History & Description

The stadium holds 45,779 people and was built in just over a year at a cost of €250 million. Groupama Stadium, also known as Parc Olympique Lyonnais, is the home ground for Olympique Lyonnais. It replaced Stade de Gerland as Lyon's home ground and was built in just over a year at a cost of €250 million. Lyon had been planning to build a new stadium as early as 2007, but saw earlier proposals delayed due to local opposition and a lack of funding because of the financial crisis. The project received the final push when France was awarded the Euro 2016 tournament, and Lyon was selected as a host city.

Lyon received their building permit in February 2012 and later that year building work commenced. Delays however postponed the expected completion date from the summer of 2014 to January 2016.

On January 9, 2016, the Parc Olympique Lyonnais opened with a League match between Lyon and Troyes.

The stadium has a capacity of 59,186 seats and it came at a cost of roughly $600 million, including almost $190 million for improvements in infrastructure.

At the Euro 2016 tournament, Parc Olympique Lyonnais hosted four group matches, the round of 16 match between France and Rep. of Ireland (2-1), and the semi-final between Portugal and Wales (2-0).

In 2017, the stadium was renamed Groupama Stadium following a three-year naming rights deal with insurance firm Groupama.

Groupama Stadium has been selected to host the 2018 Europa League final.

How to get to Groupama Stadium

Groupama Stadium is located in Décines, Lyon suburb, in the east of the city and just over 10 kilometers from Lyon's city center. The stadium is located next to the N346 highway, which can be accessed by car from either the A42 in the north or the A43 in the south. Exit 6 will take you there.

If using public transport, the stadium can be reached by tram. Trams departing from Gare Part-Dieu on the eastern edge of Lyon's city centre can take one to the stadium in only 10 minutes. On matchdays, a special branch will bring you right in front of the stadium.

Eat, drink, and sleep near Groupama Stadium

The Parc Olympique Lyonnais is located in a suburb of the city, surrounded by residential housing and farmlands. There are few restaurants or cafes nearby, so visitors should eat and drink in Lyon's central city. Most people will decide to find a hotel in the centre of Lyon, though if you want to stay close to the stadium, then there are a few roadside hotels around. These hotels are likely most appealing to those arriving by car.

The Hotel Grand Est and the B&B Hotel Lyon Meyzieu are decent mid-range options located right on the other side of the N346. They provide overviews of hotels near Parc Olympique Lyonnais for those looking for a place to stay.

Most people are likely to decide to stay in the city centre of Lyon. This area has a lot of options in all price ranges.

Olympique Lyonnais Tickets

Tickets for Lyon matches can be bought online at the official website through official ticket partner viagogo, in person at the club store at the stadium, or at the OL store in the city centre. Prices for lower level seats increase as the level of the opponent decreases.

Groupama Stadium tours

Lyon offers guided stadium tours that include the players' tunnel, dugouts, press room, and hospitality areas. The tours last 75 minutes. The club also offers a shorter "mini" 45-minute alternative that has less access. Tour schedules vary and are updated online. The regular tour costs $19.00 and the mini tour costs $9.00.

Relevant Internet links

The official website of Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon-france.com, provides tourist information for the city of Lyon as well as public transport information for the entire agglomeration of Lyon. Tcl.fr provides transportation options throughout the Lyon area. The Parc OL special is a lot less walking and crowds for boarding both before and after the match are smaller. This solution is best if you're staying close to métro lines A or B and/or have tickets in the north end of the stadium.Or take metro line D to Grange Blanche, change to tram T5 to Eurexpo, from where there are free shuttle buses to the stadium - these leave every 20 or 30 seconds so loading is quick, and arrival point is more convenient for the south end.

I have been a season ticket holder at this stadium since it opened; it is indeed a trek from the city center. I suggest using public transit to get there.

Unless you are arriving directly by SNCF, the best strategy is not to take the Parc OL shuttle from the Part-Dieu Station.

Option 1: Take the Metro to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie. There, you can get a similar Parc OL special to the same esplanade, but it's a lot less walking and crowds for boarding both before and after the match are much smaller. This solution is best if you're staying close to Metro lines A or B and/or have tickets in the north end of the stadium.

The metro line D will take you to Grange-Blanche, where you can change to the tram T5 and go to Eurexpo. There are free shuttle buses that will take you to the stadium, which will departure every 20 or 30 seconds so it is fast loading and the arrival point is more convenient for the south end.

I got on what I thought was a free shuttle service before the game, but it was actually the commute home. The ride home was an hour long, and it was raining. However, despite the weather conditions, it was a great day.

I got on what I thought was a free shuttle service before the game, but it was actually the commute home. I and thousands of Belgium fans hadn't paid, and on the way home it was an hour until I got on a tram. Many thousands more were still waiting, and it was raining. It was a great day though.

Overall, the stadium is very nice with supportive crowds. I had planned to attend the Marseille game on the same day, but I was disappointed to find that Lyon fans were much louder and more enthusiastic. I would recommend attending a game here if you're looking for a great atmosphere.

The stadium was overall very nice and had a great supporter base. However, I was expecting a more intense atmosphere in Marseille, as Lyon fans were really loud. I would recommend going to a game there if you're interested.

Gary wrote: The Stadium is fantastic with clear views all around and plenty of legroom around the seats, however the toilets are a real slow and badly planned experience. I left my seat at half time and missed 5 minutes of the second half while waiting.

for a toilet.