Paris Gare de Lyon

About Paris Gare de Lyon

Gare de Lyon is the third-busiest station in France and the main southern gateway of Paris, handling around 110 million passengers a year. It opened in 1849 and was rebuilt for the 1900 Exposition Universelle in its current Beaux-Arts form, crowned by the 64-metre clock tower that has become a city landmark. The station sits in the 12th arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, next to the bercy and gare-de-lyon metro hubs.

The two halls handle different services. Hall 1 (grandes lignes) is the original train shed and contains the listed Le Train Bleu restaurant on the upper floor, while Hall 2 was added in the 1980s to absorb TGV traffic. Together they host TGV inOui to Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Montpellier, TGV Lyria to Switzerland, Frecciarossa and TGV to Italy, Intercités to Burgundy and the Auvergne, and a dense RER A and RER D suburban network.

Getting from Paris Gare de Lyon to Paris

Gare de Lyon is central and well connected, but if you have luggage, a group, or an onward journey to either airport, a pre-booked private transfer is the practical choice. Metro lines 1 and 14 cross under the station and the RER A and D add suburban reach, but TGV passengers often arrive with two or three large bags and a short walk to the forecourt is easier than navigating the metro.

The forecourt pickup also works well for travellers connecting from TGV to a flight. Orly is the closer airport at 18 km south and is typically reached in 25 to 45 minutes, while Charles de Gaulle is 27 km north-east at 40 to 60 minutes. Build at least 3 hours between TGV arrival and an international flight departure to leave a comfortable cushion for boulevard périphérique traffic and check-in.

Platforms and pickup points

• Hall 1 (grandes lignes, platforms 5 – 13): pickup on place Louis Armand at the front of the station
• Hall 2 (platforms A – N): pickup on rue de Bercy at the back, with a dedicated drop-off and pickup zone
• RER A and D / Métro lines 1 and 14: underground, no road pickup directly

If you’re not sure which hall your train uses, check the departure board: trains starting with a number arrive in Hall 1, while trains starting with a letter use Hall 2.

Common transfer routes from Paris Gare de Lyon

• Gare de Lyon to Charles de Gaulle (CDG): 40 – 60 min, 27 km
• Gare de Lyon to Orly (ORY): 25 – 45 min, 18 km
• Gare de Lyon to Eiffel Tower (7th): 15 – 30 min, 6 km
• Gare de Lyon to Louvre (1st): 10 – 25 min, 4 km
• Gare de Lyon to La Défense: 25 – 45 min, 13 km
• Gare de Lyon to Disneyland Paris: 30 – 50 min, 35 km
• Gare de Lyon to Versailles: 35 – 55 min, 22 km

Booking your Paris Gare de Lyon transfer

Choose Gare de Lyon as the pickup, add the hall, train number, time and destination, then pick a vehicle to match your group and luggage. The fare is fixed at booking, free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup, and payment is by Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero or PayPal.