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Best time to visit Lyon

The best time to visit Lyon is April and June–September, judged on twenty years of weather records and the events worth going for.

Lyon, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, France

°C

mm

−10°0°10°20°30°40°
0100200300400500
  • Average daily high and low
  • Precipitation
  • Good month
  • Best month
  • Made good or best by an event
Average daily high and low temperature, average precipitation and each month's verdict
MonthAverage daily highAverage daily lowPrecipitationVerdict
January6.8 °C / 44 °F1.1 °C / 34 °F70 mm / 2.7 inneither best nor good
February9.1 °C / 48 °F1.4 °C / 35 °F57 mm / 2.2 inneither best nor good
March13 °C / 55 °F3.7 °C / 39 °F67 mm / 2.6 ingood month
April17.2 °C / 63 °F6.6 °C / 44 °F72 mm / 2.8 inbest month
May20.5 °C / 69 °F10.4 °C / 51 °F101 mm / 4 ingood month
June25.4 °C / 78 °F14.4 °C / 58 °F84 mm / 3.3 inbest month
July27.7 °C / 82 °F16.1 °C / 61 °F79 mm / 3.1 inbest month
August27.2 °C / 81 °F15.5 °C / 60 °F76 mm / 3 inbest month
September22.8 °C / 73 °F12.3 °C / 54 °F81 mm / 3.2 inbest month
October17.6 °C / 64 °F9.2 °C / 49 °F92 mm / 3.6 ingood month
November11.4 °C / 53 °F5 °C / 41 °F100 mm / 3.9 inneither best nor good
December7.7 °C / 46 °F1.9 °C / 35 °F84 mm / 3.3 ingood month, for Fête des Lumières. The weather alone makes it neither best nor good.
Good and best months depend on more than temperature, rain and events. How they are chosen

Each activity on this page has its own good and best months, rated on twenty years of daily weather records. Which measures count, and how much, depends on the activity: humidity for exploring outdoors, wind for the beach, hiking and skiing, snow for skiing alone. Between them, the activities are rated on:

  • Daytime highs
  • Night-time lows
  • How warm it feels
  • Humidity
  • How much of the day is sunny
  • Hours of daylight
  • Monthly rainfall
  • How many days it rains
  • Days of heavy rain
  • Wind
  • Snowfall and days with snow
  • Major events, such as festivals

The chart shows the good and best months for exploring outdoors.

The event icon marks a month that an event lifts to good or best, such as a festival or a natural spectacle. Choose “Weather only” in the toolbar to rate the months on weather alone.

Best months by activity

Exploring outdoors

Mild days and nights, mostly dry and bright. The default for 'when should I go'.

  1. JJanuary: neither
  2. FFebruary: neither
  3. MMarch: good
  4. AApril: best
  5. MMay: good
  6. JJune: best
  7. JJuly: best
  8. AAugust: best
  9. SSeptember: best
  10. OOctober: good
  11. NNovember: neither
  12. DDecember: good
Best
April, June–September
Good
March, May, October, December

Lyon is best for exploring outdoors from April through September (May is the wettest of these, still good), with mild-to-warm, sunny, comparatively dry days. March and October are good shoulder months, while November through February are cold, grey and damp, though December's Fête des Lumières lights up the city despite the weather.

Why these months

  • March · good

    In its favour: share of daylight that is sunny 74%, precipitation 67 mm / 2.6 in, days with heavy rain 1.6 days, average daily high 13 °C / 55 °F, wet days 11.8 days, relative humidity 71%.

    Against: feels like (high) 9.9 °C / 50 °F, average daily low 3.7 °C / 39 °F.

  • April · best

    In its favour: feels like (high) 14.9 °C / 59 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 77%, average daily high 17.2 °C / 63 °F, precipitation 72 mm / 2.8 in, days with heavy rain 2 days, wet days 10.6 days, relative humidity 67%, average daily low 6.6 °C / 44 °F.

    Also on: Beer festival.

  • May · good

    In its favour: feels like (high) 19.4 °C / 67 °F, average daily high 20.5 °C / 69 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 74%, average daily low 10.4 °C / 51 °F, relative humidity 69%.

    Against: wet days 13.2 days, precipitation 101 mm / 4 in, days with heavy rain 3.1 days.

    Also on: Nuits Sonores.

  • June · best

    In its favour: feels like (high) 25.4 °C / 78 °F, average daily high 25.4 °C / 78 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 79%, precipitation 84 mm / 3.3 in, average daily low 14.4 °C / 58 °F, relative humidity 66%.

    Against: wet days 12 days, days with heavy rain 2.9 days.

    Also on: Nuits de Fourvière, Street food festival.

    Watch out for: Nuits de Fourvière access restrictions.

  • July · best

    In its favour: feels like (high) 28.1 °C / 83 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 83%, precipitation 79 mm / 3.1 in, average daily high 27.7 °C / 82 °F, days with heavy rain 2.4 days, average daily low 16.1 °C / 61 °F, relative humidity 62%, wet days 10.3 days.

    Also on: Nuits de Fourvière, Summer exodus eases reservations.

    Watch out for: Nuits de Fourvière access restrictions, Summer closures.

  • August · best

    In its favour: feels like (high) 27.3 °C / 81 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 84%, precipitation 76 mm / 3 in, average daily high 27.2 °C / 81 °F, wet days 8.9 days, days with heavy rain 2.6 days, average daily low 15.5 °C / 60 °F, relative humidity 64%.

    Also on: Summer exodus eases reservations.

    Watch out for: Summer closures.

  • September · best

    In its favour: feels like (high) 22 °C / 72 °F, average daily high 22.8 °C / 73 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 78%, precipitation 81 mm / 3.2 in, wet days 9.2 days, average daily low 12.3 °C / 54 °F, relative humidity 71%.

    Against: days with heavy rain 3 days.

    Also on: Grape harvest season, Heritage Days (City Hall access).

  • October · good

    In its favour: feels like (high) 16.1 °C / 61 °F, share of daylight that is sunny 69%, average daily high 17.6 °C / 64 °F, wet days 10.2 days, average daily low 9.2 °C / 49 °F.

    Against: relative humidity 79%, precipitation 92 mm / 3.6 in, days with heavy rain 2.8 days, sunshine per day 7.6 h.

    Also on: Salon des Vignerons Indépendants.

  • December · good

    Made good by Fête des Lumières.

    In its favour: share of daylight that is sunny 58%, precipitation 84 mm / 3.3 in, days with heavy rain 2.3 days.

    Against: feels like (high) 4.8 °C / 41 °F, average daily high 7.7 °C / 46 °F, wet days 13.6 days, relative humidity 86%, sunshine per day 5 h, average daily low 1.9 °C / 35 °F.

    Watch out for: Fête des Lumières crowds.

An activity is listed only where it applies: skiing at ski destinations, beach and swimming at beach destinations. The nearest ski area is Chalmazel, 80 km away.

Weather averages

Monthly averages over twenty years, 2006–2025. Highs, lows and precipitation are in the chart at the top.

  JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels like (high) 3.6 °C5.7 °C9.9 °C14.9 °C19.4 °C25.4 °C28.1 °C27.3 °C22 °C16.1 °C8.9 °C4.8 °C
Days with heavy rain 1.6 days1.4 days1.6 days2 days3.1 days2.9 days2.4 days2.6 days3 days2.8 days3 days2.3 days
Time rain usually falls 12 am9 am11 pm6 pm6 pm6 pm7 pm7 pm9 pm8 am4 pm9 pm
Sunshine per day 5.1 h7 h8.8 h10.5 h11.1 h12.3 h12.7 h11.8 h9.7 h7.6 h5.9 h5 h
Relative humidity 83%78%71%67%69%66%62%64%71%79%84%86%

Air quality

Averaged over a shorter period (2022–2025) than the twenty-year averages above, and not counted towards good or best months.

  JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Air pollution (PM2.5) 2022–202512.4 µg/m³17.8 µg/m³12.3 µg/m³9.8 µg/m³10.7 µg/m³12.5 µg/m³8.8 µg/m³8.8 µg/m³8.7 µg/m³11.2 µg/m³11.6 µg/m³14.7 µg/m³
Air pollution (PM2.5, daily peak) 2022–202523.3 µg/m³30.2 µg/m³21.1 µg/m³16.1 µg/m³17.2 µg/m³19.6 µg/m³13.9 µg/m³13.4 µg/m³14.1 µg/m³18.3 µg/m³21.4 µg/m³28 µg/m³
  • Good 15 µg/m³ or less
  • Fair 15 to 25 µg/m³
  • Moderate 25 to 37.5 µg/m³
  • Poor 37.5 to 50 µg/m³
  • Very poor 50 to 75 µg/m³
  • Extremely poor over 75 µg/m³

Each figure is compared with the World Health Organization's guideline for a day's air, 15 µg/m³ or less, and with its interim targets above that. The words are ours: the WHO does not name its steps. The figures are modelled monthly averages, so single days can be well above them. The daily peak is the average of each day's highest hour, shaded on the same scale.

Events and seasons

What the weather records cannot show. A major event can lift a month to good or best. The warnings are there to help you plan, and never count against a month.

Reasons to go

  • Fête des Lumières Major

    6–9 December, dates vary from year to year

  • Beer festival

    April

  • Nuits Sonores

    1–5 May

  • Street food festival

    June

  • Nuits de Fourvière

    June and July

  • Summer exodus eases reservations

    15 July–31 August

  • Grape harvest season

    September

  • Heritage Days (City Hall access)

    September

  • Salon des Vignerons Indépendants

    October

  • Beaujolais Nouveau

    15–21 November, dates vary from year to year

Worth knowing before you go

  • Nuits de Fourvière access restrictions

    June and July

  • Summer closures

    15 July–31 August

  • Fête des Lumières crowds

    6–9 December, dates vary from year to year

World Heritage sites nearby

UNESCO World Heritage sites within 25 km, nearest first.

  • Vieux Lyon

    2 km away

Other places in France

Compare places month by month on the travel calendar

Monthly averages over 2006–2025, unless stated otherwise.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC-BY 4.0), generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information (ERA5). City data from GeoNames (CC-BY 4.0). Air quality from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and sea temperature from Météo-France / Copernicus Marine, both via Open-Meteo.com. Coastline from Natural Earth. Ski areas from OpenSkiMap.org, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Skimap.org. World Heritage sites from Wikidata (CC0), from the World Heritage List © UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Readership from Wikimedia pageview data (CC0). Destination classification derived from English Wikivoyage, © Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).