Road Travel › Drive weather

Zurich to Lyon drive weather

426 km (265 miles), about 4 hours of driving via A1 and A40. The high point is A40 south of Oyonnax at 692 m (2,270 ft), about 3 h 10 min in.

Distance
426 km
Drive time
~4 hours
High point
692 m
Countries
Switzerland · France

Next 7 departures

Leaving Zurich at 7 AM each day · Updated · Forecast: MET Norway

  1. SatOct 3

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 11–17°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTFog11°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTCloudy12°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTFog15°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTFog16°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTPartly sunny16°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTCloudy17°C
  2. SunOct 4

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 11–20°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTFog11°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTPartly sunny13°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTPartly sunny17°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTFog17°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTCloudy16°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTPartly sunny20°C
  3. MonOct 5

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–19°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTFog13°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTCloudy12°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTCloudy16°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTCloudy16°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTPartly sunny18°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTPartly sunny19°C
  4. TueOct 6

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 10–18°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTSunny10°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTMostly sunny10°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTMostly sunny16°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTPartly sunny15°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTSunny14°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTMostly sunny18°C
  5. WedOct 7

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–19°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTMostly sunny9°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTSunny10°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTCloudy16°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTCloudy15°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTCloudy15°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTSunny19°C
  6. ThuOct 8

    CautionHeavy rain near Bern around 8:15 AM CEST. Also at 1 other checkpoint.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTHeavy rain12°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTHeavy rain13°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTHeavy rain15°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTHeavy rain14°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTHeavy rain11°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTRain16°C
  7. FriOct 9

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–11°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Zurich7 AM CESTCloudy6°C
    Bern8:15 AM CESTPartly sunny7°C
    Lausanne9:15 AM CESTPartly sunny9°C
    Geneva9:45 AM CESTMostly sunny9°C
    A40 south of Oyonnax10:15 AM CESTCloudy7°C
    Lyon11:15 AM CESTCloudy11°C

The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.

The route, stop by stop

Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Zurich (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.

A40 south of Oyonnax · 692 m 0 km 427 km
Elevation along the route (Terrain Tiles, sampled every 8 km).
  1. Zurich, SwitzerlandStart 415 melevation
  2. Bern, SwitzerlandKm 121 · 1 h 12 min 537 melevation
  3. Lausanne, SwitzerlandKm 220 · 2 h 8 min 498 melevation
  4. Geneva, SwitzerlandKm 277 · 2 h 38 min 403 melevation
  5. A40 south of Oyonnax, FranceKm 333 · 3 h 10 min 692 melevation
  6. Lyon, FranceKm 426 · 4 h 8 min 174 melevation

Typical weather by month

Average daily highs and lows, and days with 2.5 cm (an inch) or more of snow, at Zurich, A40 south of Oyonnax and Lyon.

MonthZurich
Zurich (Fluntern) station · 555 m
A40 south of Oyonnax
Geneva Airport station · 420 m
Lyon
Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport station · 235 m
High / low °CHigh / low °CHigh / low °C
Jan3° / -1°5° / -1°7° / 1°
Feb5° / -1°7° / -1°8° / 1°
Mar10° / 2°12° / 2°13° / 4°
Apr15° / 5°16° / 5°17° / 7°
May19° / 9°20° / 9°21° / 11°
Jun22° / 13°24° / 13°25° / 15°
Jul24° / 14°27° / 15°28° / 17°
Aug24° / 14°26° / 14°27° / 16°
Sep19° / 11°21° / 11°23° / 13°
Oct14° / 7°16° / 7°17° / 10°
Nov8° / 3°9° / 3°11° / 5°
Dec4° / 0°6° / 0°7° / 2°

1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): ZUERICH FLUNTERN, SZ (SZ000003700, 555 m); GENEVE COINTRIN, SZ (SZ000008440, 420 m); LYON ST EXUPERY, FR (FR069029001, 235 m). Snow days are days with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.

Road conditions

Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Switzerland and France rather than repeat them.

Check the official forecast from MeteoSwiss and Météo-France and each road report before you leave.

Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there

Road Travel plans the drive from Zurich to Lyon with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from Zurich to Lyon?

426 km (265 miles), about 4 hours of driving without stops, by way of A1 and A40. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.

What is the highest point on the drive?

A40 south of Oyonnax, at 692 m (2,270 ft). It comes at km 333, about 3 h 10 min of driving after you leave Zurich.

How cold is A40 south of Oyonnax in January?

The nearest long-term NOAA station, Geneva Airport (420 m), averages a high of 5°C and a low of -1°C in January (1991–2020 averages).

How cold is Lyon in January?

The nearest long-term NOAA station, Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport (235 m), averages a high of 7°C and a low of 1°C in January (1991–2020 averages).