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Lyon · France

Car hire and driving in Lyon

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In France traffic drives on the right. Picking up at LYS means 19 km (12 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648842 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648843.

Drives from Lyon

Car rental from Lyon: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Lyon to Saint-ÉtienneFrance50 km (31 mi)about 46 min
Lyon to GrenobleFrance93 km (58 mi)about 1 h 25 min
Lyon to GenevaSwitzerland112 km (70 mi)about 1 h 43 min
Lyon to Clermont-FerrandFrance137 km (85 mi)about 2 h 5 min
Lyon to LausanneSwitzerland162 km (101 mi)about 2 h 28 min
Lyon to DijonFrance174 km (108 mi)about 2 h 40 min
Lyon to BesançonFrance189 km (118 mi)about 2 h 53 min
Lyon to NîmesFrance216 km (134 mi)about 3 h 18 min
Lyon to TurinItaly234 km (145 mi)about 3 h 34 min
Lyon to BernSwitzerland240 km (149 mi)about 3 h 40 min
Lyon to MontpellierFrance250 km (155 mi)about 3 h 49 min
Lyon to Aix-en-ProvenceFrance251 km (156 mi)about 3 h 50 min
Lyon to LondonUnited Kingdom737 km (458 mi)about 11 h 14 min
Lyon to BerlinGermany976 km (607 mi)about 14 h 53 min
Lyon to MadridSpain912 km (567 mi)about 13 h 55 min
Lyon to RomeItaly749 km (465 mi)about 11 h 25 min
Lyon to ParisFrance393 km (244 mi)about 6 h
Lyon to HamburgGermany943 km (586 mi)about 14 h 23 min
Lyon to BucharestRomania1,670 km (1,038 mi)about 25 h 28 min
Lyon to BudapestHungary1,100 km (683 mi)about 16 h 46 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Lyon?

The right, as everywhere in France.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.