moving to Lyon for work; need advice re: housing & commute

In February my wife and I are moving from Atlanta to Lyon. I have a six-month internship at a company, the location of which can be seen by searching for %26quot;Avenue du Bois des Vergnes 01150 sainte-julie, france%26quot; in Google maps.

I am working on finding an apartment to rent. First of all, does anyone know how easy it is to get a six month lease, as opposed to a full year? Secondly, does anyone know if I can get to work (it%26#39;s in the PIPA industrial park) by train from Lyon? A carpool is available, but I thought rail might be faster. Lastly, does anyone have advice for what area of Lyon I should try to live in, knowing I%26#39;ll be working to the east of the city.

Wait, that wasn%26#39;t the last question. Does anyone know a website for Lyon%26#39;s public transportation system? Thanks.

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The easiest question first. Here is the public transportation website : TCL (Transports en Commun Lyonnais) :

http://www.tcl.fr/

There are no train getting to Sainte Julie, that is a small village near Meximieux in the Dombes region. I don%26#39;t find any info on any bus getting there either. You will have to drive. If there is a carpool, take it. For any itinerary, here is the useful website (better than Google map because you will get distances, best itinerary, time, costs) :

http://www.viamichelin.fr

Michelin gives a 41mn drive for 45 km, it is quite a long commuting time for french people outside Paris.

As you will have a long way to go to work every day, location in Lyon is not really an issue : you may add 5%26#39; if you choose to stay in the city center or on the Rhône left bank. I think that the main issue is : do you want to live in the city center (probably better for your wife if she is not going to work), or a little outside the city going east ?

In the city center, the best area in my opinion are the 2nd arrondissement and the 6th arrondissement. have a look on my previous post on Lyon forum :

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187265-i601-k1270…

I would add Villeurbanne to my previous recommendations. As the public transportation is excellent, it is close to the city center with métro and tramway, and makes your commuting travel easier.

mairie-villeurbanne.fr/pages/front/index.asp…

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