Lyon eSIM
In Lyon you connect to Orange or SFR, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 71 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- Orange and SFR
- Typical speed in France
- 71 Mbps typical, 19 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Lyon
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.96 | $8.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.18 | $10.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.59 | $15.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.19 | $23.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $0.94 | $46.89 |
How France compares across Europe
- Regional typical speed
- 71 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, Orange, SFR
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Bulgaria, 72 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Croatia, 71 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Paris, Nice, Lyon, Bordeaux
Landing at Lyon Saint Exupery Airport (LYS)
- Airport
- LYS / LFLL
- Distance
- 20 km from the centre of Lyon
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalThe airport's own multimedia and connection page calls the wifi free and unlimited, and says to connect to the network named 'Aeroports de Lyon' and follow the guide. It does not say what the portal asks you for.
Getting into Lyon
- Rhonexpress tram train between the airport and Gare de Lyon Part-Dieu (LYS), about 30 minutes
- TGV from Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupery, next to the terminals, on the LGV Rhone-Alpes (LYS)
- Local bus lines 47 and 48, running since January 2020 (LYS)
Underground and on the metro
Lyon Metro runs 4 lines. It opened in 1978. The operator does not publish whether the tunnels carry a mobile signal, so we do not claim either way.
Worth knowing about Lyon
- SYTRAL announced on 30 December 2019 that 4G works in the Lyon metro tunnels as well as in the stations, on lines A, B, C and D. Before that the signal dropped between stations.
- Line C is a rack railway with a maximum gradient of 17 percent, and Croix-Paquet station claims to be the steepest metro station in the world.
- Line D, opened on 4 September 1991, was the first fully automatic metro line in France.
- Rhonexpress is a Stadler tram train that shares track with tram line T3 between Lyon and Meyzieu, with passing loops built at some stops so it can overtake.
- Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupery, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opened on 3 July 1994, making Lyon the first airport in the world served by a high speed rail station.
- TCL accepts a contactless bank card, or a phone or watch with NFC, straight at the red validators on buses, metro, trams and funiculars. One tap covers an hour of travel with connections, and daily spending is capped beyond three trips.
- Tapping a bank card on TCL is valid only in fare zones 1 and 2. For trips into zones 3, 4, 5 or beyond the network you need a regular ticket.
- One bank card can pay for a group of two to five people on TCL: tap again on the red validator within 10 seconds for each extra passenger. At an inspection, show the same card or phone you tapped.
- Orange built the 4G network in Lyon's metro and the other operators connected their equipment to it. Coverage includes the funicular stations as well as those on metro lines A, B, C and D.
- Rhonexpress runs every day from 4:25am to midnight, every 15 minutes in the daytime and every 30 minutes before 6am and after 9pm. The first departure from the airport is at 5am.
- The Lyon City Card, for 24 to 96 hours, covers TCL zones 1 and 2 (not Navigone), 26 museums and a river cruise. One version adds a Rhonexpress return that can be used on any day.