In central Lyon the kerb is only cheap for a short stop. An ordinary petrol car pays €2 for the first hour, but every hour after that is €4, and from four hours on an LPA underground car park on the Presqu'île costs less than the street. The kerb is free from 19:00 to 09:00, on Sundays and on public holidays; the garages cap the night at €7.70 from 20:00 to 09:00.
The rule that costs more comes before you park. Lyon and its inner neighbours are a ZFE low-emission zone around the clock, and a foreign car needs a Crit'Air sticker on the windscreen like any French one. Even the motorway through town is inside it.
A motorway through the middle of town
The A6 from Paris does not go round Lyon. It becomes the M6, dives under Fourvière hill and comes out beside the rivers, and since 1 January 2024 that whole stretch has been part of the low-emission zone. What you hear from the quays at rush hour is that motorway, a few metres from the water.
Rue Saint-Jean's menus and the drive up Fourvière
I would not choose dinner on rue Saint-Jean by the menus held out at the door. The street is lovely at ten in the morning; at eight in the evening I walk two lanes further and pick a bouchon with the association's label on the window.
My second skip is driving up to the basilica. The streets are steep and narrow, and I would not count on a space at the top. Park by the Saône and take the funicular from Vieux Lyon; a TCL ticket covers it.
Oysters at Les Halles on a Sunday morning
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse is where Lyon shops for Sunday lunch. Most stalls close at 13:00 on Sunday, but the oyster counters stay open until 16:00. Order a dozen with a glass of white and eat standing at the counter. The LPA car park for the market is at 156 rue Garibaldi, across the street.
Crit'Air sticker on the glass before you cross the ring
The ZFE covers Lyon, Caluire-et-Cuire and the parts of Villeurbanne, Bron and Vénissieux inside the boulevard Laurent Bonnevay, 24 hours a day, and since 2024 the M6, the M7 and the northern ring road as well. Since 1 January 2025, Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified cars are banned: roughly, diesel before 2011 and petrol before 2006. Every car in the zone must show its sticker, foreign plates included. The fine for a car is €68.
Order the sticker only from certificat-air.gouv.fr, weeks ahead: it comes by post. The Métropole's "petit rouleur" pass allows a banned car up to 52 days a year, but its pages do not say whether a foreign car qualifies, so I would not plan on it.
Parking in Lyon: One zone, priced by the weight of your car
Low-emission zones in Europe: ZFE of the Métropole de Lyon
- Foreign plates
- Sticker compulsory, foreign plates included
- When
- 24 hours, every day
- Fine
- €68 for a car, van or motorcycle; €135 for a lorry, bus or coach
- EV
- Battery electric and hydrogen are Crit'Air 0, allowed at all times
Police are fining now. Lyon is one of the two agglomerations the law still obliges to keep Crit'Air 3 out (checked 18 September 2026)
Lyon has one on-street zone, UNO, charged Monday to Saturday 09:00–19:00, and the price depends on the car. A petrol car of 1,001–1,525 kg pays the standard rate: €1 for 30 minutes, €2 for an hour, €6 for two, €14 for four, and €55 for the ten-hour maximum. Electric cars up to 2,100 kg and petrol cars up to 1,000 kg pay the reduced rate, €1 an hour. Petrol cars over 1,525 kg and heavier electric cars pay the higher rate, €3.50 for the first hour. Most hire SUVs land here, so check the kerb weight on the registration document.
Pay at the meter by cash or card, or with EasyPark or PayByPhone, which charge by the minute. Enforcement reads your number plate. Not paying brings a post-parking charge (forfait post-stationnement) of €35, €55 or €80, by category. August is not free: in 2026 visitors paid all month except Sundays and 15 August.
Underground, LPA runs the centre at one price: €0.85 per 15 minutes (€3.40 an hour), €52.80 a day, €7.70 for the night from 20:00 to 09:00. Célestins has a 1.90 m roof; Antonin Poncet, beside Bellecour, is 1.80 m. My pick for Vieux Lyon is Saint-Jean on the Saône, 976 spaces, 1.80 m. Arrive after 20:00 and the whole night costs less than two hours on the street.
Between Bellecour and the Cordeliers the Presqu'île is a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with bollards; the quays are outside it, and both garages stay open to everyone.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Saint-Jean (LPA)25 quai Romain Rolland, 5th — on the Saône at the foot of Vieux Lyon | €0.85 per 15 minutes (€3.40 an hour), €52.80 a day, €7.70 for the night 20:00–09:00. 976 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.80 m. | LPA car parks have 3.7–22 kW chargers run by E-Totem; no per-kWh price published. |
| Célestins (LPA)1 rue Gaspard André, 2nd — pedestrian exit on place des Célestins, between Bellecour and the Saône | €0.85 per 15 minutes (€3.40 an hour), €52.80 a day, €7.70 for the night 20:00–09:00. 529 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.90 m — the highest roof of the three. | LPA car parks have 3.7–22 kW chargers run by E-Totem; no per-kWh price published. |
| Antonin Poncet (LPA)6 quai Docteur Gailleton, 2nd — on the south side of Place Bellecour, by the Rhône | €0.85 per 15 minutes (€3.40 an hour), €52.80 a day, €7.70 for the night 20:00–09:00. 801 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.80 m. Weekend package €55 from Friday 12:00 to Monday 12:00. | LPA car parks have 3.7–22 kW chargers run by E-Totem; no per-kWh price published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | TCL P+R Vaise (metro D) | Free | Free with a same-day return trip on a validated TCL ticket, shown at the exit; otherwise €20. Open 04:30–01:00, no overnight parking. Inside the ZFE, so the Crit'Air sticker still applies. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Saint-Jean (LPA) | €6.80 | height 1.80 m · €7.70 for 20:00–09:00 |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, UNO zone (standard car) | €6 | Standard band (petrol 1,001–1,525 kg): €2 the first hour, then €4 an hour to €34 for nine hours; the tenth hour takes it to €55. Unpaid is a €55 post-parking charge (€35 light, €80 heavy). Free 19:00–09:00, Sundays and public holidays. |
| A full day (10 h) | TCL P+R Vaise (metro D) | Free | Free with a same-day return trip on a validated TCL ticket, shown at the exit; otherwise €20. Open 04:30–01:00, no overnight parking. Inside the ZFE, so the Crit'Air sticker still applies. |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Saint-Jean (LPA) | €34 | height 1.80 m · €7.70 for 20:00–09:00 |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, UNO zone (standard car) | €55 | Standard band (petrol 1,001–1,525 kg): €2 the first hour, then €4 an hour to €34 for nine hours; the tenth hour takes it to €55. Unpaid is a €55 post-parking charge (€35 light, €80 heavy). Free 19:00–09:00, Sundays and public holidays. |
| 24 hours | Saint-Jean (LPA) | €52.80 | height 1.80 m · €7.70 for 20:00–09:00 |
Partner link Flying in and hiring a car? Compare hire cars from different rental companies at DiscoverCars. We get a commission if you book through this link.
Towed in Lyon: Rue Pierre Sémard, in the 7th
Lyon has one municipal car pound, at 38 rue Pierre Sémard; ring it first on 04 43 86 06 62, or check the plate on the Interior Ministry's masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr. It is open Monday to Saturday 08:00–20:00 and Sundays and public holidays 10:00–17:00.
The city's own page puts the bill for a car at €127.65 plus €6.75 for each day of storage, and the first day is always charged. Bring your driving licence, registration document and insurance certificate; with a hire car, ring the rental company first. The 7th district's page still shows an older phone number and price; I follow the city's main page.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The City of Lyon runs one municipal car pound (fourrière automobile municipale) for the whole city, in the 7th arrondissement
- Phone
- Municipal car pound — ask whether your car is there: +33 4 43 86 06 62
Municipal police (police municipale): +33 4 72 10 39 00
Police emergency, if you think the car was stolen: 17 - Collect it at
- Fourrière automobile municipale, 7th arrondissement.
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday 08:00–20:00; Sundays and public holidays 10:00–17:00 (city page). The 7th district's page still lists 07:00–20:00 and Sunday mornings only; I follow the city's main page.
- What it costs
- Car: €127.65 plus €6.75 for each day of storage, the first day always charged. Motorcycle: €45.70 plus €3 a day. The 7th district's older page gives €126 plus €10 a day.
- Bring
- Driving licence, registration document and insurance certificate. If the police immobilised the car, a release order from the police station. For a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Lyon: IZIVIA on the street, billed by the hour in the day
The Métropole's public network is IZIVIA Grand Lyon, more than 700 points. On a 7 kW charger a visitor without a pass pays €3.50 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00, and €6 for the first 20 kWh at night, then €0.38 per kWh. Fast DC is €0.45 per kWh at 50 kW, plus €0.20 a minute after 45 minutes.
So I charge on the street overnight. The LPA garages have 3.7–22 kW chargers run by E-Totem, 45 of them at the Terreaux car park since its 2025 refit; no per-kWh price is published, so read the terminal first.
Where to charge
- IZIVIA Grand Lyon — €3.50 an hour by day, €6 a night — On-street across the 58 communes of the Métropole, more than 700 points. Visitor rates without a pass: 7 kW €3.50 an hour 08:00–20:00, €6 for the first 20 kWh 20:00–08:00 then €0.38/kWh; 24 kW €6 an hour by day; DC 50 kW €0.45/kWh, 100 kW+ €0.55/kWh, plus €0.20 a minute after 45 minutes
- Terreaux car park — 45 points added in 2025 — Parking LPA Terreaux, by the Hôtel de Ville. LPA refitted it in 2025 with 45 charging points, run by E-Totem. No per-kWh price published, so check the terminal; the night cap still makes it my pick for charging overnight
Free parking in Lyon: Evenings, Sundays and a TCL ticket
The kerb is free from 19:00 to 09:00 and all day on Sundays and public holidays. Arrive on a Saturday evening and your first paid hour is Monday at nine.
The TCL park-and-ride car parks are free if you ride. Make a return trip with a ticket validated the same day and show it at the exit; without one the exit ticket is €20. They open 04:30–01:00, and no car may stay overnight. From the M6, I would use Vaise on metro D; a 24-hour pass starts at €5.30. Vaise is inside the ZFE, so the sticker still counts.
Free or nearly-free spots
TCL park-and-ride: free with a same-day return trip
The P+R car parks are for TCL passengers only: make a return trip with a ticket validated the same day and show it at the exit, or pay €20 for an exit ticket. Open 04:30–01:00, no overnight parking. P+R Vaise on metro D is the one by the M6.
Evenings, Sundays and public holidays on the street
The UNO zone is charged Monday to Saturday 09:00–19:00 only. From 19:00 to 09:00, all Sunday and on public holidays the kerb costs nothing, August included.
Almost free: €7.70 for a night underground
Every central LPA car park caps 20:00–09:00 at €7.70. Arrive after dinner, leave after breakfast.
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Lyon's ZFE runs 24/7 over Lyon, Caluire-et-Cuire and the parts of Villeurbanne, Bron and Vénissieux inside the boulevard Laurent Bonnevay, and since 2024 over the M6, M7 and northern ring road. Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified cars have been banned since 1 January 2025. Foreign cars must display a Crit'Air sticker; the car fine is €68.
- The kerb price depends on the car's weight and energy. Petrol cars over 1,525 kg, plug-in hybrids over 1,900 kg and electric cars over 2,100 kg pay the higher band, €3.50 for the first hour, and an unpaid stay is an €80 post-parking charge instead of €55.
- August is no longer free for visitors: in 2026 the city charged throughout the month except Sundays and 15 August.
- The middle of the Presqu'île between Bellecour and the Cordeliers is a limited traffic zone with bollards. The quays are outside it and the Célestins and Antonin Poncet car parks stay open to everyone; do not follow the satnav into rue de la République.
- The central LPA car parks are low: 1.80 m at Saint-Jean and Antonin Poncet, 1.90 m at Célestins. With a roof box, use the park-and-ride.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.