I found myself at Gare de Lyon at the end of my time in Paris to catch a train to Barcelona. I opted to train it instead of fly due to the general hassle of flying and the sophisticated rail system that Europe has. Getting to the station was pretty easy via Metro. The station is large, with several concourses with the tracks. It was pretty easy to navigate, and as soon as I got to my concourse I was easily able to find what track my train would be rolling out of. Additionally, there are several convenience shops and eateries you can spend time in while waiting for your train. Everything was pretty seamless - there was a good amount of time between announcing my track and rolling out of the station which helped me find my way and settle into my seat. Overall, I had a good experience at Gare de Lyon; it was a great sendoff to my time in Paris. read more

Boarded train to Milan from Paris at the Gare de Lyon station. I had to find hall #1 and wait for the information to populate on the screen with where I was to get on the train. There were places to sit while waiting for the train. There are also places to grab something to eat while waiting for the train. read more

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Train stations in Europe are a trip and no pun intended but you go there and it's an experience it does make think of grand central in nyc where they have legitimate places people go eat lunch or dinner like le train bleu which is a Michelin restaurant and their stations just look fancy and nice I enjoyed just walking around Exploring even if I didn't have a place to go aside back into Paris read more

Gare de Lyon - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

Re taxi service. Waited in long line to get what I thought were Gare approved taxis and we were driven 4.3 miles, in some traffic. I had read it would be 13-17 euro, possibly 30 and was charged 76 Euro. Taxi driver was a total swindler. Gare Lyon has to vet their taxi drivers better and not allow swindlers to cheat people who come to Paris and drive their economy. Never again. Sticking with bolt from now on. NO MORE TAXIS read more

Large train station and apparently the second busiest in France. My husband and I decided to take the TGV Lyra to Laussane, Switzerland and Gare de Lyon was the designated departure point. We took a taxi from Paris City Center to the Gare du Lyon. The taxi drop off had ample signage and navigating to the departure halls was a breeze. Seating inside the halls was sparse. This train station could definitely use more chairs. Navigation was not an issue. There are signage everywhere with posted estimated walking times. There are various food shops bistros, coffee stands, and newsstands. The automatic ticket gates (portillons automatiques) are clearly marked and wide enough to push through a medium or large check-in luggage and carry-on bag. Thank goodness for that! Overall ambience and design is a mix of modern and late 19th century. This station does have a lot of ironwork and windows, which allows in natural light. This station is famous for its clock tower. read more

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This railway station is served by high-speed TGV trains to Southern and Eastern France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Spain. The station also hosts regional trains. This huge train station in Paris is also famous for its iconic clock tower. I arrived about an hour before my travel to Annecy. I purchased my ticket from a kiosk near the trains for 65 euro. The train was comfortable and had an electric outlet to charge my phone. I'm so impressed by mass transit in France and Europe. read more

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This station is big and it was built for the era of grand railway journeys. You still get a sense of that grandeur in the architecture of the place. Get here early. The station can be confusing. It has three different departure halls and so you need to monitor where your train is coming in at and leave yourself enough time to get there. There's plenty to do in the station itself including small shops, cafes, and even a fancy restaurant called the Train Bleu. One of the issues with this station is that it is so busy but there are relatively few places to sit while waiting for your train. Even if you do t have a train to catch, it worth popping into see what a big, functional station looks like. read more

Terrific modernized train station that's easy to navigate and clean. It was the station to catch the TGV to get to Marseilles for an Olympics soccer match. 5 star ambience: it's a beautiful blend of old and new. The old portion is Belle Epoque ornament everywhere, complete with glass canopies and roofs. The newer parts mirror the same design idea and have multiple levels of shops. 5 star service: the SNCF / TGV railway staffers were terrific. A local told us there were always a lot of information people and friendly staff, not just for the Olympics. One even helped us sort out / translate that we were in someone else's seat. read more

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Love this train station for its location and easy way to get around. Lots of monitors with train information. About 20 minutes before boarding the monitor will show the track number. Lots of cafes and one restaurant on the second floor. read more

Gare de Lyon - Le Train Blue restaurant in the station - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

One of the few stations we visited dur8ng our visit to Paris. We reached here from Geneva. The station is great but not busy like montparnasse. The signs are well marked for shopping, food, taxis, and restrooms. The restrooms are maintained well. Short walk from the platform to catch your taxi. read more

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Gare de Lyon is a relatively easy train terminus to navigate. It is also the second busiest train station in Paris and sixth busiest in all of Europe. There are lots of retail shops, cafés and lunch places, too. Gare de Lyon is broken into two segments. The original building which opened in 1849 and is called Hall One, uses Letters (A thru N) for it's tracks. While the newer building, opened in 1855 is called Hall Two and uses numbers (5 thru 23). It is also used by the SNCF's high speed train service Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV). It's routes tend to go to the South of France, Switzerland (photo), Germany, Italy and Spain. So it's important to know where your train is leaving, either by a Letter or Numbered track. Btw, the Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) is fast and efficient. It took us barely three hours to get from Basel Switzerland to Paris. Now the Hall One part Gare de Lyon also hosts regional trains, the RER, has a Métro station and Île de France Mobilités, which is the regional suburban train and bus systems for greater Paris. If you travel on Mobilités, you can go as far south as Fontainebleau, west to Versailles, east to Euro Disney (Chessy, Seine-et-Marne) and north to Charles deGaulle CDG Aéroport and more. We have used Île de France Mobilités many times over the years and found it to be clean, modern, a very quick train service and it's relatively inexpensive. See photos. Lastly, the Cab situation outside of Hall One can be somewhat confusing. If you are older, or have mobility issues, there is a special Queue to the left of the regular Cab line. Now if you're familiar with Uber, walk past the Cab Queues down the hill to Blvd Diderot. The Marriott Courtyard is a short 100 yards away and you can use that as your Pickup point. Easy Peasy. I've attached a detailed Map of Gare de Lyon, as well as a street Map of the area, which includes where the Marriott is located. Remember, it's about the journey and not the destination. So enjoy Paris. Enjoy France. read more

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We took the OuiGo bullet train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nice on a Thursday morning, and it was a mixed trip with a good ending. We were told to come at least 40 minutes early, and didn't want to take the subway that early in the morning, so took an Uber from our hotel, instead (18€). It took about 30 minutes with Paris traffic; still plenty of time. The first thing to recognize is which hall is the departure. We happened to enter into Hall 3, and the first thing we noticed were a bunch of people looking up at the monitors. So of course we did too, and saw that it listed the departing trains for the next 2 hours. We did see the Nice bound train listed, as Hall 3, but with no gate. We realized later that they don't tell which gate until closer to departure. So we found an empty seat and waited. It got really full in the meanwhile, and even 30 minutes before scheduled departure, they hadn't told the gate. The wi-fi wasn't working for us, so only later did we realize that I had been getting email updates that there was a delay. I'm sure they were saying something on the intercom in French, which I didn't understand. Finally at the time of the scheduled departure, the screens showed A as the departure gate...causing the whole waiting area to start going to the two one-person gates leading to the track. They had turned off the ticket scanner to let people get through more quickly, and considering how much luggage everyone had, it turned out to be pretty orderly. Luckily, they had escalators going up. Once you got to the top, you had to make a decision to go in which direction to find our car (car 4). Of course, we went the wrong way once we realized the numbers were going up. Then going against the mass of people trying to get on, was interesting. We finally found our car, and we were on our way 30 minutes later. read more

Gare de Lyon - Empty early in the morning - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

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Busy train station. So, so, so busy. Plenty of signs to help you figure out where you're going. Lots of small places to eat & drink. Not a ton of seating while waiting for the trains. You can go pretty much anywhere from here & I would absolutely come here again read more

Gare de Lyon is a very busy train station and one would think that it would be user-friendly. That would be a mistake. Compared to Gare Montparnasse and other train stations in Lyon and Marseille, Gare de Lyon was a complete circus. There are two main issues, 1. Not enough public places to sit. Many travelers were criss-cross apple sauce on the cold concrete floor while others were hugging the walls to catch a bite of a croissant. 2. The escalators/elevators work when they want and on our visit, many of them did not work. I know the trend is to have a carry-on bag or backpack, but many travelers are still on the one-suitcase program and many of them struggled to get up the stairs with their luggage. TIP: There's a sushi restaurant on the upper level. It looks like a takeout stand but has an enclosed patio. The sushi is what it is but the enclosed patio area was empty. It looked like business-class seating compared to what was available in the Gare de Lyon. If you're desperate for seating, get some sushi, ask to sit in the patio area, and enjoy the people-watching before catching your train. read more

Gare de Lyon - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

One of several train stations in Paris. If you want to go to the South of France, this is the one you'd use. The staff on the platform were very helpful and spoke great English. They have signage all over, to help you find where you need to go. The train itself was decent, but rather cramped in second class. Overall, definitely a nice way to see the French countryside between Paris and Aix-en-provence! read more

This is Our stop nearest our hotel. You need to plan that way to minimize to have to to walk with bags far or submit to taxi fares. This is one block to the citizenM Hotel. Easy to navigate the gare. Signage is easy. read more

I know that there is a specific thing for the multiple railway stations in Paris, but I'm not quite sure what each of them represent. However, this particular one, as the name suggests, handles all of the trains that come from Lyon and further south. As such, I suspect that this is the station where you go and catch trains down to the Cote de Azur and such. Unfortunately I didn't get much of an opportunity to look around, namely because I had to get to the Eurostar, and I suspected that going through customs was going to take time. However, it wasn't particularly bad. I was able to leave fairly quickly and find my way to the taxi stand (I wasn't keen on lugging my luggage through the Paris Metro). It does look quite impressive on the outside though. read more

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Catch the TGV going south. There's so much going on here. Gare de Lyon station is a Metro stop for lines 1 and 14 and RER trains A and D. As well as the high-speed TGV trains to south & eastern France with destinations in Switzerland, Italy and Spain, Gare de Lyon is a busy station - at 6 am and 11 pm. Allow time to find your right platform when traveling. This station was built for the World Exposition of 1900. It is also home to Le Train Bleu restaurant. There's a small lower level shopping mall. If trying to get an Uber from the area, walk to the nearby Marriott. It is an easier landmark and cheaper pick up. read more

Gare de Lyon - TGV to Geneva leaves promptly 7:11 am Smooth ride - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

Very busy train station. Easy to navigate but not much seating for waiting area. Cool shops around!

Bonjour à tous. My partner and I I are on our way to Mulhouse about a 4 hour train ride from Paris close to the Swiss border. We are heading to the car museum (Cité de l'Automobile) that holds the largest collection of Bugatti. Gare de Lyon has huge 3 halls with signage everywhere. At 615am there was only one establishment opened where riders were getting their 1st meal of the day. The train we are on was clean and the seats very roomy. read more

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We arrived in Paris this time at Gare de Lyon instead of Gare du Nord. I don't know why it never occurred to me there would be other train stations in Paris, duh! Anyway, upon arrival, Gare de Lyon struck me as a typical European train station - big, gorgeous, old... you know the drill. I will say though that Gare de Lyon did seem just a little less idyllic. It seemed more crowded, people were pushier, it was harder to get around hauling your baggage. And the building seemed just a little run down. I looked up at a beautiful glass awning that must've been some years old, and one pane was sadly broken with a piece missing and the rest was covered in dirt and grime. It was kind of sad. Also the taxi line was a little bananas, but we got there in the end. Like Gare du Nord, watch out for the skeezy taxi cab drivers who approach tourists as they exit the station offering a taxi ride. They are trying to rip you off! Bypass the scammers and go to the official taxi line. read more

Gare de Lyon - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

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Amazing place for people watching. It has three separate departure/arrival halls, but which one your train will be departing from is posted well in advance. Beautiful light filled space to wait for your train. Lots of small shops, and of course the Train Bleu restaurant! read more

I was pretty let down when the reality of Gare de Lyon did not live up to what I expected (setting aside that we were there to catch a train and that aspect was completely accomplished). The architecture of the exterior led me to great expectations for the interior. While the expected vendor machines and sales stores were present and accounted for, the interior didn't catch my eye as strongly as I expected. And the station had a somewhat dirty feel to it, like it needed a good bleaching and spraying down. Also the staff were not nearly as helpful as one would hope for in a well known travel center. When we ask one worker where to go to find our train, he looked at our tickets, saw the word Ouigo, and rudely shoved the tickets back at us while nastily saying "Ouigo, I don't know". Then we asked two other men working there where we need to go. Their directions contradicted what our tickets said. Thankfully they were right and also we chose to listen to them, we barely made our train. It was very disconcerting to be in a place for the first time and not be able to find multi-lingual directions. This station would be better served with a good cleaning, updating signage with multi-lingual options, and getting a smile on their faces more often. read more

Gare de Lyon - Seated and ready to roll - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

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Horrible experience here. The SNCF/Oui wouldn't let us board even though we were there about 8-10 min before the train was suppose to depart. On our tickets, it stated that you just have to be at the train station 5 minutes before departure to be let on. The lady who worked for the company was a real jerk. She refused our entry along with 20 other people. There were so many pissed off people at the train station. In fact, I witnessed a lot of angry Parisians yelling in French at this person (deservedly so). lol. The reason we didn't get to the train platform earlier was because the station didn't post where we were suppose to go. It also didn't announce the boarding of passengers. This was why so many people missed the boarding time. I also didn't like this train station because they charge you money to use their restroom facilities. In Marseilles, the bathrooms are all free of charge. I don't understand why some train stations in Paris/France, they don't charge anything but at this one does. Stupid. read more

2012. I take Metro Line 8 to Gare de Lyon. It's a slow ride that starts and stops its way across Paris, one station at a time. Concorde. Madeleine. Opera. Underground names for the places up above. All the sights, but none of the seeing them. Line 8 gives me an idea for a guide book. It'd be for the kind of tourist who has romantic notions about the cities they visit, but then finds that the reality of the place always falls short of the fantasy. The guide book I have in mind would list all the famous sights and attractions, but then offer suggestions on how to avoid them. It'd be a carefully curated collection of evasions and circumventions. A way to navigate around disappointment. I even have a name for the series: "Delayed Gratifications." Gare de Lyon would definitely merit an entry in my guide book if only for the old murals in the former ticket hall. The murals depict places that the trains leaving Gare de Lyon can take you to: Dijon, Avignon, Marseille, etc. The image of each destination has been reduced to a noteworthy monument you'll find there: a medieval castle, a palace, a Roman aqueduct. The images remind me of the photos of menu items you find posted on the window of a tourist restaurant. Color reproductions of the perfect plate of spaghetti marinara or steak-frites. Of course, the food never measures up to the photos. That's just how it is. Even so, when the food arrives, you still feel a little heartbroken. read more

One of the major train stations in Paris. There are two halls. Trains are clearly listed on the board. They post the track your train is leaving on about 20 minutes before the departure. The station is very crowded. Prior to departure an employee goes around checking COVID documents and places a blue wristband on you. Boarding is fairly easy as long as you board the right car on the train. If not you can walk to it on the train. read more

Gare de Lyon - Waiting for the train. - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

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Used GARE de Lyon for the first time as a tourist to travel from France to Central Europe. The station was clean, security and French armed forces teams passing through. Information boards were clear and staff helpful. Trains opened for boarding 20 minutes prior to departure and left to the minute. Hall 1 has a Starbucks which has infiltrated the station... read more

Gare de Lyon - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

We came into Gare de Lyon from Venezia Saint Lucia Stazione in Venice. They had free wifi as soon as we got off the train & very nice sitting areas/lounges to relax in while you get your bearings. I was also nice that you can just go straight downstairs and get right onto the metro or go outside to other modes of ground transport. You can eat some reasonable food or hit the vending machines, make payphone calls, get cash out the ATM or get information from the tourist information area before you head out to meet the world of Paris. This really is a fully functioning somewhat fast paced station & much different than the stations in Italy. There was also armed security everywhere so there is an air of safety in the terminal. I think also since there are trains coming from so many different countries to this station, there is a heightened security presence. Architecturally the station is also very beautiful. Just crank your neck up and look around because it's really cool. The station is also very clean and I didn't see any homeless people upstairs, also when you head down to the metro the smell turns quickly to a pee smell in some areas so watch where you step. read more

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Gare de Lyon is an interesting and HUGE train station. When I arrived, it took ages to locate the luggage storage center because it is housed all the way at one end of the station and signage is sparse from the other side. Once you go through the little security scan, the luggage storage is convenient. I stashed my rolling bag in one of the smaller lockers for €9. They also have larger lockers. There is a good amount of seating throughout Hall 3, which is where I was departing from. Note that there are different levels/floors and different halls, and then there are the different lettered and numbered gates/doors that you go through. One suboptimal thing is that the boarding gates are only posted for each train 15-20 minutes before departure. This can lead to a lot of standing around watching the screen to see when it will change and give you your gate. There's a nice, quiet area with chargers and comfy chairs toward the back of the station. It was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle. Altogether, it's a 3.5 for me. read more

Easy to navigate, even for first timer like myself. Friendly and helpful staff and clean facility. There were police that were actually patrolling the area, which was good! The police here seem to be more fit and more approachable than the ones in the US. They are actually helpful, and seem to be more trained. Watch out for pick pocketers, and don't leave your bags unattended. read more

Traveled by train from London to Paris Gare du Nord into Gare de Lyon. My purpose was to visit the Hard Rock Cafe Lyon. Train station is going through some renovations but overall it has the same architecture as the Gare du Nord and King's Cross St. Pancras. At this station you walk through many shops to get to the platforms, I guess it's there way of generating revenue but no one solicits or bothers you. Trains here were older than the Eurostar and seats were not comfortable. read more

How I wish we hv TGV system in USA. Purchased the tickets online and validated the tickets at the station. Pretty straight forward even if one's French is limited. Plenty of cafes and boulangerie where coffee and bakeries can be purchased while waiting for the train track to be announced. Train is clean and organised, toilet was very clean. In the train, there are also beverages and bakeries available for purchase. Highly recommend if outside of Paris is in the travel itinerary. read more

Gare de Lyon - Train Stations Near Me - Paris, 75

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Very clean station though not as efficient or easy to navigate as I would like. It was ok once we got the hang of it but a lot of the signage wasn't clear with particular direction. read more

We stayed in an adjacent hotel (there are at least 2 such places) as had a lot of connecting items with the station. Depending on what you need, this is a great location from which to explore Paris. On our trip, we wanted to drop off a rental car without having to return to the airport. There is a rental car return within a block or so of this station (gas stations to refill your rental car prior to the return are another question entirely; do your research there). We also wanted a convenient place to access the Metro (subway) - and there is a Metro station adjacent to / underneath the train station. Finally, we had to catch a train to Spain on our last day here, and that train left from Gare de Lyon. My advice would be to research such auxiliary activities and confirm whether all can be accommodated at Gare de Lyon (or some other station) and then book your hotel accordingly. As far as the station itself, there are a number of coffee shops / cafes located within it. We noted a Starbuck's around our 3rd day here, but never actually went there. Our go-to breakfast spot became Pret-A-Manger, as they had a good variety of items. There are several other comparable shops, though. The station is divided into halls (1 and 2). There is an information office in hall 1, which we used a couple of times for quick answers to questions. The station is under renovation as of September of 2017, but that doesn't seem to be a huge impact to anything. There seemed to be slightly more food options in hall 2. Access to taxis is at the front of the station at hall 1. To access your train, you need to be in either hall about 20 minutes before the boarding-time. At that point, they will list which track the train will depart from. You then proceed to that track with your luggage, find your car/seat, stow your bags, and wait for departure. They will come through in the first hour or so and check tickets while the train is moving. One bit of advice: try to be early, as the trains generally seem to have more passengers than convenient luggage-storage. If you are among the first to get seated, it will be much easier to put your bags in the storage area nearest your seats. Another tip: try to keep your seat whenever the train is pulling into some intermediate stop. There is a lot of churn as some passengers exit and others enter, so it is generally a bad time to hit the restroom, etc. It isn't necessarily a bad time to hit the dining car, as long as you stay in the dining car until the train is moving again. In terms of the immediate area, there are a lot of restaurants within fairly easy walking distance of Gare de Lyon. There is some sort of linear park on an abandoned elevated rail line about 2 blocks away, though I did not check that out. The Seine is about 2 blocks to the south. Gare de Austerlitz (another large train station) is just across the Seine and is useful for accessing some commuter-rail trains (such as the one that runs out to Versailles, etc.). read more

I arrived at 8 pm on the TGV from Paris, and was admiring the classic train station, with a modern flair. I walked outside to see a crazy traffic jam of taxis and cars battling thru a silly design for pickups. I figured I'd walk to my hotel, as a started Dow the steps I saw a large young man being chased by another with a large knife up the steps. I returned to the taxi stand quickly. Then I jumped in a taxi who pretended not to know where the Intercontinental Hotel was. He went the right way until we were 200 meters from the hotel, when he dropped into the tunnel to go to the otherwise of the harbor. Clearly there is some unrest here. read more

Very clean station with friendly staff at kiosk. Plently seating area dotted woth charging docks, very convenient and accessible.

Typically train station in Europe. Although this one is quite big and has 3 different departure halls. Budget at least 5 minutes to get to your train Good connections with Paris metro and RER lines read more

It is too crowded and the walk to the taxi stand is way too long. There are no adequate signs and the place is just a mess. It feels like a mass refugee camp after a catastrophe. read more

Ever see one of those older movies with train stations, the gorgeous architecture, amazing details throughout, that giant huge clock, with a bunch of nicely dressed people wearing top hats and long coats, looking oh so debonair? I feel like I just experienced this today ... in 2011. The last time I was in Paris, I took a train to Geneva from the CDG airport. Oh, how different of a station the Gare de Lyon was. It's gorgeous and it's great if you need to take the TGV (high speed train) to any other part of France. Inside the station there are shops at the bottom, great cafes all around and you feel like you are in a black and white film where Marlon Brando might make his grand appearance at anytime... What an absolutely gorgeous train station and conveniently located in Paris!! read more

Beautiful old station front that will, I'm sure, be charming once again. It's a huge station, however, and right now it's under construction, so that means lots of walking if you enter on the side your trains not on. Also completely swamped with travelers sitting on the floors and what not on the sweltering day we came though; more what I expect more from an Italian train station. read more