Paris to Lyon by train

Which stations

Trains leave Paris from the Gare de Lyon — named for the destination, not the city it is in, which confuses people every day. It is on the east side of central Paris and is served by Métro lines 1 and 14 and by RER A and D.

In Lyon you almost always want Lyon Part-Dieu, the main station and the business district. Some services also call at Lyon Perrache, south of the peninsula, which is closer to the older parts of town. Neither is wrong, but they are a good twenty minutes apart, so check which one your ticket says before planning the walk to your hotel.

Reservation is compulsory, and that changes everything

On a French high-speed train you cannot simply buy a ticket and board whichever service you like. Every long-distance train is fully reserved: the ticket is a specific seat on a specific departure, and the seat reservation is included in the fare rather than sold separately.

The practical consequence is that trains sell out, and fares climb as they fill. There is no walk-up equivalent that saves you — if the train you want is full, you are on a different train.

TGV INOUI or OUIGO?

Two products run on the same tracks. TGV INOUI is the standard service: two classes, luggage as you like, a bar carriage on most trains. OUIGO is SNCF’s low-cost brand — the same speed, but one class, tighter luggage rules, extra charges for things that are included on INOUI, and sometimes departure from a less central station.

OUIGO fares can be dramatically lower. The trade is convenience and flexibility, so it suits a traveller with one bag and a fixed plan far better than one with a suitcase and a loose schedule.

Train or plane?

There is no contest. The flight is under an hour but sits between two airport transfers, and the train runs centre to centre in under two hours. France has also legislated against short domestic flights where a rail alternative of about two and a half hours exists, which tells you how the comparison is viewed there.

Going further south

Lyon is on the main line towards Marseille and the Mediterranean, so it works well as a stop rather than an endpoint. Because French tickets are train-specific, splitting a longer journey into two booked legs is straightforward — just leave a sensible gap between them, since a missed connection on separate tickets is your problem rather than the railway’s.

Booking notes for this country

The thing most likely to catch you out in Europe is whether a seat reservation is compulsory or optional, because it decides whether your ticket lets you catch a different train. It is compulsory on fast trains in France, Spain and Italy — the ticket is one seat on one departure — and optional in Germany, where a ticket without a reservation is valid but does not guarantee you a seat.

Cheap advance fares are released in limited quantities and rise as trains fill, so booking early matters everywhere. Where more than one company runs the same line — Italy and Spain especially — fares have fallen sharply and it is worth comparing operators rather than defaulting to the name you know.

Our guide to train travel in Europe covers reservation rules country by country, rail passes, and the low-cost operators.

Common questions

Do I need a seat reservation?

It is compulsory and already included — on French high-speed trains the ticket is a specific seat on a specific departure. There is no turn-up-and-go option.

How far ahead can I book?

Domestic French tickets typically open around four months before travel, and the cheapest fares go early. Booking in the final fortnight is considerably more expensive.

What is the difference between TGV INOUI and OUIGO?

Same line and similar speed. INOUI is the full-service product with two classes and a bar car; OUIGO is low-cost with one class, tighter luggage rules and sometimes a less central station. OUIGO can be much cheaper if you travel light.

Which Lyon station should I use?

Lyon Part-Dieu for most trips — it is the main station and the business district. Some services also call at Perrache, which is closer to the older part of town but around twenty minutes away from Part-Dieu.