 16 guides read. They say a day pass or a carnet beats single tickets once you’re riding more than a few times. The guides print different prices, so none of them is repeated here. Look up the current price on tcl.fr.

The Rhônexpress tram from the airport. Recommended by 8 of 16 guides read. The Rhônexpress runs every day between the airport and Lyon Part-Dieu, with a stop at Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, where you change to metro line A for the historic centre. It leaves every 15 minutes, and every 30 minutes from 4:25 to 6:00 and from 9pm to midnight. The FAQ gives 29 minutes to Part-Dieu and 21 to La Soie, and says children under 12 travel free. The fares printed on the prices page are €16.30 one way online and €17.40 at a machine, and €28.50 or €30.30 for a return. The airport’s own site prints €16 one way, so confirm the price when you buy. A ticket bought on board adds €4. An e-ticket is valid for a year.

A red Rhônexpress tram arriving at the Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie stop near Lyon
Photo: Smiley.toerist / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Lyon City Card. Named by 7 of 16 guides read. They describe it as a pass for 1 to 4 days that bundles museums, transport and a few tours. The guides disagree on the price and on what’s included, and the official tourist office shop refused automated readers. Add up the museums you’d actually visit before you buy it, and read the current terms at visiterlyon.com.

Vélo’v for short rides. Recommended by 7 of 16 guides read. The Métropole de Lyon says the network had 428 stations and 5,000 bikes, half of them electric, when it announced the electric bikes in January 2025. Its other page puts a single trip at €1.80 and a day ticket at €4 for unlimited trips, with prices from 1 January 2025. One guide says the bikes suit the flat riverbanks and are harder going on the hills.

A row of red Vélo'v bikes docked at a station on a Lyon street
Photo: Benoît Prieur / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)

May, June, September and October for the weather. Recommended by 6 of 16 guides read. The guides that name months agree on spring and early autumn, with milder days and fewer people than midsummer. Two of them say July and August are fine if you don’t mind heat, and two warn about the heat, so they don’t agree on summer.

A single ticket lasts an hour and covers changes. Reported by 6 of 16 guides read. This matches the Rhônexpress FAQ above.

Walk the centre. Recommended by 6 of 16 guides read. The Presqu’île and Vieux Lyon are close together, and the guides send you on foot between the squares, along the quays and through the lanes. See the Presqu’île and Vieux Lyon guides.

Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Named by 6 of 16 guides read. The covered food market at 102 cours Lafayette says its shops open Monday to Saturday from 7:30 to 19:30 and Sunday from 7:30 to 13:00. Restaurants inside serve lunch from 11:30 to 14:30, and to 15:30 on Sunday. The page names no closing day, but each stall sets its own hours. It says the hall is five minutes from Part-Dieu station. See the Halles page.

Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, Part-Dieu, Lyon
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, Part-Dieu. Photo: Sebleouf / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse sign above the entrance, with the Part-Dieu towers behind
Photo: Fred Romero / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Tap a bank card or phone as your ticket. Recommended by 5 of 16 guides read. They say the red validators take contactless payment and that paper tickets are fading out. Check the current rules and the daily cap on tcl.fr.

Validate on every ride and every change. Reported by 4 of 16 guides read. They warn that an unvalidated ticket doesn’t count, including when you change vehicle.

Less common picks

Closed days on a Sunday or Monday. Named by 3 of 16 guides read. They mention Monday-closed museums and shops, and Sunday-closed shops. Opening days differ place by place, so each is listed on the place’s page here and on its own site. Two markets show the pattern. The City of Lyon prints the Croix-Rousse food market on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 to 13:30, and on Wednesday and Thursday from 6:00 to 13:00, with no Monday listed. It also prints the Saint-Antoine market on Tuesday to Thursday from 6:00 to 13:00, Friday and Saturday to 13:30 and Sunday from 6:00 to 14:00, again with no Monday. Both are held on public holidays. See the Croix-Rousse market and the Saint-Antoine market.

Marché alimentaire de la Croix-Rousse, Croix-Rousse, Lyon
Marché alimentaire de la Croix-Rousse, Croix-Rousse. Photo: Benoît Prieur / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)

Night buses and late metro. Named by 3 of 16 guides read. They say service runs later on weekend nights. Check the last departure for your line in the TCL app before a night out.

Book early for December. Suggested by 3 of 16 guides read. They mean beds in Lyon during the Fête des Lumières.

TCL bus from the airport. Named by 2 of 16 guides read. The airport’s page on city links lists TCL line C200 and line 248, and its FAQ lists C200 and 47. The two pages disagree on the second line, so check the stop in the TCL app.

Park and ride. Named by 2 of 16 guides read. They say you can leave a car at the edge of the city and finish by TCL. The Métropole de Lyon’s travel FAQ says park-and-ride lots let TCL users park for free.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get from Lyon airport to the centre?

The Rhônexpress tram takes 29 minutes to Part-Dieu and runs from 4:25 (first train from Part-Dieu) to midnight. A TCL bus is the alternative. Check the fare on tcl.fr or the TCL app.

Is the Rhônexpress ticket valid on the metro?

No. The Rhônexpress FAQ says it doesn’t cover Lyon public transport, so you need a TCL ticket for the metro, tram or bus.

When is the Fête des Lumières in 2026?

From Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026, in the evening. The City of Lyon calls it free.

Are Lyon markets open on Monday?

The two City of Lyon market pages read for this guide list no Monday. The Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse lists Monday opening, from 7:30 to 19:30.

What is the best month to visit Lyon?

May, June, September and October are the picks of the guides that name months. Early December suits the Fête des Lumières.

See what’s on while you’re there on the events page, or open the map to plan your routes.

Sources: 16 guides in English and French, and 13 official pages

Guides in English

Guides in French

Official pages

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Fourvière Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière Fourvière Photo: José Antonio Cardoso Lagares Théâtres romains de Fourvière, Fourvière Théâtres romains de Fourvière Fourvière Photo: Charles
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