Paris to Le Puy

I will being doing the train from Paris early in June, my early AM arrival at CDG gives me plenty of time to make the connection through Gare Lyon. Assuming of course there is no industrial or yellow vest action going on at the time. Some aggrieved workers closed the SNCF down last week between Paris and Bordeaux for a day. C'est la vie.
That's why I gave myself an extra day in Le Puy, the additional cost of a room for a night is worthwhile insurance.

@kmccue You don't say where you are coming from. That would be helpful to respond to your question.

Many international flights to Lyon may require a change of planes. If this is your case, your overall travel time to Lyon and continuing onward by train to Le Puy might be just as long as flying to Paris and starting train travel there.

French trains are fast and comfortable, though disruptions occasionally occur as biarritzdon just mentioned. I have personally bought my tickets online from Trainline ever since SNCF (the French national railway company) stopped accepting my U.S. credit card some years ago. The Trainline site is very easy to use and they have responded promptly when I have asked them my questions. I think their ticket prices are the same as SNCF's, or at least they used to be.

If you opt for Lyon, the Rhonexpress travels multiple times per hour between the airport and the main Lyon train station where you would continue your journey to Le Puy.

Also, I seem to recall that the most prolific and most grounded poster on this forum (falcon269) said that it is also possible to take a bus from the Lyon airport to Le Puy. There may be a transfer required - seems likely, but I'm not sure.

From Paris by train - you'll be on three trains if you can catch the first from the airport station (CDG). Otherwise you'll have to travel into Paris to Paris-Bercy or to the Gare de Lyon. Possible using public transport but doing so can entail a bit of a hassle.

From Lyon - Rhonexpress plus two trains

Bon chemin.

Check www.rome2rio.com or the FREE app of the same name "rome2rio." It will tell you how to get from and to virtually any named places on earth.

I just checked, taking the train, with a change / correspondence at Lyon is one hour LESS than flying... just sayin...

Using Rome2Rio is a very good starting place.

I researched Boston MA to Lyon and Boston to Paris and Paris offered the best option in terms of time and cost. I have booked the train from CDG to Le Puy which includes change of train in Lyon and then St. Etienne. Because I arrive 9:30am at CDG, I can catch the train which leaves just before noon and arrive at Le Puy around 5:30pm. Otherwise, I think the train leaves around 2pm and arrives at Le Puy at 8:30pm, which is rather late.

If your plan is to change planes in Paris, change plans: CDG is just awful as a transfer point. Departing CDG by train is much easier. However, if your plan is to change planes elsewhere (Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Heathrow) then do that, and arrive at Lyon. As outlined above, you'll hoof it over to the train station (1 km), and continue through it (buy your ticket at a machine) and down to the local express connection into town. The main Lyon station is quite large with many services.

kmccue said:

Thought we'd fly into Lyon, but Paris might make better sense. I see that its about a 6 hour trip from Paris. Anyone with experience on this?

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Yes. Have done it a few times and just booked again.
CDG airport to Le Puy, 5 hours 23 minutes.
Booked through trainline.com
Leave 09.57, arr Le Puy 15.20. There are several other options.
You need to book Le Puy St Etienne Chateaucreux ( change in Lyon) and then book St Etienne Chateaucreux to Le Puy. For some reason it doesn't let you book the whole journey.
Costs around 58 Euros, unless you travel on a very popular day ( I stupidly forgot it was Ascension Day, start of long weekend, so the price is double)....

biarritzdon said:

I will being doing the train from Paris early in June, my early AM arrival at CDG gives me plenty of time to make the connection through Gare Lyon. Assuming of course there is no industrial or yellow vest action going on at the time. Some aggrieved workers closed the SNCF down last week between Paris and Bordeaux for a day. C'est la vie.
That's why I gave myself an extra day in Le Puy, the additional cost of a room for a night is worthwhile insurance.

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2 and 1/2 hours CDG to Lyon in the best train outside of Japan! (I'm Australian, our trains are 3rd world). But stay a day or two in Lyon, great food! Textile Museum, markets. Yep I have been caught by strikes on the Lyon Le Puy train....and Lyon train station is huge and confusing. The train station at CDG is under the airport, and if you have a voucher you need to change it for a ticket. Just a note that credit cards are far from universally accepted in France.