Airport
Saint Exupéry International Airport
IATA Code: LYSLocation: The airport is situated 15 miles (24km) east of Lyon.
Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 between last Sunday in March and last Sunday in October).
Contacts: Tel: +33 (0)8 26 80 0826.
Transfer between terminals: The two terminals are connected by a free shuttle bus.
Transfer to the city: Buses leave regularly for Lyon and the other main towns and cities in the Rhône-Alpes area. Taxis are available outside Terminal 1 Arrivals. There is a TGV train station within walking distance of the airport with regular services to France's main cities, details on the airport website.
Car rental: Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National Citer and Sixt are represented at the airport.
Facilities: Facilities at the airport include left luggage, a post office, bars, restaurants, shops, a travel agency and a business centre with meeting rooms and secretarial services. ATMs and bureaux de change are available throughout the airport. Disabled facilities are good; passengers with special needs should contact their airline in advance.
Parking: Plenty of car parking is available; the further away areas are connected to the terminal building by a free shuttle service every 10 minutes.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.lyon.aeroport.fr
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Lyon
Lyon is a city synonymous with the silk industry, the French Resistance and a reputation as the 'gastronomic capital of the world', and is located between the Rhone and the Saône rivers in the south west of France. Lyon is home to some of the finest restaurants and chefs in the country and forms the second largest metropolitan area in France after Paris.
This gastronomic wonder's culinary history came about in the first half of the 20th century when many bourgeois families fired their in-house cooks. These women went on to revolutionise Lyon's cuisine by setting up their own restaurants and cooking for some of the finest French dignitaries of their time.
Besides the many restaurants, bistros and cafés that entice people to this endearing city, Lyon boasts three large city parks, some 30 museums and countless monuments symbolising Lyon's development through the ages. It is home to the world famous Lyon Opera House, whose orchestra's reputation has travelled far beyond French borders.
UNESCO lists Lyon as a World Heritage site due to its rich and diverse 2,000-year-old history, evident in the awe-inspiring Romanesque architecture and medieval buildings in Old Lyon, including the Primatiale St-Jean cathedral, and the 16th-century Hôtel du Chamarier.
To the west, Fourviere Hill offers panoramic views of the city, and its own attractions include the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière, and the Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine.
By day Lyon can be viewed by boat on a trip down its rivers and at night dinner cruises add an element of fantasy to the city. Lyon is a city rich in food, history and culture, making it a hidden treasure in the French landscape and living up to its Roman name, Lugdunum, meaning 'the hill of light'.
