Apartments for Rent in Lyon (2023)

Serviced & Furnished Apartments and Rooms for Rent in Lyon

Lyon is a cosmopolitan city, a gastronomic centre with great nightlife, a leading university and plenty of beautiful sights.

Types of Accommodations in Lyon

• Rooms for Rent in Lyon
• Student Accommodation in Lyon
• Studio Apartments in Lyon

Moving to Lyon and finding an accommodation

Lyon is a diverse place, with quieter, up-market areas, cheaper districts for students and lively neighbourhoods with bars and nightlife. Lyon is a wonderful place to attend festivals, with the Festival of Lights in December, and Nuits de Fourvière in the summer particular highlights in the calendar. The cost of renting furnished apartments in Lyon varies depending on the neighbourhood you choose. Generally, there’s a lot of competition for the best property, so rents are slightly higher than other French cities. Expect to pay around €600 for a spacious studio in the cheaper areas and anything up to €1,500 for family-sized apartments in central areas.

Lyon City-Centre

The city centre is the oldest part of town, and features gorgeous UNESCO-protected architecture like the Cathedral of Saint-Jean Baptiste. Here you will find a warren of winding alleyways (or “traboules”) that are home to thousands of beautiful one room apartments. Rents are relatively cheap, the area has good Metro connections and the main business districts are just a short walk across the River Saone.

East of La Presqu'île and the 2nd arrondissement you’ll find the 3rd arrondissement – an area of modern apartment blocks, business offices and educational institutions. It’s a great place to find student accommodation in Lyon, and is also convenient for foodies, thanks to the presence of Halles de Lyon, the major food market in town.

La Presqu'île

La Presqu'île is where the action happens in Lyon, with its location in the central part of the peninsular between the rivers Saone and Rhone. It’s home to the liveliest bars, clubs and music venues, as well as the Rue de la République, Lyon’s premier shopping street. Rents here are slightly pricier than the rest of Lyon, but it’s a great area for young couples, solo travellers and students to stay.

Student Accommodation in Lyon

Lyon is located in east central France, its inhabitants ‘Lyonnais’ are proud of their cities famous cuisine and gastronomy. Lyon is a lot smaller than Paris, the cost of living in Lyon is therefore much more affordable for students. The city still has a cosmopolitan feel and there is much to see and do within the city. Try exploring, by walking up Fourvière. It is also known as ‘la colline qui prie’, in English the hill that prays, up the Fourvière you’ll have an amazing view of the city.

Finding any apartment for rent in Lyon, when you are new to the city, is nerve racking. This guide is to give students the basic knowledge they need for moving to Lyon. It includes: Details on the types of student accommodation in Lyon and the cities Universities.

Student Residences

If you are looking for student accommodation in Lyon; shared houses/flats, apartments or University Halls are amongst the options for students.

Shared Home

A shared student residence means you will be living with other students. A co-living lifestyle is great for students new to a city. Most shared homes come equipped with a communal kitchen and bathroom space. A house with extra amenities will usually come at an extra cost. A lot of students prefer this type of living in Lyon.

Apartment or Flats

Private apartments in Lyon will be the most expensive option for a student. Often students curb this cost by splitting this cost with friends. Furnished apartments are generally more popular within the student world. Unfurnished apartments will be commonly found as long leases only.

Student Halls

As a standard a student room will come with a bed and desk. There is also a shared bathroom/kitchen area. Rooms for rent in student halls, can include extras such as an en-suites, a private kitchen and more communal social areas. Living amongst your peers is great for building long-lasting friendships. Living in organised housing, is also preferred by some students.

Best areas to live in Lyon as a student

Lyon is separated into nine arrondissements, each arrondissement is distinct and will have something slightly different to offer. For example the 2nd arrondissement is Lyons La Presqu'île, which translates to peninsula in French, is full of luxury shops and high end eateries, whereas The Guillotière district in the 7th and 3rd arrondissement was traditionally a working class and underrun area. Gentrification has caused the explosion of cheap hip eateries, shops and cafes. It is great for students, as is still cheap and very central. Similarly the La Croix-Rousse district has a vibrant cultural scene and is also popular amongst students. This is a traditionally poor neighbourhood known for it’s historical silk industry. Nethertheless the houses in La Croix-Rousse have high ceilings and are comparatively taller to other homes in Lyon as they needed to be tall for the silk workshops.

University of Lyon

The University of Lyon is composed of three universities, each of them offering many fields of studies. Here is a quick guide for you:

Claude Bernard University Lyon 1

The Université Claude Bernard 1 or known as UCBL. It is one of the three universities that comprise the University of Lyon. The campus is based in the north of Lyon next to the Parc de la Tete. The park is full of open green spaces. It is great for post lecture afternoon walks and has good reading spots.

Transport Connections: Light rail station: Université Lyon1 for trams T4 and T1

Université Lumière Lyon 2

The University Lumière Lyon 2 is one of the three universities that make up the University of Lyon. There are two campuses. The main campus ‘The Berges du Rhône' is in Lyon’s city-center, on the bank of the Rhone and overlooks the La Presqu'île. The second campus is on the south-eastern outskirts of the city and it’s called the Porte des Alpes' campus.

Transport Connections: Main campus is accesible by Light Rail Station, Rue de l'Université. Secondary campus is commutable from Parilly - Université station.

Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3

Jean Moulin University Lyon III is the third public University in Lyon and is also under the umbrella of the University of Lyon. This University has in total three campuses; firstly there is Les Quais, then secondly there is Manufacture des Tabacs, which is actually South East of Lyon, the final campus is an out of city campus and named Bourg-en-Bresse.

Transport Connections: Les Quais Campus use Station Guillotière, for Manufacture des Tabacs Campus use Métro ligne D from Station Sans-Souci.