Getting to Lyon
Reaching Lyon is easy thanks to its excellent rail and air connections.
Reaching Lyon by rail: At the heart of Europe’s high-speed TGV network, Lyon is just 2 hours from Paris (with trains every 30 minutes), 1 hour 40 minutes from Marseille (22 daily round trips), around 5 hours from London via Eurostar, 5 hours from Barcelona, and about 4.5 hours from Milan or Zurich. With France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland all within convenient reach, rail travel offers many delegates a fast and environmentally friendly option.
Reaching Lyon by air: Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport—France’s fourth-largest international airport—provides direct flights to over 118 destinations with 48 airlines, including numerous low-cost carriers. Most European capitals are less than two hours away by air. Participants from the United States can fly directly to Paris and connect via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Lyon, while many routes from Asia operate via Dubai.
INSA is located in the LyonTech-La Doua campus in Villeurbanne – district with its own unique identity blending student life and modern campuses, skyscrapers from the 30s, and rich art and culture scene.
Airport – INSA:
Take the Rhônexpress from the airport to Gare de Lyon Part-Dieu (about 30 minutes; departures every 15 minutes).
From Part-Dieu, take tram T1 or T4 to La Doua – Gaston Berger.
Located in the heart of Europe, Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport offers one of the region’s most comprehensive international route networks, with more than 130 non-stop routes (in 2025) operated by 44 airlines. The airport serves 102 international destinations and connects to 71 European cities, including Amsterdam, London, Manchester, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Dublin, Lisbon, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Vienna, among others.
The airport is just 25 minutes from Lyon city center and is easily accessible via the Rhônexpress, which runs every 15 minutes, as well as 24-hour taxi services.
For participants arriving from the United States via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, direct TGV high-speed train connections to Lyon operate 26 times daily, reaching the city in just 1 hour 50 minutes. The railway station is conveniently located directly beneath the airport, eliminating the need to change airports upon arrival.
Participants traveling from Asia benefit from direct connections to Lyon via Dubai. In addition, the new ZENLINE service allows passengers to reserve a dedicated time slot for security checks, reducing waiting times and enhancing the overall travel experience.
3 HIGH SPEED TRAIN STATIONS
Lyon is very well connected to Europe and counts 3 high-speed train stations in the city:
• Perrache train station (city centre) serves mostly for trains operating on the Paris to Marseille route
– terminus station for train operation on the Lyon to Geneva route.
• Part Dieu train station (city centre) is the only train station in France that serves all neighboring European countries and all regional capitals in France. It is a major nerve centre, including the leading interchange rail station in Europe. The Part-Dieu train station is being completely renovated to facilitate travels and intramodality.
• St Exupéry train station (airport) connected to Lyon Airport by a moving sidewalk.
Lyon-Paris: 1h55 (23 round trips on weekdays) | Lyon-Geneva: 1h50 | Lyon-Brussels: 3h37 | Lyon-London: 4h40
Lyon-Torino: 3h45 | Lyon-Milano: 5h15 | Lyon-Barcelona: 5h | Lyon-Frankfurt: 6h