World City Guide

Getting There By Road

Lyon is located at the heart of a dense network of motorways, which are designated by the letter ‘A’ and a corresponding number, including the A6, A7, A42 and A43, although there are tolls on most French motorways. National roads bear the prefix ‘N’ and minor roads are classed as ‘D’ (départementale) roads.

The minimum legal driving age is 18 years old. Traffic drives on the right. Seatbelts must be worn by all front- and rear-seat passengers. A national driving licence, the car’s registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times or the driver is liable to be fined. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for right-side driving by either using beam deflectors or tilting the headlamp bulb-holder. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. The speed limit in urban areas is 50kph (31mph), 90kph (56mph) on main roads and 130kph (81mph) on the motorways. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio while driving is 0.05%.

EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner’s domestic policy.

Road and route information is provided by Société des Autoroutes Rhône-Alpes (tel: (04) 7214 2091) and Autoroute du Soleil ASF (tel: (04) 9032 9005).

Emergency breakdown service:
Automobile Club 24/24, 7/7 (08) 0008 0001

Routes to the city: Main routes to Lyon are the A6 from Paris, the A7 from Marseille, the A43 from Geneva and the A48 from Grenoble.

Approximate driving times to Lyon: From Grenoble – 1 hour; Geneva – 1 hour 30 minutes; Marseille – 2 hours 40 minutes; Paris – 4 hours.

Coach services: The coach station is situated at Lyon Perrache railway station, 10 Cours de Verdun. Its facilities include cafés, restaurant, ATM and bureau de change. As there are no telephone numbers for the coach station, it is better to contact the individual companies directly. Within the Rhône-Alpes area, the main operator is Transports Publics Autocars (tel: (04) 7277 6303). Eurolines (tel: (04) 7256 9530; website: www.eurolines.com) provides links throughout Europe. Other operators include Interbus (tel: (04) 7241 7227) to Spain and Intercar (tel: (04) 7837 2080) for Portugal, Spain and Geneva.