Getting around Lyon

Public transport

Transports en Commun Lyonnais (TCL) (tel: +33 4 2610 1212; www.tcl.fr) operates the bus, tramway and Metro systems, as well as Lyon's two funiculars.

The Metro network in Lyon is excellent. It’s clean and easy to use, with four different lines (A, B, C and D) and 40 stations crossing the city. The central bus station is based at Lyon Perrache railway station.

A single ticket gives access to all public transports for one hour, including connections but not return journeys. You can buy single tickets and books of 10 tickets (carnet) from automatic ticket machines in Metro stations, bus drivers, TCL offices and newsagents. The Liberté Ticket pass allows access to the whole TCL network for one day.

Taxis

The main providers include Taxis Lyonnais (tel: +33 4 7826 8181), Taxi Lyon (tel: +33 4 7210 8686) and Allo Taxi (tel: +33 4 7828 2323). It is also possible to hail taxis in the street or from taxi ranks. Drivers do not expect tips.

Driving

The centre of Lyon is best explored on foot. Nevertheless, driving in Lyon is not as bad as it is in some other French cities, although the tunnels are best avoided during rush hour.

Lyon has parking facilities in the Presqu'île area, at both railway stations and in Old Lyon. Try the Parc des Celestins at 11 place des Célestins, the beautiful underground car park that won awards for its vault-like renovation. The A6/A7 Motorway through the centre of the city is a main route from Paris to the south’s summer sunshine resorts and is one of France’s biggest bottlenecks.

Car hire

The minimum age for hiring a car is 18, although this may vary according to the company. Insurance is required, as is a national driving licence.

Providers include ADA (tel: +33 4 7837 9393; www.ada.fr), Avis (tel: +33 820 611 660; www.avis.fr) and Sixt (tel: +33 820 007 498; www.sixt.fr).

Bicycle hire

You can hire all-terrain and mountain bikes (VTT) from Loisirs VTT (tel: +33 4 7848 1545; www.loisirs-vtt.fr) at 19 Grande Rue JP Dumortier in Pollionnay in the west of the city. They also have a shop at 88 quai Pierre Scize in the centre (tel: +33 4 7839 3939).

Vélo'V (tel: +33 1 3079 3340; www.velov.grandlyon.com) hires out bikes from strategic points over the city. When you're done you can drop your bike at any of their 300-plus hire stations, 24 hours a day.