Need help booking?
Unpublished phone-only deals available
SFO to LYS: distance & flight time
San Francisco (San Francisco International Airport) → Lyon (Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport)
5,819 mi
9,364 km · 5,056 nm
11h 53m
estimated nonstop flight time
+9h
time difference · heading northeast
See live SFO→LYS fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
5,819 miles nonstop takes roughly 11h 53m gate to gate, flying northeast. Add 45–90 minutes per connection if there's no nonstop service. Remember to factor the 9-hour time gain when reading arrival times on your ticket.
The two airports
- SFO — San Francisco International Airport · San Francisco, United States
- LYS — Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport · Lyon, France
Distances are great-circle ("as the crow flies") — the same basis airlines use for frequent-flyer miles.
Alternate airports can cut this fare
Flying from or into a nearby airport is the #1 trick our agents use to beat online prices. Call and we'll compare every combination on one call.
Near SFO
- SQL · San Carlos Airport10 mi away
- HAF · Half Moon Bay Airport10 mi away
- OAK · Metropolitan Oakland International Airport11 mi away
- NGZ · Alameda Naval Air Station12 mi away
Near LYS
- LYN · Lyon-Bron Airport7 mi away
- GNB · Grenoble-Isère Airport28 mi away
- CMF · Chambéry-Savoie Airport39 mi away
- EBU · Saint-Étienne-Bouthéon Airport40 mi away
Frequently asked questions
How far is SFO from LYS?
The flight distance from San Francisco (SFO) to Lyon (LYS) is 5,819 miles (9,364 km, 5,056 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from SFO to LYS?
A nonstop flight takes about 11h 53m gate to gate. Actual time varies with winds, routing and season — eastbound transatlantic flights, for example, are usually faster than the return.
What is the time difference between San Francisco and Lyon?
Lyon is 9 hours ahead of San Francisco.
What is the cheapest way to fly from SFO to LYS?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on SFO–LYS that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.