Gare de Lyon to CDG, Orly and Paris Hotels: Private Car for TGV Arrivals

Gare de Lyon stands in the 12th arrondissement on the Right Bank, a short ride from the Seine and the Bastille, and it is the departure point for almost everything that goes south and south-east: Lyon, Marseille and the Riviera, the Alps, and the Swiss cities beyond. Its clock tower and the Belle Époque Le Train Bleu restaurant are as much a part of Paris as the monuments. For a traveller it is also a place where the next leg of the trip must be solved quickly. A Gare de Lyon to CDG run crosses the whole city and the north of it, and a trip to Orly goes south. Onroutz.ca arranges a private car for either, with the driver tracking your train.

What is the best way from Gare de Lyon to CDG or Orly?

Paris Aéroport confirms the two main public links: Orly is reached from Paris by metro line 14, and Charles de Gaulle by RER line B. The page also lists taxis and shuttles at both. In practice the metro to Orly is excellent, and the situation to CDG is where a car begins to make the most sense, especially with bags.

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Gare de Lyon at a glance

The station handles TGV INOUI high-speed trains, Lyria services to Switzerland, regional TER trains, and Paris suburban lines. Under the station, Metro lines 1 and 14 and RER A and D connect you to the rest of the city. It is large and busy, and arrivals can be hectic in the evening and on the first day of a school holiday.

From the official timetables of the Swiss-French operator, the Lyria service runs from Gare de Lyon to Geneva in about 3 hours 11 minutes with eight services a day, to Lausanne in 3 hours 41 minutes and to Basel in 3 hours 4 minutes, as listed at tgv-lyria.com. Lyon is about two hours away by TGV, and in winter there are seasonal TGVs from Paris to Moûtiers and Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the gateway to the big French ski areas. Check the timetable for your date.

Distances and times from Gare de Lyon

These are rounded road figures. Paris traffic is dense on the ring road (the Périphérique) and on the approaches to the airports, and a strike or an event can change a journey on any day.

Every way from Gare de Lyon to the airports, side by side

Paris applies regulated flat fares for taxis between the city and each airport, with different amounts for the Right Bank and Left Bank and supplements for luggage or bookings. Read the current table on the Paris Aéroport site or on the sign at the taxi stand; for a private transfer the fare is the one quoted in the booker.

When the metro or RER is the better choice

Take line 14 to Orly. It is direct, it runs frequently, it avoids the A6 and the Périphérique, and with one suitcase you will beat most cars to the terminal in the middle of the day.

Take the RER to CDG when you have time in hand, one bag, and a flight in the afternoon or evening. The interchange from RER A or D to RER B is the part to plan: check the platform and direction before you travel.

When a private car wins

• Heavy or awkward luggage. The RER interchange is a poor place for three large bags. A Luxury SUV carries up to six passengers with five or six large bags.
• Families. Child, toddler and booster seats can be added on request at booking, which you cannot rely on in a taxi.
• Early morning departures. Many airport trains are fewer and slower before 06:00. A pre-booked car does not depend on a timetable.
• Late arrivals. A TGV that gets in at 23:30 still has a driver waiting, because the train is tracked.
• Business schedules. A connection from a TGV to a long-haul flight is smoother with one driver and one plan.
• Privacy. Some guests like a quiet vehicle and an alias name on the board.

Browse the fleet for vehicle classes, and read how private airport transfers work for the process.

Meeting your driver at Gare de Lyon

Train arrivals are tracked, so the pickup follows the real time. The meeting point is confirmed in your booking, usually inside the station hall where your train arrives or at an agreed exit, and the driver may hold a name board with an alias if you wish. Pickups at stations include 15 minutes of free waiting from arrival. The station is large and its exits face different streets; tell us the platform or hall if you already know it.

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From Gare de Lyon to your Paris hotel

Most Paris hotels are a short ride away: the Marais and Bastille are minutes to the north, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain are across the river, and the Champs-Élysées and Opéra districts are on the other side of the centre. In daytime the metro is a good way to cross Paris with light luggage; a taxi or private car is quicker and more comfortable with several bags. The drop-off point depends on the street: narrow streets and one-way systems mean the car may stop at the corner closest to the entrance. Give the full hotel address when you book.

Gare de Lyon to the Alps, via the TGV and back by car

A practical route for ski travellers is Paris Gare de Lyon by TGV to Moûtiers in winter, then a car for the mountain road. From Moûtiers the ski areas of Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens are all within about 20 to 40 km, uphill. See Geneva Airport to Courchevel and Méribel and Geneva Airport to Val Thorens for the road details, the equipment rules and the changeover Saturdays; the same resort logistics apply if you arrive by train at Moûtiers. Ask the booker for a pickup at the railway station instead of the airport.

Connecting to Eurostar, CDG and Disneyland

Gare de Lyon is not the Eurostar terminus, which is Gare du Nord, so connecting from a TGV to a London train is a cross-city trip. A car handles it neatly with luggage, and the London King's Cross and St Pancras page covers the other end of that route. For a family going straight to the theme parks, the CDG to Disneyland Paris transfer is the usual direct link, and the CDG airport page covers the airport side. Low-cost flights to Beauvais are covered by the Beauvais to Paris transfer.

How Onroutz.ca delivers a Paris transfer

Onroutz.ca is a transfer desk based in Toronto. In France the ride is delivered by a vetted, licensed and commercially insured local transfer partner, and Onroutz.ca books, confirms, supports and invoices it from Toronto, giving you one confirmation, one invoice and one 24/7 contact. Every partner car is within four model years of new, except Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maybach, allowed up to seven. The vehicle class is confirmed at booking, "or similar". More Paris and French routes are listed in the Europe hub and the rail transfers index.

Entry rules for visitors

France is in the Schengen Area. If you arrive from outside the EU, check the border arrangements for non-EU travellers, including the EU Entry/Exit System, on travel-europe.europa.eu before you fly. A passport-control delay on arrival is covered by the free waiting time at an airport pickup, but it will not help if you miss a train, so leave margin for the onward leg.