🇫🇷 Studying in Lyon
AI suggestionFrance
Lyon is France's gastronomic capital, offering a vibrant student life with world-class universities, two beautiful intersecting rivers, and a rich cultural scene that is highly accessible and significantly more affordable than Paris.
This guide was written for Lyon by ExchangeOS AI and refreshed regularly. Always confirm official procedures with your host university and the links below.
Map of Lyon
Live map with the real landmarks around your city — tap a layer to open it in Maps.
What's on in Lyon
Direct links to real event platforms, pre-searched for Lyon.
- EventbriteParties, workshops, meetups and student nights
- MeetupLanguage exchanges, sports and hobby groups
- ESN section finderYour local Erasmus Student Network section and its trips
- TicketmasterConcerts, festivals and big venues
- SongkickLive music calendar by city
- Facebook eventsWhere most student events actually get posted
- Official city event calendarMunicipal what's-on listings — usually the most reliable
- University eventsYour host university's own calendar
Getting around
- • TCL (Transports en Commun Lyonnais) operates the extensive network of 4 metro lines, 7 tramway lines, and over a hundred bus routes.
- • The TCL Student Pass offers unlimited travel across the entire metropolitan area for a heavily discounted monthly rate.
- • Rhônexpress connects Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport directly to the central Lyon Part-Dieu business district and transport hub in under 30 minutes.
- • Vélo'v is the city's public bike-sharing network, featuring cheap annual student subscriptions and docking stations every 300 meters.
Student essentials (estimates)
- Rent: €400 - €700 per month (often lower after applying for the CAF housing subsidy)
- Monthly budget: €800 - €1,200 per month (including accommodation, groceries, and social life)
- Transport pass: €25 per month (TCL Student/Jeune subscription for unlimited travel)
- Lunch: €3.30 (standard CROUS university refectory meal) to €12 - €18 (budget restaurant lunch)
- Coffee: €2.20 - €3.80
Neighbourhoods students love
- Villeurbanne (highly popular area hosting the massive Lyon 1 Doua campus with affordable housing)
- Guillotière (vibrant, multicultural area close to Lyon 2 and Lyon 3 riverfront campuses)
- Jean Macé / 7th Arrondissement (very active student hub filled with indie cafes, bars, and parks)
- Monplaisir (historic, village-like neighborhood famous for the Lumière brothers, popular with medical students)
- Croix-Rousse (bohemian hilltop district known for its silk-weaving history, views, and creative community)