|
Lyon
Airport: Saint Exupéry
Lyon is France's second city, and Lyon
Saint Exupéry airport (formerly known as Lyon Satolas,
and airport code LYS) is one of the main provincial airports
in France. It serves a whole sector of central and central eastern
France, and is the most convenient major airport for the Rhone Alpes region
of France, and parts of the neighbouring regions of Burgundy,
Franche Comté
and Auvergne.
It is very easily accessible from the cities of Lyon, Grenoble,
Chambery, St. Etienne and Valence.
Location
and access:
Lyon St. Exupery airport is situated some twenty kilometres to the east
of the city of Lyon, just to the north of the Lyon-Grenoble motorway.
It is also easily accessible from the Lyon-Geneva /
Lyon-Bourg-en-Bresse motorway, as well as from other motorways in the
area.
The airport offers easy and rapid access to the
centre of Lyon; a light-rail link to the city centre is currently being
built, and is due to open in 2010. It will provide a rapid link to
the city centre in just 25 minutes, with services every 15
minutes. In the meantime a shuttle service by bus runs every
twenty minutes from the airport to the main train stations in Lyon at
La Part Dieu and Perrache.
St. Exupery Airport is located alongside a
high-speed rail line, offering direct TGVs to Paris, Provence, Annecy,
Valence, other parts of southern France, and even Turin.
Car
parking
 The Airport has parking space
for over 6000 cars, though rates are relatively expensive. There are
private operators offering car parking a short distance from the
airport, at considerably cheaper rates.
For dropping
off and picking up, the very-short-stay carpark
(signposted "Depose
Minute"), located in front of Terminal 2 (photo right),
offers 20 minutes FREE parking, but after that the rates are
exorbitant, 1 euro every four minutes extra. Be warned! This
parking area is just a few metres from the terminal building, so twenty
minutes is quite long enough to accompany someone into the terminal,
say goodbye, and return to one's car, or else meet an arriving visitor
at a pre-arranged time.
Car hire
and rental
The major car-hire companies all provide full services at this airport;
smaller local suppliers also offer services at Saint Exupéry, often at
cheaper rates - though check out a range
of car hire companies first.
The
terminals
Lyon is a provincial airport, so terminals are not far apart. The three
terminals can be easily reached on foot from the "depose minute" car
park, and from each other.
Checking
in
The Airport authorities recommend checking in at least one hour before
your flight is due to depart.
Flights
Lyon Saint Exupéry airport has developed considerably in recent years.
► There
are scheduled flights to many countries in Western and central Europe,
and Scandinavia, including flights to London Heathrow, Gatwick and
Stansted.
► There
are regular flights to and from New
York (Air France / Delta), and Montreal and Toronto (Air
Transat).
► Several
companies operate scheduled flights to the Mediterranean area (Europe,
North Africa) and to Eastern
Europe..
►
Easyjet
has established a hub at Lyon, with a dozen regular destinations and
other seasonal ones.
There are also a large number of charter flights
serving holiday destinations.
Further
information:
Official Lyon Airport website (rather
slow)
|
|
