Taking The Train From Paris to Lyon – All You Need To Know

Visiting Paris tops many travel wish lists. But savvy travelers know that Lyon is another great city to visit in France. Some even think Lyon is better. So when traveling in France, I recommend checking out both and deciding for yourself. And fortunately, despite the 300 miles separating them, it only takes 2 hours to travel between Paris and Lyon via high speed train. We recently took the train from Paris to Lyon as part of our 3-week France itinerary. Let me show you how easy this train journey is – and what you can expect along the way.

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High Speed Train Travel in France

High speed train travel has been an option between Paris and Lyon for over 40 years. In fact, the very first high speed train line in France connected these very two cities. Now, the country has one of the largest high speed rail networks in Europe – a service labeled TGV.

(We often depend on high speed train travel in Europe. I’ve previously written about our experiences on high speed trains in Spain and in Poland.)

When traveling by TGV high speed train from Paris to Lyon, you’ll discover that you have three different options. Two of these are provided by SNCF – France’s state owned rail company. One is a premium train service called TGV inOui. And the second is a budget option called Ouigo.

Both inOui and Ouigo use the exact same type of high speed TGV train. But as with a budget airline, Ouigo offers the lower price in exchange for fewer services, lower quality seating, and stricter luggage allowances (you can learn more of those specifics at the Ouigo website).

The third option is provided by the Italian train company Trenitalia. Like TGV inOui, this is a premium service and is called Frecciarossa. Tickets for this train often cost less than those for inOui, but it doesn’t run nearly as often throughout the day. Using Frecciarossa didn’t work out for our preferred travel times, but you should definitely take it into consideration if it works for yours.

For our journey, we took the TGV inOui train from Paris to Lyon. And we rode in First Class. That’s not always within our budget, but it worked this time for reasons I will explain shortly.

Booking Your Tickets

I strongly recommend that you book your tickets ahead of time. In fact, I would book them as soon as you solidify your itinerary (I booked mine 2.5 months ahead). The price increases the closer you get to your dates, and the increase can be significant. Plus these trains do fill up and sell out, so you’ll definitely want to insure a seat. Our train from Paris to Lyon appeared to be completely full. (My tickets were 100% refundable up to 7 days before my dates of travel for planning peace-of-mind.)

It was due to my early booking that I was able to secure reasonably-priced First Class seats. When I booked, First Class only cost 4 Euros more per ticket than Second Class. That choice was a no-brainer for me.

I used the SNCF Connect iPhone App to book my tickets. It was a very easy App to navigate. I was able to choose my exact seats using a seating chart and there was no booking fee (as with other online booking platforms). Plus, the App was a great tool for keeping all our train tickets for this trip organized.

Here’s a look at the easy booking interface….

You will want to be aware that Lyon has three different stations serviced by the TGV high speed trains. So as you are booking your tickets for the train from Paris to Lyon, be sure to choose the correct station.

Lyon Part Dieu is the largest and most commonly-used train station in Lyon, but is located outside the historic center in a more modern part of town (called Part Dieu). Most trains from Paris to the city of Lyon itself stop here. Some of these trains then progress onwards to the older Lyon-Perrache which is located within the historic center of Lyon. The third station is called Lyon St Exupery and is located at the Lyon airport. Definitely be aware that trains from Paris to this airport station typically do not stop at the city stations.

Gare de Lyon in Paris

Paris also has several train stations and they are scattered throughout the city. The high speed train from Paris to Lyon operates out of the station called Gare de Lyon on the eastern edge of the city.

Gare de Lyon is a large train station with three different Halls – each populated with multiple departure gates. The station is very well connected to both the Paris Metro and RER suburban train. And it’s also filled with shops and eateries – if you want to take food with you on your journey or eat a quick meal prior to departure.

Despite its size, I didn’t find Gare de Lyon particularly difficult to navigate and lots of departure boards are posted throughout the station.

The gate for our train from Paris to Lyon was announced 30 minutes prior to our scheduled departure time. All the same information was also updated regularly on my electronic ticket within the SNCF App.

The Boarding Process

After our departure platform was announced, the boarding process was very simple. We showed our electronic tickets to a platform agent who scanned the QR code. We were then allowed access to the platform. No luggage scanning or checks whatsoever. This has generally been our experience in Europe, except for our high speed train journeys in Spain.

Once through the gate, we walked along the platform until we located our assigned train carriage.

Each car is clearly marked with the ultimate destination, train number, and carriage number. Our train’s ultimate destination was the Lyon-Perrache station. We were going to Lyon Part Dieu. But the route information attached to my e-ticket inside the SCNF App confirmed that we would be stopping at Part Dieu first.

The TGV trains are double-deckers. At the time of booking, I had selected our seats on the top level. I’d read that the window views were better on top. If you have lots of luggage, keep in mind that the top level requires some stair climbing. The lower levels are more easily accessible.

What’s The Luggage Situation?

Speaking of luggage, what’s the luggage situation on the TGV inOui train from Paris to Lyon?

First of all, you are allowed to bring two large suitcases and one piece of hand luggage (backpack, shopping bag, etc) per person. I never found mention of a weight limit. For the exact acceptable dimensions you can check here at the SNCF website.

(And remember that if you are riding on Ouigo, the allowance is less. Just one type of each bag for a standard ticket.)

Then from a storage standpoint, there seemed to be plenty of room for the larger pieces. You’ll find luggage racks throughout the carriages. And though every TGV inOui train we took in France was always full, many racks still had plenty of space.

For our backpacks though, the situation was a bit cramped. The overhead luggage shelf is small – the smallest we’ve come across in our European travels. I presume this is due to space limitations in the double deck setup. Only small pieces of hand luggage can fit on top.

You’ll need to store your bigger pieces of hand luggage under the seat in front of you (as on a plane). But we had adequate space.

How Are The Seats?

The seats on our TGV inOui train from Paris to Lyon were quite comfortable. As I mentioned, we did travel in First Class. This is a 1+2 arrangement as you can see in the photo below (you can also get a good look at that overhead storage situation.)

The seats are cushy and have an excellent amount of recline. The recline happens within the shell of the seat – so you don’t impede on the riders behind. The tray is huge. And there are charging outlets directly in front of you too.

For a different journey on our France itinerary, we rode a very similar TGV inOui train from Toulouse to Paris. We were in second class for that trip. The second class seating arrangement is 2+2, but the overall seat design is very similar.

So Then What About First vs Second Class?

Unless you can get a great price on a First Class ticket like we did, I don’t think it’s worth it. There are no extra amenities. The only difference that I could discern was the wider seats and somewhat fewer people.

What About A Dining Car?

Yes, there is a dining car on the TGV Inoui train from Paris to Lyon. It includes a food counter and several small booths. (Note that there is not a dining car on the Ouigo train.)

I’ll have to say though that I wasn’t impressed with the menu. Mainly a few sandwiches, simple salads, and pastries. We’ve eaten decent hot meals on trains in Spain, Poland, and Slovenia. Nothing like that was offered on this train. But it is a great place to get a coffee or tea at some point in your journey.

The schedule for our train from Paris to Lyon did have us traveling over the lunch hour. You are allowed to bring your own food onto the train. We bought food at the Paris train station and took it with us. It worked out perfectly.

And The Toilets?

They were fine. Plus each carriage had several – up and down.

The Journey Itself

Our train from Paris to Lyon left precisely on time. It also arrived in Lyon exactly on time. Our total travel time was just a little over two hours. The train made a couple of brief stops at stations along the way.

Our peak travel speed was 184 mph. Each carriage had a wall-mounted travel monitor to keep track of that sort of thing if you are interested.

The train did have Wifi. I tried to connect and check it out, but was unsuccessful. However, I think that had more to do with my laptop than the train Wifi. Plenty of people were working on their computers as we traveled. And I had a good cellphone network connection pretty much the entire way (through T-Mobile’s partner in France).

Overall our experience on the high speed train from Paris to Lyon was a comfortable one with no issues.

Some Important Lyon Arrival Advice

We did experience some difficulty after we arrived in Lyon however – difficulty with Uber. So I thought I should share. If you are anything like me, Uber is often your first choice for transportation to your lodging after arriving in a new city.

The Lyon Part Dieu station is big with multiple exits. I didn’t see any sort of signage acknowledging Uber – as was the case in every train station we visited in France,. And I completely understand how that often has to do with the local taxi unions. But I still prefer the many conveniences of Uber as a foreign tourist.

Once I got my bearings on Google Maps, I ordered an Uber. The App showed me the pickup location on its own map. But once we reach it, we were very obviously in the wrong place – there wasn’t any spot for a car to stop. And we weren’t the only confused tourists. Another couple asked us if we were looking for our Uber and seemed just as baffled.

Gratefully we had a very patient Uber driver who helped us find the correct location via in-App messaging. Our correct pickup spot was on the second level of an underground parking lot accessed near the east exit doors – directly underneath the spot indicated on Uber’s map. We never would have found it without our driver’s help. Here’s a photo of the access stairway….

Also, keep this in mind. If you have accommodations near one of Lyon’s Tram lines, the Tram might be an easier and less expensive option (Uber is fairly expensive in France). You’ll find different Tram lines on either side of the Part Dieu station. It’s very easy to get your luggage onto the Tram cars, there is usually adequate room, and you’ll find ticket machines on the platforms with English instructions. Google Maps will show you the various routes and times. We took a Tram back to the train station when we left Lyon.

Another Popular High Speed Route

Also, let me mention here that if you are looking to travel between Paris and Bordeaux (another popular journey for France tourists), all the information in this post applies. We later rode an TGV inOui train from Toulouse to Paris as part of our itinerary. The first part of that particular train journey operated at lower speed with several stops. But the final two hour leg between Bordeaux and Paris was a high speed one – with no stops between the two cities.

Final Thoughts

Taking the TGV inOui high speed train from Paris to Lyon really couldn’t be any easier. I think it’s the ideal way to travel between these two cities. Don’t hesitate to book your own tickets.

If you would like advice on what to do in Lyon once you get there, I’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out my post on The 8 Most Essential Things To Do in Lyon France

Plus if you would like some practical Paris travel advice, then check out my post entitled Paris On A Budget – 8 Tips So You Won’t Break The Bank

If you would like to read about another great city in France that deserves a spot on your travel radar then check out my post Is Toulouse Worth Visiting? – The Top 8 Reasons You Should Go

And finally, if you want to read about our worst train experience ever, then check out my post Getting From Saravejo to Mostar – Is Bus or Train Best? Hint….it’s the Bus.