By Train in Lyon and the Alps

By Train

The high-speed TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) to Lyon leaves Paris (from Gare de Lyon) hourly and arrives in just two hours. There are also six TGVs daily between Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport and Lyon. Two train stations make Lyon a major transportation hub. The Gare de La Part-Dieu is used for the TGV routes; keep in mind that the surrounding area is a bit dicey (especially at night); On the other side of town, the centre-ville station at Gare de Perrache is the more crowded (and a bit safer) option and serves all the sights of the centre-ville -- many trains stop at both stations. Sample trips: Lyon Part-Dieu to Grenoble (EUR 17, 1hr, 30 min); Lyon Part-Dieu to Montpellier (EUR 36, 3 hrs, 38 min); Lyon Part-Dieu to Marseille (EUR 43, 1 hr, 47 min).

The TGV also has less frequent service to Grenoble, where you can connect to local SNCF trains headed for villages in the Alps. South of Lyon the TGV goes to Avignon and then splits and goes either to Marseille or Montpellier. The trips from Lyon to Marseille and Lyon to Montpellier take about 1 1/2 hours. Major rail junctions include Grenoble, Annecy, Valence, Chambéry, and Lyon, with frequent train service to other points. Major routes include: Grenoble to Lyon (1¼ hrs), Annecy (2 1/2 hrs), and Chamonix (4 hrs). For the Beaujolais wine country, most people train to Villefranche-sur-Saône's station on the place de la Gare; trains run to smaller towns from here.

Train Information

Gare SNCF Annecy (Pl. de la Gare). Gare SNCF Grenoble (Pl. de la Gare). Gare SNCF Lyon-Perrache (Cours de Verdun, Pl. Carnot). SNCF (36-35 EUR .34 per minute. www.voyages-sncf.com). TGV (www.tgv.com).

TGV Lyon -- Part-Dieu (Blvd. Vivier-Merle).