Cheap flights from London to Lyon

October is the cheapest month on this route, and the price calendar runs right through the year, so you can hold your dates against it before you commit. Summer and the school holidays in both countries are the busiest stretches, when fares climb, while spring and autumn sit calmer. Midweek departures tend to cost less than Friday evenings and Sunday returns, which is when weekend city breaks fill up. If your dates are flexible, start with October and work outwards. Book early for half-term and the run-up to Christmas, when London and Lyon empty and fill at the same time.

Low-cost carriers do most of the work here: easyJet and easyJet Europe, Ryanair, Wizz Air UK and Wizz Air Malta, Vueling Airlines and Jet2 all sell seats on London to Lyon itineraries, and their fares are built around hand baggage only, with a checked bag, a seat choice or a larger cabin bag costing extra. British Airways, BA EuroFlyer and Iberia are the full-service options, where a checked bag and a seat are usually part of the ticket. The mix matters when you compare, because a low-cost fare plus a bag can land close to a full-service fare. Read the routing too: some itineraries are flown nonstop, others are sold through a hub, and that changes both the journey and what is included.

Lyon shows two arrival points on this route. Saint-Exupéry is the airport, set outside the city, so you need a transfer at the end of the flight, whether that is the rail link, a shuttle or a taxi, depending on the hour and where you are staying. Part-Dieu is a railway station in the city itself, so a ticket ending there leaves you a short local ride from your hotel rather than a run in from the outskirts. Check which of the two your fare uses before you pay, because the last leg is not the same from both. Landing late, arrange the transfer in advance instead of sorting it at the kerb.

Currency

EUR (€)

Power sockets

Type C, E · 230 V

Language

French

Emergency number

112, 15, 17

Driving side

right

Calling code

+33

Internet domain

.fr

EU / Schengen

EU member, Schengen area

Population of Lyon

519 k (2023)

Time zone

UTC+01 (Europe/Paris)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from, since City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted are nowhere near each other.
• Weigh the hand-baggage-only rule on the low-cost fares against a full-service ticket that includes a checked bag.
• If your itinerary is two separate tickets, leave room for a delay and confirm whether you must collect and re-check your bag.
• Make sure your passport and any entry requirements for France are in order before you pay.
• Compare your travel month with October on the price calendar to see what the dates do to the fare.
• Confirm whether you arrive at Saint-Exupéry or at Part-Dieu station, and plan the last leg accordingly.