Train travel to Nice from Gare de Lyon

Hi all,

I will be leaving for Nice on a Sunday from Paris taking the TVG . How long should I be at the train station before the trip? Is the Gare De Lyon confusing? Are there security requirements that one goes through for a train?

Thank you in advance for your kind considerations.

The traveling librarian

Hi, I'm certainly not an expert on the Gare de Lyon, and others might be able to answer your question better, but I have missed a TGV from there because I didn't get there early enough. Partly it depends on if you have a ticket or not. I did not, and I was not expecting the very, very long line that I had to stand in to buy one. If you already have a ticket, it's relatively straight forward as I remember. It was two years ago though, and I'm not sure if anything (like security) has changed since then. Good luck, linda

Since the trains start in Paris, they will be in the station at least half an hour before departure. If you already have a ticket, you don't need more than 10-15 minutes. You have to stamp it in one of the orange machines near the entrances -- just look to see what everyone else is doing. You can get there earlier if you are worried, but there is no security -- it's not an airport.

When you get to the station (look for signs saying Grandes Lignes), there are boards posting departure information -- destination, time of departure and platform number. Then you just go to the carriage marked on your ticket and look for your seat. it's very straightforward.

Don't be there too late, because there are two distinct departure areas, and some walking between them, but it's pretty useless to be at the station hours in advance, as the platform number will be displayed only 20 mn before departure, not earlier. Of course if you don't have your ticket, it's another story!