Lyon : general information

• Lyon has an international airport (Saint-Exupéry airport), and is a well-known tourism (food, wine, roman and medieval monuments, UNESCO World Heritage district), and economic center.
  
• Lyon is only 2 hours away from the centre of Paris by train using the TGV (very fast train going 300 km/h).
  
• Geneva is 2 hours away by car, or train.
  
• Note that there is also a direct connection from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Paris International airport to Lyon by TGV (very fast train): it takes 2 hours from CDG to the centre of Lyon this way, and represents an excellent alternative solution in replacement of a connecting Paris-Lyon flight.
  
• Marseille (mediterranean coast) is 3 hours away by car, but only 1.5 hour with the fast train (TGV).
  
• The high peaks of the Alpes are only about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours by car from Lyon.

Access to the Conference Site

The Conference will be held at the Gerland campus of the Université Claude Bernard de Lyon, 50 Av. Tony Garnier, 69007 Lyon

The Conference center is marked "UCBL" on this map of the Gerland Campus
Note the subway station "Stade de Gerland" (line B) close to the Conference center.

To access the Gerland Conference site        

• From the Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport
  Take the airport shuttle to Lyon (Part-Dieu train station) which leaves every 20 min in front of the entrance of Terminal 1 (departure level).
  
  
• From Part-Dieu train station
  Take the subway line B, towards "Stade de Gerland".
  Stop at "Stade de Gerland" (last station).
  
  
• From Perrache train station
  Take the T2 tramway towards "Saint-Priest Bel Air".
  Stop at "Jean-Macé."
  Then take the subway line B, direction "Stade de Gerland".
  Stop at "Stade de Gerland" (last station).
  

Maps of the Metro (subway) and Bus Lines

You can also use bicycles!

List of Restaurants close to the conference centre

There are a number of restaurants/snack places near the conference centre, where participants can go for lunch during the week. A list of these places with some practical information and their location are provided in the following document: List of Restaurants around the Conference centre (pdf)!

Accomodation close to the Conference

We expect about 150 participants for this international venue.
PLEASE reserve your hotel AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, as this is a relatively busy season for France in general, and Lyon in particular. We will select a few hotels for you to ease your choice (the list will be posted as soon as possible).
You can however already start with the following link from the Lyon tourism office: Accomodation in Lyon
The Conference site is located in the south of the Rhône left bank. You can of course also choose an hotel in the centre (Presqu'île), since Lyon has a very practical subway system (15mn from the centre to the Conference site). A Youth Hostel is available in the old part of the city (Web Site of the Youth Hostel)

Social events

During the final registration (Conference Management Tool), you will have a choice of two guided tours (in English) occuring on the free afternoon of Wednesday 12 July. They are:

• A walking tour of the old part of Lyon (16th century Renaissance buildings) and its "traboules" (passageways). The tour will start at 15:00 outside the "Vieux Lyon" subway station and last 2 hours.
  Price: 8 €.

• A wine tasting tour in the Beaujolais. A bus will leave at 14:00 from the Tourism Office on Bellecour square ("Bellecour" subway station) and take you to the Beaujolais wine region, north of Lyon. You will be able to taste some of the local wine and specialities. You will be back in Lyon around 19:00.
  Price: 20 €.

Conference dinner

The Conference dinner will be held downtown Lyon on Thursday 13 July at the Commanderie des Antonins. The dinner is included in the conference fees and you will be able to purchase additional tickets for accompanying persons at the price of 42 € (including wine) during final registration.

Lyon Tourism

Lyon is known as the centre of gastronomy in France. It is also a city of museums and monuments, with the old part of Lyon (right bank of the rivers) being registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Finally, Lyon is located in between two major nearby wine regions (Côtes du Rhône, and Beaujolais), and surrounded by a beautiful countryside (Pilat National park in the south, Vercors National Park and Chartreuse National Park in the East, Dombes in the north, Monts du Beaujolais, Monts du Lyonnais).
Please have a look at the link from the Lyon Tourism Office.