Famous road · 3 km off the route
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Road trip route · France
Paris to Lyon drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 4 hr 58 min
- Distance
- 466 km
- Fuel (est.)
- €61
- Tolls (est.)
- €30
The Paris to Lyon drive
The drive from Paris to Lyon covers 290 miles (466 km) and takes about 4 hr 58 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
Most of it is one road: the A6 carries 93% of the distance. On the way you go past Antony, Beaune and Chalon-sur-Saône, and you'll be near Auxerre roughly 1 h 49 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 506 m near Beaune. The Route des Grands Crus is 3 km off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around €61 one-way plus roughly €30 in motorway tolls. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 290 miles this is longer than 76% of the 144 routes covered here, so it is worth treating as a trip in itself rather than a transfer.
The road, kilometre by kilometre
Towns within a few kilometres of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartParis
- 17 kmAntony11 min in
- 171 kmAuxerre1 h 49 min ingood place to stop
- 309 kmBeaune3 h 18 min in
- 339 kmChalon-sur-Saône3 h 37 min in
- 393 kmMâcon4 h 12 min ingood place to stop
- 432 kmVillefranche-sur-Saône4 h 37 min in
- 466 kmLyon
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- A6432 km · 93%
Famous roads on or near the drive
From the 500-plus passes and driving roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app. None are on the fastest route, but these are close enough for a detour.
Best stops between Paris and Lyon
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Castles & Palaces
Château de Fontainebleau
A vast royal palace southeast of Paris that served as a residence for French monarchs from Louis VII to Napoleon III.
Ancient Ruins
Abbey of Cluny
The ruins of what was once the largest church in Christendom, the powerful Benedictine mother abbey that shaped medieval Europe.
Museums
Hospices de Beaune
A stunning 15th-century charitable hospital with dazzling polychrome Burgundian tile roofs, now a museum and wine auction venue.
National Parks
Forêt de Fontainebleau
A vast forest of sandstone outcrops, the birthplace of bouldering and a favourite plein-air escape.
Castles & Palaces
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
The Baroque masterpiece that inspired Versailles, with candlelit evenings illuminating Le Nôtre's gardens.
Racetracks
Autodrome de Linas-Montlhery
Legendary 1924 banked concrete speed bowl south of Paris where dozens of land-speed and endurance records were set; its steep bankings still host classic-car festivals like Les Grandes Heures Automobiles.
Famous Roads
Route des Grands Crus
60-km wine road from Dijon to Santenay through Burgundy's Côte d'Or, stringing together Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Romanée-Conti and Beaune along UNESCO-listed climat vineyard walls.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
France
- Motorway
- 130 km/h · 50 in town
- Tolls
- Autoroute à péage
- Must carry
- warning triangle, hi-vis vest
- Winter tyres
- 1 November - 31 March
Low-emission zones: ZFE (Zones à Faibles Émissions) — needs a Crit'Air (Certificat qualité de l'air).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in France
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Verdon Gorge: Route des Crêtes
Europe's deepest canyon, turquoise water 700m below, and a clifftop road with no barriers
104 km · 3h driving · 5 stops · 2 days
Route Napoléon: Cannes to Grenoble
The road Napoleon took from exile back to Paris, now a 325 km drive through pre-Alps
325 km · 5.7h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
Paris to Lyon FAQs
How long is the drive from Paris to Lyon?
Driving from Paris to Lyon takes about 4 hr 58 min nonstop, covering 290 miles (466 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Paris to Lyon?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly €61 one-way. Expect around €30 in motorway tolls. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Paris to Lyon in one day?
Yes, at about 4 hr 58 min of driving, Paris to Lyon is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Paris to Lyon?
The fastest route uses the A6 (about 432 km). It passes Antony, Auxerre, Beaune, Chalon-sur-Saône.
Where should I stop on the way from Paris to Lyon?
If you stop every couple of hours, Auxerre comes up about 2 h in, and Mâcon comes up about 4 h in. All are just off the main road.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 19 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between Paris and Lyon?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Château de Fontainebleau, Abbey of Cluny, Hospices de Beaune: see the full list of 7 stops on this page.
More drives from Paris & Lyon
London → ParisLyon → MarseilleNice → LyonParis → AmsterdamParis → BarcelonaParis → BordeauxParis → BrusselsParis → CalaisParis → GenevaParis → Marseille
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free France road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in France guide.