Transportation PARIS to Le Puy en Velay

Leigh Lorayne · Feb 19, 2023

I will be arriving in Paris CDG April21 and want to take a train to Le Puy. I arrive in Paris at 10:30 and I see a train on Trainline App. leaving Paris from Gare de Lyon at 13:46. Is that enough time from arrival to catch the train? It says one ticket left. There is also a train at 12:49 which I would prefer. Any experience with time clearing customs and transportation from airport to train station? How do I get there from the airport? Thanks so much for any help.

Pafayac · Feb 19, 2023

On April, 21st, there are trains leaving Paris CGD to Lyon:
- CDG 11:58, Lyon Part-Dieu 14:04
- CDG 13:58, Lyon Part-Dieu 16:02
- CGD 14:57, Lyon Part-Dieu 17:00
In Lyon you have to commute to St Etienne, then in St Etienne to Le Puy if I remember.

Camino Chrissy · Feb 19, 2023

Pafayac said:
On April, 21st, there are trains leaving Paris CGD to Lyon:
- CDG 11:58, Lyon Part-Dieu 14:04
- CDG 13:58, Lyon Part-Dieu 16:02
- CGD 14:57, Lyon Part-Dieu 17:00
In Lyon you have to commute to St Etienne, then in St Etienne to Le Puy if I remember.

Yes, that is exactly what we remember, too. We had a half hour+ wait between train connections and there was a Decathlon nearby in a mall, so we had time to walk over and purchase inexpensive hiking poles.

Pelerina · Feb 19, 2023

Leigh Lorayne said:
Any experience with time clearing customs and transportation from airport to train station? How do I get there from the airport? Thanks so much for any help.

Hi there - given the times quoted above by @Pafayac - I'd go for the 13.58 departure. Time to get through customs and retrieve your bag etc is outside your control and can blow out very easily

The TGV station is in Terminal 2. See map below. I've only ever flown in to Terminal 2. But if you are arriving into one of the other terminals it's also easy to get to. See this page - if you scroll down it tells you how to move between terminals.

Paris Airport Terminals | Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)

Three terminals serve Roissy Airport. Learn everything about Paris airport terminal services, configuration, and in-between transfers.

paris-airport-cdg.com

I hope you have time for a full day in Le Puy en Velay. It's a beautiful town with a strong pilgrim feel. The early morning pilgrim blessing in the cathedral is a wonderful way to start. Down the steps and off you go.

Enjoy this glorious path. Bon chemin.

Pelerina · Feb 19, 2023

PS @Leigh Lorayne I noticed your post refers to trains departing Gare de Lyon. If you intend to travel on the morning of your arrival, I strongly recommend taking one of the trains departing from CDG airport (noted by @Pafayac) rather than getting yourself into Paris to take a train from Gare de Lyon. That will take quite a while and exposes you to all sorts of delays which can arise on both the RER and metro systems and from traffic.

We often take TGV trains south from CDG and it works very well. All the best.

estorildon · Feb 20, 2023

In 2019, I did the prudent thing. After arriving early at CDG, I gave myself a leisurely connection to Gare Lyon, picked up my pre-paid ticket after waiting in a huge queue because the ticket machines were out of order. I had a nice lunch and few glasses of France’s finest. Boarded my train to Le Puy only to run into a labor dispute somewhere short of Le Puy and had to negotiate with every man and his dog for a bus ticket to my destination. C’est la vie. You can plan and then you can plan your travels in France. Bon chance!

JanieG · Feb 20, 2023

I took the early morning train from CDG to Lyon, then took a BlaBlaCar from Lyon to Le Puy. The ride cost me €6 and got me to Le Puy with plenty of time to wander the town and recuperate a bit after the red-eye flight. If you post a request for a BlaBlaCar on their site or app, know that you won’t get a response until exactly 2 weeks before your intended ride date. But once that date arrives, you’ll start to get responses and can hopefully pick and choose one going closest to your destination. You can always get a taxi from a neighboring town if need be. I found this to be direct, easy and cheap.

Vagabonder · Feb 20, 2023

Pelerina said:
PS @Leigh Lorayne I noticed your post refers to trains departing Gare de Lyon. If you intend to travel on the morning of your arrival, I strongly recommend taking one of the trains departing from CDG airport (noted by @Pafayac) rather than getting yourself into Paris to take a train from Gare de Lyon. That will take quite a while and exposes you to all sorts of delays which can arise on both the RER and metro systems and from traffic.

We often take TGV trains south from CDG and it works very well. All the best.

I’m so glad that I read this, I was planning to go into Paris and take a train from either Gare de Lyon or Bercy but leaving from CDG would certainly be easier. My flight arrives on April 19 at 5:15am so I will have plenty of time but still…

Tandem Graham · Feb 20, 2023

The train ride from Lyon to Le Puy via St Etienne is slow but offers engaging views over the upper reaches of the Loire river and may be useful in slowing down to Camino pace.

Camino Chrissy · Feb 20, 2023

JanieG said:
I took the early morning train from CDG to Lyon, then took a BlaBlaCar from Lyon to Le Puy. The ride cost me €6 and got me to Le Puy with plenty of time to wander the town and recuperate a bit after the red-eye flight. If you post a request for a BlaBlaCar on their site or app, know that you won’t get a response until exactly 2 weeks before your intended ride date. But once that date arrives, you’ll start to get responses and can hopefully pick and choose one going closest to your destination. You can always get a taxi from a neighboring town if need be. I found this to be direct, easy and cheap.

Sounds interesting.
Are you able to use/navigate the BlaBlaCar website on-line in English?

Leigh Lorayne · Feb 21, 2023

Thanks for all the helpful replies. Is there a train from Lyon Part-Dieux to Le Puy or do you have to go from the St. Étienne station? The BlaBlaCar sounds interesting but feels a little uncertain….

NorthernLight · Feb 21, 2023

Leigh Lorayne said:
Thanks for all the helpful replies. Is there a train from Lyon Part-Dieux to Le Puy or do you have to go from the St. Étienne station? The BlaBlaCar sounds interesting but feels a little uncertain….

There is an hourly train from Lyon to St Étienne and one every three hours from St Étienne to Le Puy. From Paris, you change trains at Lyon and St Étienne.