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Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS)

Last verified: October 2026 · Confirmed by travelers this month: 0

The answer
Take the Rhônexpress tram from its platform in the basement (level -1) of the airport's TGV station to Gare Lyon Part-Dieu in under 30 minutes, every 15 minutes from 04:25 to midnight — €16.30 bought online versus €17.40 at a distributor, free for under-12s.
It is the only direct rail link into Lyon's core and its single ticket stays valid for a year, but the fare ladder is wide: €10.70 exists for 12–25s and for anyone whose same-day train touches the airport station, and the online price beats the machine — which matters right now, because Rhônexpress itself warns several ticket machines are out of order.
Tight budget? TCL buses C200 and 248 accept a standard transit ticket — €2.10 (€2.50 from the driver, per the airport's own page) — but they run to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie or Meyzieu, not the Presqu'île.
Going straight to the Alps? TGV and OUIGO trains to some 30 French and Italian cities stop inside the terminal — you may never need a Lyon ticket at all.

🚆 Every way out — real prices

Rhônexpress tram (buy online) BEST FOR MOST
€16.30 online / €17.40 machine
Dedicated airport tram between Part-Dieu and the airport, under 30 minutes, every 15 minutes, roughly 04:25–00:00 seven days. Adult single €17.40 at a distributor or €16.30 online (e-billets are cancellable and refundable unused; machine tickets are not), return €30.30/€28.50, 12–25 single €10.70, under-12s free, single valid one year from purchase. Platform is level -1 of the TGV station, signed from arrivals. Rhônexpress currently warns some automatic machines are unavailable — buy before you fly.
TCL bus C200 / 248
€2.10 standard fare
The airport is inside Lyon's unified TCL fare zone, so the C200 (to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie, where Metro A takes you across the river) and the 248 (serving Meyzieu and the east side) cost an ordinary ticket: €2.10, or €2.50 bought on board, per the airport's own transport pages, and any TCL pass covers them. C200 runs 04:50–midnight every ~10 min on its core, but only about one bus in three (weekdays) continues to the airport — and airport-serving hours are narrower, roughly 05:30–22:00 weekdays.
Rhônexpress 'Correspondance train' ticket
€10.70
If you hold a valid same-day train reservation with Lyon-Saint Exupéry's own TGV station as your departure or arrival point, the discounted rail-connection fare applies: single €10.70 (same as the 12–25 fare) and return €20.30, versus €17.40/€30.30 standard. You must have the train booking on you the day you travel.
Taxi
metered
Ranks outside the terminals; to Lyon centre it is a 20–30 minute run, priced by the taximeter — the airport and no operator published a flat airport-to-centre fare on the pages checked in this run, so no number here is a promise. Night, weekends and luggage surcharges apply on top of the meter.
App cars (Uber / Bolt / VTC)
app-priced
Ride-hailing and licensed VTC vehicles serve the airport; book in the app and follow its pin to the designated pick-up level rather than walking the kerbs.
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⚠️ The traps (walk past these)

Paying €17.40 when €10.70 was your price

The machine single now stands at €17.40 after successive tariff rises (French press tracked it climbing from €17.10 through 2025–2026), and online is €16.30. But if your itinerary touches the airport's TGV platform the same day, the official 'Correspondance train' single is €10.70 — a 38% discount that almost no travel blog mentions. And Rhônexpress currently warns some ticket machines are out of order, so even the full fare may need a phone.

Do this: buy online ahead, and check whether your rail booking qualifies for the €10.70 fare
Your €2.10 TCL ticket is worthless on the tram

Rhônexpress is a special-fare service on TCL's own tracks — the standard ticket and subscriptions do not carry you on it ('special fares apply', per TCL), while inspectors ride to Part-Dieu. Tap-and-go onto the tram with a city ticket and you are travelling without a valid title on a €17 product.

Do this: match the ticket to the vehicle: €2.10 for buses C200/248, €16.30+ for Rhônexpress
Most C200 buses do not come to the airport

On weekdays roughly one in three C200 services continues from La Soie to the terminals (weekends one in two), and airport-reaching trips run about 05:30–22:00 weekdays. Board a La-Soie-short-tripper at Vaulx expecting a 40-minute airport ride and you will be back-tracking.

Do this: check the destination display and the TCL timetable before boarding; the evening handover is Rhônexpress-only after about 22:00
The tram is not a night bus

Rhônexpress starts around 04:25 and ends around 00:00; the airport-serving buses end earlier still. A red-eye landing at 01:00 has taxis and app cars only — at meter prices nobody published for you in advance.

Do this: if you arrive outside the tram day, budget for a metered cab and keep the airport's booking options open

💡 Know before you walk

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