A comprehensive guide to living in Lyon

Getting there

Lyon is well connected with national and international bus and train services from all over France and Europe. The airport is a major hub for airlines including Air France and Easyjet. The quickest and easiest way to the airport is the Rhônexpress from Part-Dieu railway station which takes 30 minutes. It costs €17.10 single (€16 online) and €29.80 return (€28.00 online). 

It is possible to do the transfer using public transport. It is cheaper, but slower and less reliable, and there is no direct ride into the city centre so you have to combine buses, trams and metros depending on where exactly you are going.

Getting around town

Public transport in Lyon is easy to grasp. The metro is simple to use. Note that you don't need to put your tickets into the machines on the way out; the slots only exist to collect unwanted tickets. The same tickets work across the entire metro/train/tram system, which makes life easy.

The Vélo'v public bike hire system is also easy to use, and you can set up an account online before you arrive. 

Security

Lyon is generally a very safe city. There are pickpockets in crowded tourist areas and on the metro, bicycles are regularly stolen, but violent crime is rare. Most crimes (68%) are related to theft and burglary. Only 13.6% are violent. The rest are frauds and confidence tricks (8.82%), drugs-related (7.71%), and petty destruction and graffiti (6.42%).

Healthcare

As a large, wealthy city, Lyon is well provided with all types of health and dental care. It is easy to get emergency appointments, and appointments with specialists.

Climate

Lyon can be extremely hot and humid in July and August with temperatures up to 41.4ºC. Winters are generally cold with temperatures during December, January and February hovering around freezing although it can drop substantially lower. (The record low is -24.6ºC.)

Property prices

Lyon is not a cheap city. Over the past 10 years, prices have risen by 32%. The mean average price of flats is €4,714 per M2 and for houses, €6,119. The most expensive areas are generally in the city centre, along the riverbanks where flats cost around €5,800 per M2. The cheapest places are west of the main artery through the 'Tunnel de Fourvière' because it blocks up during rush hours. The average price in La Duchère is €2,738 per M2 and in Tête d'Or it is €5,809. A small 60M2 2-bedroom flat in the deeply unfashionable 5th or the 8th arrondissement could cost you as little as €150,000 but in the 7th that rises to €200,000 minimum, in the 3rd you would pay €250,000 and in the very posh 6th that would rise to around €400,000. 

Rental prices

Finding a flat to rent in Lyon is hard. Prices are high and the cheaper flats get snapped up very quickly by the large student population. To add to the pain, there are numerous unscrupulous agencies who rip people off by asking for money up-front to find a flat, because legitimate agencies will not even show you a flat until you have submitted a dossier including every detail of your employment and financial situation, and very often demanding a guarantor. Sometimes it is easier to find a furnished flat, because it is easier to evict tenants from a furnished let.

If you are lucky, renting the same 60m2 2-bedroom flat might cost you as little as €600 in the 5th, 8th, or 9th. A budget of around €800 is more realistic, however. This rises to €1,100 in the 6th.

Education

There are plenty of well-reputed schools in Lyon. The 'Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon' in Gerland has English, Italian, Spanish, Polish, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, and Japanese international sections. It is a State school but entrance is selective. (The English international section is fee-paying, but many of the others are free.) There is also the International School of Lyon (ISL) which is private. Further education includes many universities and grandes écoles like Sciences Po Lyon, the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon, and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon. 

Population and demographics

The city centre was home to 522,250 people in 2021. The Métropole de Lyon (Greater Lyon area) is home to 1,424,069 people. 

Twin cities

Lyon is twinned with Barcelona, Birmingham, Boston, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Melbourne, Milan, Montreal, St Louis, and Turin, amongst others. 

'I love living in Lyon'

Originally from London, Jonathan Davis is an artist (making paintings and 3D installations) who has lived in Lyon since 2021. "I love Lyon because it's very beautiful. I'm an architect and urban designer by training so I appreciate that. I love the fact that it has two rivers. I mean, Paris only has one. The location is advantageous; close to the Alps for skiing, easy for Geneva, the non-stop TGV gets to Paris in two hours, and it is sometimes called 'the gateway to the south of France' because Marseille isn't far. 

"Lyon has a rich and diverse cultural offering. The Maison de la Danse is great, there are numerous theatres and an opera. There's a very good concert hall. The Biennale de la Danse alternates with the Biennale d'Art Contemporain. (This year the Biennale de la Danse runs from September 6-29.) The annual Nuits Sonores festival at the end of May highlights all kinds of electronic music, and the Musée des Confluences has interesting exhibitions.

"As an artist, I enjoy the visual arts offerings, the Beaux Arts in the centre, MAC Lyon (the contemporary art museum) in the modern Cité Internationale. The new Grandes Locos venue, converted from an SNCF maintenance depot in Moulins, is wonderful.

"I really appreciate the excellent public transport system which means although I have a car I don't use it. because the public transport is very good. The urban management is impressive in Lyon. They make nice public spaces, there are plenty of cycling paths, parks and gardens, and the waste management is efficient. The city is very clean. There is currently a plan to pedestrianise the central area between the two rivers called the 'Presqu'île. Retailers are complaining of course, but I think it will increase footfall."