Paris to Beaune By Train And Question Re Taxis in Beaune

The only reason people don't recommend rail Europe is because the prices are higher and the schedule is not complete since it is a 3rd party ticket seller. I used them before and once I saw the price difference I learned how to use the other European national rail lines websites maybe 8 years ago since they all have an English version. As far as Gare de Lyon, just arrive more than early enough to catch train. The signage is in English everywhere and most speak English. It is a big train station

Once you’re in Beaune how to plan to visit the wine villages. This round trip from and to Paris and day trips from Beaune would be so much easier in a rental car.

Use the SNCF website. It is the official site of the railroad. As Jazz & Travels stated, Rail Europe is a 3rd Party site.

As far as finding your train, it is really simple.

There will either be a big board or monitors that will show the upcoming trains and what track they are on. Find your train....it may not say Beaune as the destinaton but the actual end point of the journey. Make sure the departure time is the same. About 20 minutes prior to departure, the track wll be listed. Just follow signs to the track number.

As far as taxis in Beaune, when I arrived at the train station, there were none. You might have to wait or arrange for one prior to arrival. Your hotel should be able to help.

The direct train to Beaune from Paris-Bercy takes a while (4-odd hours, about 1.5 hours longer than going via Dijon by high-speed train), but Bercy is a small station with perhaps 6-8 platforms all on one level so you might find it more manageable. And you will not have to deal with the connection. The hardest part is perhaps finding the station, as it is not visible from the Bercy metro stop.

Can anyone who is familiar with Gare de Lyon, which along with Bercy
seem to be the stations in Paris we would use to get to Beaune, who
can give a few pointers on where the trains to Beaune from Paris can
be accessed within the stations? What level they might be on, for
instance?

Gare de Lyon is a big station, but pretty easy to navigate. A railway station works just like an airport (or actually, it is airports that work like railway station) and once you enter the station there are a number of large boards that show all departing trains: https://goo.gl/maps/u8vfXymLKbH1egPB7 The destination showed might not be Beaune as it will show the train's last stop. But every train has a number (just like flight numbers) so use that number and departure time to find your train, there are rarely two trains that depart on the same minute.

Then look at the Voie-column, that is the track used by your train. As mentioned, it will not show up until 20 minutes or so before departure, but once you know, just head to the platform and board the train. Or have another cup of coffee, you don't need to be at the platform 20 minutes before departure. Before the track shows up it will show which hall the train uses. The station has two halls, the old Hall 1 with and the newer Hall 2. If you need to get to the other hall, just follow the signs: https://goo.gl/maps/kgww5MXkqZdXMJHf6

Finally, can anyone speak to the availability of taxis In Beaune? We
are thinking we will need one from the station in Beaune to our hotel,
which is in central Beaune.

Where is your hotel? It is a short walk from the station in Beaune to the old town centre. Or you can take local bus 3 that drops you off in the centre for €3 per person.

If it makes you feel any better Gabriele, I find Montparnasse station confusing, tentacular, and almost unmanageable. Furthermore, I remember when it was built and first opened, so it’s not like I this monster is new to me. The other stations are much easier to manage.

Balso and Badger have given you great advice. I would just add not let your experience with Gare Montparnasse make you too afraid about using Gare de Lyon. Yes, they are both big stations, but Gare de Montparnasse is a lot more confusing, and Gare de Lyon a lot easier to navigate.

I think you may be able to Google and find videos of “boarding a train at Paris Gare de Lyon” or “finding your way around Paris Gare de Lyon” so you can have some more visual practice in addition to the useful photos Badger has shared with you. And if I were guessing, I would guess that “The Man in Seat 61” probably has some information Gare de Lyon on his section about trains in France.

You guessed right Kim: https://www.seat61.com/stations/paris-gare-de-lyon.htm

Thanks so much all for your helpful suggestions! I will check them all out. As for the rental car for day trips from Beaune, we were thinking of cycling because my husband is 74 and we were told it would be hard to get insurance for him to rent a car. I am younger but the idea of driving in a foreign country with no knowledge of the laws or the area does not seem like a good idea. And if we are sipping wine, as well, best not to drive.
And it is indeed comforting to know even experienced Gare Montparnassers find it a pain. I may be back with another question, but very glad for these replies, thank you!

My least favourite place in Paris is negotiating Montparnasse. I'm not the only one it appears...

We just made this trip. As mentioned above, I would use the train time and number to make sure you are looking at the right train schedule. I used the mobile website in advance to give me a general idea of where to go. All I had to go on was Hall 2 at Gare de Lyon. Once we got to Hall 2, we watched the monitor. About 30 minutes before, the monitor updated with the platform number and a stream of people started lining up. While big, just knowing Hall 2 and my train time and number made it easy to navigate. We transferred at Dijon to another train and this time didn't have much to go on. I just asked, "Beaune?" and we were directed to the right platform. I used the train number to confirm and the monitor showed the stops and I could see Beaune was the first one. We didin't need to get a cab from the Beaune station, but you might consider asking your hotel about pick up or taxi service. You might even be able to walk. Getting around by car in Beaune is a little difficult because the streets are all based around a ring road, but walking you can cut across streets.