Flights from Birmingham to Lyon
Travel Information on Birmingham and Lyon
Birmingham, more and more nowadays considered the “second city” of England, is a city in the West Midlands. It has population of roughly a million people. A business centre for the whole of England, Birmingham was recently voted the best place to locate a new business in England. The city is also a centre for education, with there being a large number of Universities and colleges in Birmingham. Birmingham also boasts a close proximity to major roads such as the M6 and M1, and in Birmingham New Street station the city has an important railway junction.
Birmingham is served by Birmingham International Airport. Birmingham is a large airport, the sixth busiest in England, and it is primarily located in the borough of Solihull. The airport first saw flights in 1939, and was pressed into service during the Second World War. The airport was taken over by the West Midlands County Council in 1960, and has flourished ever since, its excellence underlined by being voted the best airport in Europe in the 5-10 million passenger category in 2007. Further expansion plans are in the pipeline to ensure Birmingham continues to be at the forefront of aviation in Britain in the coming years.
Flights from Birmingham to Lyon are scheduled by Air France, who put on 12 Birmingham to Lyon flights per week.
Saint-Exupery International Airport
Saint-Exupery Airport, also known as Lyon Satolas Airport, is a large airport located near Lyon, in central France. The airport itself is actually located in the village of Colombier-Saugnieu, around 15 miles from Lyon itself. The airport’s name comes from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a writer and pilot and former native of Lyon. The airport was renamed in his honour in 2000.
The airport was inaugurated in 1975, and was built to replace the old Lyon Bron Airport, which could not itself be extended due to its presence in an urban area. The airport served 7,320,952 passengers in 2007, ranking it the fourth-busiest in France after Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Nice.
Parking Facilities at Lyon Saint-Exupery International Airport
There is provision for long term parking at Lyon’s Saint-Exupery Airport. All the car parks are linked by a free shuttle bus to the terminals. Parking your vehicle there for two weeks should cost approximately €277, and the car parks are extremely safe and easy to find.
Airport Distance from Lyon and the surrounding area
Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport is located approximately 15 miles from the centre of the city of Lyon. As mentioned above, the area of the airport is actually closer to the village of Colombier-Saugnieu. Both of these locations, and Saint-Exupery Airport itself, are gateways to the scenic and popular Rhone Alps region of France.
Transport Links to Lyon
The airport is linked by road to Lyon through both the A432 and N346 motorways. Taxis are also widely available outside the terminals, and a journey to Lyon should cost around €40 during the day and €55 at night. There are also numerous public transport options, with bus number 71 going direct to the city centre. A single ticket costs €8.60. Saint-Exupery also has its very own TGV station (Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupery), which is architecturally distinctive as it has a beautiful fan shaped canopy. The station offers direct services to Paris and Marseille, as well as other towns and cities in France and beyond.
Conference and Business facilities at Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport
Conference and business facilities are offered through the airport’s business centre. The centre has eleven meeting rooms of various sizes, where you can host a conference or business meeting. There are also fax and Minitel services. Furthermore, the nearby Sofitel Lyon Aeroport hotel offers conference and business facilities too.
The City of Lyon
The city of Lyon is the third largest city in France, after Paris and Marseille. It is the capital of the Rhone Alps region and the metropolitan area of Lyon has a population of around 1,783,400. Lyon’s genesis was as a Roman settlement, and in more recent years Lyon was a centre for the Nazis during their occupation of France. Nowadays, Lyon is known more as a major centre for business in France as well as being an important city for French gastronomy. The city is also known for its industrial output and has also become renowned for having a significant software industry including video game production. The city is also home to the headquarters of Interpol.
There is much to see and do in Lyon. The city itself has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Medieval Quarter of the town is well worth a visit. The Place Bellecour is the largest clear square in Europe, and connects the major shopping areas of Rue de la Republique and the Rue Victor Hugo. There is also a busy cultural scene, with Lyon being home to the Opera National de Lyon. The nightlife of Lyon is extremely vibrant and the city is also home to Olympic Lyonnais, a major football team that competes in Europe-wide competition. In short, Lyon is a charming city that combines the old and new and is well worth a visit.