Last time we took a train out of Gare de Lyon, I got 'lost' a little bit and wandered around too much. Maybe you can help me avoid that this time. We want to catch a TGV to Dijon at 8:24am on Saturday 9/19. We are by the Denfert Rochereau station. Which 'destination' stop puts us closest to the TGV platforms at Gare de Lyon?
- RER-A
- RER-D
- M: 14
- M: 1
Is the RER-B to RER-A /D transfer an easy one at Chatelet-les Halles?

Thanks!

Ditch Les Halles.

From Denfert Rochereau take line 6 in the direction of Nation, transfer at Bercy in the direction of St-Lazare. Sortie at Gare de Lyon.

The reason for ditching the transfer @ Les Halles is b/c it can get hectic, esp with baggage.

~Jay

I agree with JayMazz. Take Metro line 6 from Denfert-Rocherau to Bercy and Metro line 14 from there one stop to Gare de Lyon.

Anyway, don't forget that there are two departure zones, the blue zone and the yellow zone with two sets of tracks -- one set is numbered and the other set is lettered.

The departure boards shows yellow or blue well ahead of time, but, as always, you still don't get the precise track number until 20 minutes before departure.

How close is the TGV platform from the Metro/14 station? I'm trying not to wander around too much... that does seem the fastest route..
Is the TGV at ground level or up or down a level? I remember crowds (incl. faint smell of weed drifting over, maybe that's why I got lost :-? ), I think we went up a level but we didn't take a TGV just SNCF train...

I'll try to pay better attention to signage.

"two departure zones, the blue zone and the yellow zone"
- oh, great.

For lots of information about Gare de Lyon, go here: http://parisbytrain.com/gare-de-lyon-photos.

metro is a level or two under the main concourse of Garede Lyon - just follow signs for "Grandes Lignes" which lead you to the older main part of this terminus station and also to the other part Kerouc talks about - which is east and north a tad of the main station (all in one train shed)

I think in French stations they usually do not announce the exact track number until shortly before departure so look at the huge overhead schedule board when emerging from the metro/RER station into the Grandes Lignes (main lines as opposed to Banlieue or suburban trains, which you do not want)

Ok, all of that helps! I couldn't pull up Parisbytrain at work, it must be detected as a 'blog' site... So the descriptives you've all given + the station plan should be just 'the ticket', thanks!

ParisByTrain is a great site. We used it recently for information on taking trains to Vernon (Giverny), Chartes, and Fountainbleu departing from 3 different Paris stations.

bookmark

Bookmarking also

Well, after all this planning and map-reading, I still made a couple wrong turns transferring from the metro to the Gare. No real problem although I didn't see the big yellow (I think it was) sign over the hallway that you pass through from one section to the other (from the older part to the newer part?) where the TGV platforms are. Hubby finally saw it just before I was going to head over to an Information desk.

After our little Burgundy jaunt, we came back into Gare de Lyon. We did the reverse and took the metro back to Denfert Rochereau. Unfortunately, the station was very very crowded and everyone, it seemed, was also heading for the metro (line 14). We took an escalator upward, very pressed in, and someone above my husband lost their balance and fell on him, so he fell on his rollie bag, which he and his bag then fell onto me, and I lost my balance and had to let go of my bag handle to help catch him, so the poor people below me had to stop my falling bag! Yikes! By the time we took the two trains from Beaune, transversed the huge Gare de Lyon in the crowds, suffered 'near death' accident on the escalator, got separated boarding Line 14 (so crowded he got on but I couldn't before the doors closed), changed lines to 6 and then rolled back to the hotel, we declared we were "through" with doing that ever again and would be 'taxi people' from now on.

Of course, we won't really, but maybe just once in a while, especially in our advancing years, and well, maybe for the safety of others.

I'm so glad you reported back!

And I'm so sorry about the mishap. Hope you didn't need to hit la pharmacie!!!

~Jay