Coach Rental Across France

Coach and Driver Hire in Lyon

Lyon is well set up for coaches. The city publishes free stops and parking places, and tourist coaches keep access to the Presqu'île. The catch is a low-emission zone with no off-hours.

A ZFE that never switches off

The zone covers Lyon, Villeurbanne, Caluire-et-Cuire and the parts of Bron and Vénissieux inside the boulevard Laurent Bonnevay, that boulevard included. It applies to driving and parking at all hours. Heavy vehicles with Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 or no sticker are banned, and Grand Lyon counts coaches as heavy vehicles.

A compliant vehicle must still display its sticker. The zone remains after the May 2026 ruling, though Parliament may yet change it. Check the coach's class against the rules before you travel.

Mercedes-Benz 59-seat coach, exterior
Mercedes-Benz 59-seat coach, exterior

Free stops, but no bookings

The city's coach plan lists free stops and parking places. None can be reserved, so have a second option. For Vieux Lyon, coaches stop at 13 quai Romain Rolland (7 places) or 24 quai Fulchiron (3) and park on quai Romain Rolland or rue Roger Radisson. Vieux Lyon is open to coaches; they simply stay on the quays.

Place Bellecour has a stop at number 19, on the east side only since June 2025. Perrache and Confluence have stops on quai Perrache and quai Rambaud, and coaches can also park at Part-Dieu, the Cité Internationale and Gerland.

Airports for groups arriving in Lyon

Stadiums and arenas a coach can serve

  • Groupama Stadium — Olympique Lyonnais football and major events, OL Vallée in Décines-Charpieu; on-site parking must be booked in advance
  • LDLC Arena — Indoor arena for sport and concerts at OL Vallée, Décines-Charpieu
  • Halle Tony Garnier — Concert and event hall in Gerland, 7th arrondissement
  • Matmut Stadium de Gerland — Rugby stadium in Gerland, 7th arrondissement

Coach day trips from Lyon

  • Vienne — about 32 km, about 35 min
  • Oingt (Beaujolais, Pierres Dorées) — about 38 km, about 45 min
  • Pérouges — about 42 km, about 45 min
  • Romanèche-Thorins (Beaujolais) — about 56 km, about 50 min
  • Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval (Hauterives) — about 74 km, about 1.25 h
  • Cluny — about 88 km, about 1.25 h
  • Tain-l'Hermitage (Rhône valley vineyards) — about 89 km, about 1.25 h
  • Grenoble — about 105 km, about 1.5 h
  • Annecy — about 139 km, about 1.75 h
  • Beaune (Burgundy) — about 155 km, about 1.75 h
  • Chamonix-Mont-Blanc — about 226 km, about 2.75 h

Rules for coaches in Lyon

  • Lyon-Saint Exupéry (LYS) is about 30 km by road from Place Bellecour, mostly by the A43 and A432, about 35 min in light traffic and longer at peak times.
  • The Lyon low-emission zone (ZFE) covers Lyon, Villeurbanne, Caluire-et-Cuire and the parts of Bron and Vénissieux inside the boulevard Laurent Bonnevay, including the M6, the M7, the boulevard périphérique Nord and the boulevard Laurent Bonnevay. It applies 24 hours a day, every day, to driving and parking.
  • In the Lyon ZFE, cars (including vehicles of up to 9 seats registered as cars), two-wheelers, vans and lorries with a Crit'Air 3, 4 or 5 sticker, or no sticker, are banned; Crit'Air 2 vehicles are due to be banned from 1 January 2028. Heavy vehicles of Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 or no sticker are banned around the clock, and Grand Lyon's ZFE site groups coaches (cars et autocars) with heavy vehicles, so check the coach's Crit'Air sticker against the current rules before travel.
  • Lyon's official ZFE site confirms that the zone stays in force: a 2026 law that would have abolished the ZFEs was struck out on this point by the Conseil constitutionnel on 21 May 2026. Vehicles in the zone must display a Crit'Air sticker even when they meet the standard. These rules are current in October 2026 and Parliament may change them again; check them before travel.
  • The ONLYLYON coach plan lists free coach stops and parking places, which cannot be booked; drivers switch the engine off when stopped. For Vieux Lyon, coaches stop at 13 quai Romain Rolland (7 places) and 24 quai Fulchiron (3 places) and park on quai Romain Rolland and rue Roger Radisson. A few coach parking places are on the Fourvière hill (rue Cardinal Gerlier, Place Abbé Larue).
  • Place Bellecour has a coach stop at no. 19; since June 2025 the coach places are on the east side only. Other stops are at 86 quai Perrache and 35 quai Rambaud (Perrache and Confluence); coach parking is also available at Part-Dieu (rue de Bonnel, rue du Lac), at the Cité Internationale (quai Charles de Gaulle) and in Gerland.
  • Since 21 June 2025 a limited traffic zone (zone à trafic limité) covers the Presqu'île between the slopes of the Croix-Rousse and Place Bellecour, not including the quays. Tourist coaches have permanent access; from 13:00 to 06:00 the driver uses the intercom at the bollards.
  • The Gerland international coach station (52 avenue Tony Garnier) is for set-down and pick-up only, must be booked in advance and has no parking. A municipal order lets tourist coaches drive onto the Rhône banks from quai Claude Bernard to serve river-cruise boats.
  • Gare de Lyon Part-Dieu: the main TGV station, east of the Rhône, with coach parking nearby on rue de Bonnel and rue du Lac.
  • Gare de Lyon Perrache: TGV and regional station at the south end of the Presqu'île, with coach parking on cours de Verdun Perrache and a coach stop on quai Perrache.
  • Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry TGV: at the airport; part of its short-stay car park is reserved for occasional coach services.
  • The boulevard périphérique Nord (with the Caluire tunnel) is tolled; the boulevard Laurent Bonnevay and the south of the A46 are free. The A43 is free out of Lyon as far as the first toll plaza at Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, and the A432 is tolled in parts. The motorways to Paris (A6), Marseille (A7) and Geneva and Annecy (A42, A40, A41) are tolled beyond the Métropole.
  • EU drivers' hours rules (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006) apply to coach drivers: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest. Day trips to Annecy or Chamonix are long in the mountains and are planned within these limits.

Presqu'île, Fourvière and the river

Since June 2025 a limited-traffic zone covers the Presqu'île from Bellecour north to the Croix-Rousse slopes. Tourist coaches have permanent access; between 13:00 and 06:00 the bollards open after the driver calls on the intercom.

Fourvière hill has only a few coach places, so plan a set-down and a walk. Basilica guided visits are booked online at least 15 days ahead. For river-cruise boats, coaches may drive down onto the Rhône banks from quai Claude Bernard.

Beaujolais, Annecy and Chamonix

The Beaujolais villages are under an hour away; Beaune and Annecy take about 1 hour 45 each. Chamonix is about 2 hours 45 by car and slower by coach in the mountains. The return fills most of a driver's 9-hour daily limit, so consider an overnight stop. The A6, A7 and the Geneva and Annecy motorways are tolled beyond the Métropole.

Organisers ask

How far is Saint-Exupéry from the centre?

About 30 km by road, using the A43 and A432 for most of it; allow 35 minutes when traffic is light. The TGV station sits at the airport, and part of its short-stay car park is set aside for coach services.

Can the coach use the Gerland coach station?

For set-down and pick-up only. The international coach station on avenue Tony Garnier must be booked in advance and has no parking.

What about match days at Groupama Stadium?

Parking on site at Décines-Charpieu must be booked in advance. Do that before you promise the group a kick-off time.

Other group trips we book

Vehicles with a driver