Lyon

Lyon is a big city in the South East of France. The autoroute du soleil passes through it, so in Summer there are huge amounts of traffic.

Hitchers should keep in mind that Lyon is known as the Hitchers Hell of France due to the tunnel system in and out of the city. I've personally been caught there more than a few times and hitching is really difficult especially during peak summer season when spots like the one mentioned in the post below have 4 or 5 hitchers in a queue trying to get out. While it is a beautiful city, if you have no real purpose for going there avoid it like the plague. I once saw a piece of road side graffiti that read "Lyon – Nothing ever leaves here, not even night!!" It is very worthwhile time-wise to get a ride that will take you south of Lyon. Thumbs out! --- Fruupp

Hitching Out

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North towards Paris, Dijon

• You can stop at the traffic lights on the bridge Kitchener-Marchand near Perrache (look at this map, you have to hitchhike at the point A, most cars go the way showed in blue that is go to the highway A6 to Paris.) It can be better to write "Péage" (toll) or Villefranche (and then, stop at the toll or before.)
• You can go to the petrol station Bruyéres-Passy on the A6 North. This is a good option because it puts you already north and out of Lyon, at a petrol station right along the highway. To get there take the metro to the stop Gare de Vaise. From there catch the bus number 21 (Any bus with the number 21 will do, as this is the beginning of the route) and get off at the stop called Parc Sans Souci. After you get off the bus continue walking in the direction the bus leaves (as if you were chasing it after you get off!) After about 50 meters you will hit a street called Rue Sans Souci and turn left. Continue walking following the road about 10 minutes, then turn right onto a road called Chemin de la Bruyere. You should see the petrol station on the left after the Harley Davidson Warehouse/Store. You'll need to jump the fence to get to it. The petrol station is right near a big store called Metro which you can use as a landmark if you need to ask for directions.

South towards Orange, Nîmes, Marseille, St Etienne

• On Quai du Docteur Gailleton near Rue Franklin there is a bus stop which makes a great place for cars to pull over. It is very close to metro stop Ampère Victor Hugo. There's plenty of traffic heading to Valence and Orange, which is a good place to continue further East or West along the coast. Hitchhike on the left lane (cars on the right lane will then turn right...) a bit under the speed camera.
  Quite fast you can get a ride to nearest petrol station, which is situated 12km south - just try hitchhiking with sign "A7 - 12km sud".
• You also might want to try from Square Julien Gras.
• Just in front of the 'Prison St-Joseph' on 'Quai Perrache' you can stand on the white-striped space between the continuing street and the lane that joins the highway.
• A gas station on A7, south of Lyon, on the level of a town called Vernaison, is a perfect place. To get there, you should take a train heading to Vernaison at garre du Perrache (3euro). At Vernaison you cross the river (there are two bridges and an island betwen). Once on the other site of the river, Turn left (north)and walk for a few kilometers (I walked the no-ones land between the motorway and some firm's fenced property, but there may be a way behind the property). The distance from Vernaison train station to the gas station is not the shortest one, but once you are there, you ar really inside the motorway network, so it's worth the effort.

Getting onto A46 (Lyon Bypass)

There's a big service area on the Lyon bypass (Contournement de Lyon) motorway. There are two petrol stations, one on each side of the road. This is locted to the South of the urban area. Directions are:

• Southbound
  • A7 – Marseille, Montpellier
  • A47 – Saint Etienne
• Northbound
  • A6 – Dijon, Paris
  • A42 – Genève

The place on the map

There's one bus going to Communay, the closest village, the bus #179 From "Rond point Darilly" (Métro "Parilly"), but it goes 7 times a day on workdays and 4 times the day on week-ends. there's several stops in the village. You can check out the timetable here. If you missed it there's a bus #39 from metro Venissieux, but goes only until Solaize, 5 km closer to the center on road D307/N7, leading to the motorway. The station is about 1 km south from the interchange. The service-stations are sealed off from the normal road but at least for the northbound spot, you can easily climb over the fence. Finding a hitch here is very easy. If you know how to get here, it is definitely worth the hustle.

Marché de Gros is situated in the very south of the Saone peninsula. Coming from "Rue Casimir Périer" You reach a street alongside A7 with lots of cars going to the the motorway. Vasy there, a lot of stop-and-go. I stood for 2h near the train station "Lyon-Perrache" and then 5min there.

A petrol station on the A6 North near Limonest is potentially good. (see above)

It's only information I found on the net, i didn't verify it since i was dropped off at the station by someone heading to the city, but got a ride in about 1/2 hour (In Nov 2006) --Daniel 20:21, 13 January 2007 (CET)

Getting onto A42 - Direction Bourg-en-Bresse, Genève, Germany

Take the train or bus (about once the hour) to the village of Montluel. From the station walk direction Pérouges, turn right to direction of Niévroz. You cross under the railway and over the motorway. Looking to the left you see the petrol station you are heading for. The whole way to walk takes about 10-20min. See the place here: [1]

Lyon to Geneva/Bourg en Bresse/Dijon via A42:

How to get to the gas station onto the highway.

Take bus 171 from "Hotel de ville" next to river in Lyon (dep at hours 03/33, weekend only 33). Its near the opera on Quai Jean moulin. Bus takes about 45 mins and costs 2 euros one way. Nice journey btw through some small french villages. Along the way lots of big supermarkets in case you need food. Leave the bus at Montluel train station which is the second last. You will see the train station when you pass, so dont panic. Trains are faster and have to be taken from the main station in Lyon. Get off and turn right, cross under the railway tracks. Then you will enter the industrial area in Montluel. i got lost there but try to find Rue des Chartinières to cross the motorway. You will have to turn left earlier to get to Rue Chartinières. Once you have crossed the bridge turn left and follow the road close to the highway. There is a small space to enter the gas stations, only for pedestrians, behind the little house at the end of the parking lot.

I hitched on a saturday morning in march and therefore waited about an hour. Traffic is ok but people go all directions in France from here. I had many Dutch cars coming and Germans. They go via Dijon. You just need to be patient and also accept shorter rides. The best would be to get to the next gas station (Ceignes). So ask for Bellgarde for example.

Good luck! Hitchhing from Lyon to Geneva is bad, as said in the beginning, avoid if possible. Worth thinking about rideshare/Train at least until Geneva if you need to be on time. From Geneva it will be easier but before. It took me all day to hitch from Lyon to Fribourg in Switzerland which is really unusual. Be careful: there is too many intersections after Lyon and before Geneva that you risk to get onto the wrong one. (Anemasse/Chambery,Milan..) Bring a very good map and be informed!! The people in the car dont know as well as you do!

In winter all the french cars to skiing so you can be almost 100% sure they are NOT going to Switzerland and they dont even know what the way is as everybody uses a GPS. (Numberplates france in the 60ties and 70ties, Lyon is 69) mila

Sleep

The parks on Fourvière Hill in Vieux Lyon are peaceful at night and if you are too, no one will bother you for camping out there. It's nearby, but it feels so far outside of the city that you can get a relaxing night of sleep without worrying about police or thieves. It is however quite difficult to find a flat place there. trash:Lyon