The Tour de l'Horloge at Paris Gare de Lyon, designed by Marius Toudoire for the 1900 World's Fair.
Photo: Arria Belli / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Lyon to Paris by Train
A domestic route within France.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 1h 54m – 2h 15m
- Price from
- 16 EUR
- Distance
- 391 km
- Operators
- TGV inOuiOuigo
- Frequency
- Around 25-35 direct trains a day combining TGV inOui and Ouigo.
Compare and book Lyon–Paris tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Lyon to Paris different
- Lyon Part-Dieu opened on 13 June 1983, purpose-built to anchor a brand-new 'second city centre' urban development and to handle the new Paris TGV service; it replaced the older Lyon-Brotteaux station, whose elegant 19th-century building still stands nearby as a protected historic monument.
- Gare de Lyon's Le Train Bleu restaurant opened in 1901 under the plainer name 'Buffet de la Gare de Lyon' and wasn't renamed Le Train Bleu until 1963, in honour of the legendary Calais-to-French-Riviera night express that ran from 1886 to 2003; several of its rooms were listed as historical monuments in 1972.
- Gare de Lyon was designed by architect Marius Toudoire specifically for the 1900 World's Fair, and its facade carries stone statues personifying towns once served by the PLM (Paris-Lyon-Mediterranee) railway company that built the station.
Lyon station
Departs from Lyon Part-Dieu, opened in 1983 as the anchor of the Part-Dieu business district, now Lyon's modern second city-centre; the station connects to Metro line B and several tram lines, and it's about a 15-20 minute ride from Vieux Lyon and the Fourviere basilica.
Paris station
Arrives at Paris Gare de Lyon, terminus not just for Lyon trains but for the entire southeastern TGV network toward Marseille, Nice and Avignon; Metro lines 1 and 14 and RER A/D connect directly from the station.
Train vs. other options
Flying Lyon-Paris takes about 1h10m in the air on the handful of remaining flights between Lyon-Saint-Exupery and Paris's airports, but with only a few daily departures against 25-35 daily trains, the TGV's frequency and its Gare de Lyon arrival right in central Paris make it the default choice; driving the roughly 460km via the A6 autoroute takes about 4h30m-5h without stops.
Booking tips
- Ouigo fares from about 16 EUR are cheapest booked weeks ahead; last-minute TGV inOui tickets often cost 50 EUR or more for the same journey.
- Ouigo's cheapest tickets are sold with no free seat selection and stricter change/refund rules than TGV inOui - if flexibility matters as much as price, TGV inOui's fares include a free carry-on allowance and more forgiving refund terms.
- Check which Lyon station your ticket actually uses before you travel - Ouigo in particular sometimes routes its lowest fares via Lyon-Saint-Exupery, the airport station, rather than the central Lyon Part-Dieu or Lyon-Perrache stations most trains use.
Good to know: Both Ouigo and TGV inOui use Gare de Lyon exclusively for this route's Paris end, but on the Lyon side your ticket might list any of three different stations - Part-Dieu (the default and most central), Perrache (closer to Vieux Lyon), or Saint-Exupery (the airport station) - so check which one is printed on your ticket before planning how you'll get to the platform.
While you're in Paris
The Eiffel Tower, seen from the Palais de Chaillot across the Seine.
Photo: Andyxox / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)Between the Louvre's endless galleries, Montmartre's hilltop streets and a market culture that runs from grand covered halls to a single cheese stall, Paris is built for slow mornings and long lunches as much as headline sights.
Full Paris travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Lyon to Paris take?
The fastest TGV inOui and Ouigo trains take around 1 hour 54 minutes. Slower services or those with stops can take up to about 2 hours 15 minutes.
What's the cheapest way to get from Lyon to Paris by train?
Ouigo, SNCF's low-cost brand, offers the lowest advance fares, from around 16 EUR - but check whether your ticket departs from central Lyon Part-Dieu, Lyon-Perrache, or the further-out Lyon-Saint-Exupery airport station.
Which Paris station does the train from Lyon arrive at?
Paris Gare de Lyon, in the 12th arrondissement - both TGV inOui and Ouigo use this station exclusively for Lyon services.