Arriving into Lyon Airport

From here and many parts of Lyon, you can see the fabulous Basilica de Notre-Dame de Fourviére in the distance. Lyon is the capital of the Rhone-Alpes region and one of three main gateways in France to the glorious Alps. If you're planning a trip to the region, make sure you don't miss a few days in the city to soak up the history and experience the eclectic and cosmopolitan nature of one of the country's biggest cities. To continue your journey onwards from Lyon Airport with a great value France car hire, get a quote here… Alternatively, check out our France car hire page for more locations in the region.

 

In this post, we take you through what you can expect to find after flying in to Lyon Airport. Don't forget to visit our Lyon travel blog for more on the city, Lyon Airport and Lyon car hire too!

 

Introducing Lyon Airport

If you manage to nab a window seat on the plane, it's worth looking out as you approach Lyon. You should be greeted with views of the Alps in the distance but also a great birds-eye view of Lyon airport. It's more interestingly shaped than most airports and will help you appreciate a little of how the layout works after landing. Here's a look at the airport from the sky…  

The airport's full name is Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport and was renamed as such in honour of a Lyon native, Antoine de Saint Exupéry. This was actually taken leaving Lyon Airport and as you can tell, there was a pretty good and very orange sunset at the time. The shape of the airport reminds me of an anchor or a bird flying.

After Paris and Nice, Lyon has one of the busiest airports in France and work to expand the airport further to better accommodate increasing numbers is already under way. Later stages of expansion won't actually be complete until 2016 and 2020 so until then, you can expect three relatively small connecting terminals. 

 

Terminals 1, 2 and 3

Terminals 1 and 2 are the curved buildings you can just about make out in the picture above. They're also the main terminals and are connected to each other via 'The Square', which has a number of shops, eateries and connections to the train station and bus services. Terminal 3 is relatively new and is dedicated to low-cost airline services. The fact that Terminal 3 will be seeing a lot of improvement in the expansion works is a testament to how much low-cost travel has grown over the years and its importance! At the moment, it still feels a bit like a mini satellite building for arrivals and departures. You can reach the other terminals on foot via walkways but you can expect a bit of a trek. Keep on reading for more on this...

You can find out which terminal your flight is arriving into by typing in your flight number or destination you're leaving from here. 

You can fly to Lyon direct from destinations throughout Europe and beyond including the Middle East and North Africa. easyJet and Hop! (a low-cost and regional subsidiary of Air France) serve a larger number of services to Lyon so are worth a look. You can a list of all direct destinations on the airport's website. 

 

After landing…from passport control to baggage reclaim 

I flew with easyJet from London Gatwick Airport and landed at Terminal 3. It's a short walk from the plane to the terminal building. If you've flown from a non-Schengen destination, you'll head into passport control. For all other flights landing at Terminal 3, it's straight towards baggage reclaim.

 

 

Terminal 3 

There are toilets close to where you enter the terminal that are right after passport control but the next toilets are about 10-15 minutes walk away in Terminal 1. There's a sign pointing this out at those first set of toilets so you can judge for yourself how much you need to use them… After passport control, we headed downstairs (there is also lift access and escalators) into an underground walkway before heading back up one level to where baggage reclaim is. 

On the left-hand side of this picture, you can see a couple of information screens. You'll see them dotted around the airport and display information about the next train departures including the Rhône-Express service and advertises which car hire companies are available on-site. Scroll all the way down for links to posts on travel onwards from Lyon Airport.

When you've picked up your luggage or if you didn't have any, you can head towards the exit. From baggage reclaim, there's another walkway (this time, it's outdoors). Terminal 3 doesn't really have an arrivals hall - it's literally just somewhere to arrive/enter the terminal in. For services including tourist information, cash machines, shops and eateries, you need to head into Terminal 1.

If you don't need any of these and are continuing your journey with a Lyon Airport car hire, bus or taxi, you can follow signs towards the relevant stop outside the airport. Access to the train station is via a raised walkway that connects it to terminals 1 and 2.

 

 

Landside services - getting to Terminal 1/2 and The Square

Getting to Terminal 1 is easy. As soon as you walk out of terminal 3, head towards your right and you'll see the entrance to Terminal 1. You'll be on the ground floor where you'll find toilets and an information desk where you can get airport and tourist information including a free city map.

There's not a lot else on the ground floor of Terminal 1. If you're flying into Terminal 1, this is where you'll arrive after leaving baggage reclaim. The tourist information desk will be on your right and exit of the airport (including car hire services is to your left).  

For more services, head up one level where you'll find The Square - an area that connects Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 along with access to the Railway Station. There are escalators and lifts that will take you between the two floors. If you walk through The Square, you'll eventually come up to Terminal 2, which is laid out similarly to Terminal 1 with arrivals coming out on the ground floor. 

 

There is a currency exchange desk just at The Square (it's on your right as soon as you head up to this floor from T1 arrivals). There is a cash machine just to the right of the currency exchange desk and a couple more cash machines just before the check-in area, which you'll find if you head towards your right after coming up here.

 

Travel onwards from Lyon Airport

Lyon Airport car hire: Check out our post on collecting a Lyon Airport car hire.

By public transport: There are a range of coach services, train services and an express tram/train service from Lyon Airport. See our guide to them here: getting to and from Lyon Airport with public transport.

By taxi: There is a taxi rank directly outside of Terminal 1/3 and Terminal 2. For journeys to Lyon's city centre (to Lyon Part-Dieu), you can expect to pay around €40-45 during the day or €55-60 at night. The airport website has more information on taxis as well as rate estimates to a range of destinations so it's worth having a look at before you decide to get a taxi. See it here: www.lyonaeroports.com/eng/Access-maps-car-parks/To-come-to-leave-from-the-Airport/By-Taxi