We fly into cdg airport at 6.15am and need to be at Gare de Lyon for a train at 1.30. Any suggestions for getting in between and what to do in Paris for the morning?

There is a direct Air France coach between CDG and Gare de Lyon, or else you can take the RER B from CDG and transfer to the RER D at Gare du Nord to go to Gare de Lyon (cheaper solution if you can carry your luggage).

Gare de Lyon has baggage lockers, so you can leave your heavy items there and stroll around for a few hours, have breakfast, an early lunch or whatever. Your train platform will not be indicated at Gare de Lyon until 20 minutes before departure so there is no reason to hang around the station.

Depends. Have you been before? What do you like? Choose one area and stick to it. Chill a bit. Eat in a cafe. People watch. Shop. Walk.

Thanks for that... First time and good suggestions

If the weather is friendly, the Viaduc des Arts and the Promenade Plantee on top of it aren't very far away and would provide some gentle exercise and window shopping.

This is a predecessor to New Yprk's High Line.

From Gare de Lyon you can take the Metro to any place in Paris.

You can even walk (better take the Metro) to the Ile de la Cité with Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle (probably the most beautiful gothic church at all). Just strolling over the island, along the riverbanks, over the boulevards and squares and peeping into the churches will bring you through the morning and give you a wonderful impression of the "city of light". If the weather is bad, the Louvre is in easy reach, too.

Ackislander's suggestion of the Promenade Plantée was my 1st thought. It's just a block or two away from the Gare de Lyon. You can walk along the promenade in one direction, then head down to walk along the street-level in the other direction.

Instead of walking around with your head in the clouds, staring at distant rooftop from the vantage point of a high-rise garden, just stay on the sidewalk and walk about 15 minutes to Place Bastille - easy to find via Google.

At least you'll be able to stop for a beverage, if you want to, and can mingle with the sights, sounds and people of Paris. If you stay away from and above all that, you've missed the whole point of coming to this city at all.

It will probably take you about 45 mins to an hour to get out of CDG. Then add travel time into the city, depending on the means you choose. I would advise the RER, if you can manage your luggage - if not, take a cab. Storing your luggage at the station will take a few minutes more. Then just hit the ground running and go see some local color.

I would never pay for a taxi to Gare de Lyon when the AF bus goes right there with a flat fee. Unless "we" means more than two people, then the costs may not be greater with a cab. There's plenty of time here. I also wouldn't bother with the RER when the AF bus goes right there and you won't have to deal with the train transfer that the RER would require. It would be cheaper, though, it's an option.

I haven't eaten there myself, but Mark Smith, of the wonderful seat61.com train site, highly recommends the Train Bleu restaurant in the Gare de Lyon:

http://www.seat61.com/train-bleu-res...m#.VlSkzL-naS0

I'm with fuzzbucket--Place de la Bastille, then WNW to Place de Vosges. If you still have time, the free Museum Carnavalet is right down the street with a great collection of French Revolution paintings, etc.

If you don't need to see monuments, the Parc de Bercy is right up the street from Gare de Lyon and you can even cross the very nice modern Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir linking it across the Seine to the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand (the national library).

If it were me, for a first time, I would do the Ile de la Cite, Ile st Louis, left bank book stalls, Ste Chappelle, Concierge. It has a little of everything. For more relaxed, the Marais. For shopping, the Madeleine.

Yes walk along the banks of the Seine - left bank and see the outdoor statue park the relatively short distance to Notre Dame and Ile de la Cite and the proverbial Left Bank area - lots of time to do that - grab a free Paris map at the Gare du Lyon tourist office and walk back to the station on the right bank - perhaps to the Bastille and the lively market there to Gare du Lyon. See one major sight at least - Notre Dame - climb the towers if adventuresome and see the Grand Bourdon - big bell and other bells that chime often.