Paris train connection help needed... Please!

That may be tight, but doable, asumming a few things. You have tickets for next train in hand( not needing to exchange vouchers or print them etc) . And your train arrives on time( they usually do )

You are healthy and dont have too much luggage to carry.

The walk is about 15 minutes.

If elderly take a taxi, the taxi driver may not be wild about the short ride, but, technically they are not supposed to refuse ride, they are more inclined to be polite about it if you are elderly. There is a minimum charge regardless of how short drive is, not sure but it used to be about 6 euros.

Pat,
Thank you so much for your prompt reply!

I always like to arrive early to train stations, to get oriented & to figure out where our train platform & validating machines are located, etc... I don't like rushing (unless I have to) & worrying about missing our train.

I will have to consider other options...

Priscilla,

If you're using wheeled luggage and have no problems with a short albeit brisk walk, that would be the most direct method to get from Gare de Lyon to Gare d'Austerlitz. The route using the Pont Charles de Gaulle bridge is a bit shorter. The sidewalks on the bridge are wide so they shouldn't be too congested. The distance on this route is 1 kM or less.

If you have heavy luggage or are not inclined to walk, then a Taxi is probably your best bet. The Taxi ride will take longer as the driver won't be able to use the more direct Pont Charles de Gaulle as it's one way in the wrong direction. Therefore the Taxi will have to use the Pont d'Austerlitz which will add a bit of time, depending on traffic at the time.

There's also the Metro, but I wouldn't recommend that. By the time you get to the station, buy tickets, wait for the trains, change from one line to another and so on, walking will probably be faster.

That's quite tight.

Gare de Lyon is divided into two separate areas of track; some platforms will be a much shorter walk to Gare d'Austerlitz, others much longer.

There's no guarantee which platform you will arrive at.

It certainly a straightforward walk between the two stations which you are linking, but it will be helpful to know which way to turn and not get at all lost.

I know the area well, and I would be unlikely to book those two trains that tightly.

Ken,
Thanks a bunch for your detailed information!

We won't have heavy luggage, but I'd hate to rush & miss our connection...
So, I think I will definitely consider splitting our Paris visit such that we will travel this route:

1. Avignon>> Paris 4N

2. then Paris >> Amboise 3N

3. Then Amboise to Paris 2N >> home (CDG)

Nigel, Thank you so much for your insight!

I can certainly understand that it would be so much easier if I were familiar with the train stations.
I know it would be so easy to get turned around & get delayed trying to figure out which way to go.
I thought it was not enough time, but SNCF is listing this connection, so I suppose some people can manage to make work ;-)

Thanks again for your help !

Pricilla, I wouldn't break up the Paris visit because you'll lose too much time moving, packing, unpacking. OTOH, you could book the next train and spend the time waiting at a great brasserie across the street from the Gare de Lyon, l'Europeen.

Speaking of backup plans, there is a TGV from Gare Montparnasse at 14:04. It does require you to make a change at St Pierre des Corps for the 15 minute ride to Amboise on the local train. It arrives at Amboise just 30 minutes after the direct train from Gare d'Austerlitz. If you were to miss your original train you could get to Montparnasse in under an hour by taxi, or the No 10 Metro to Duroc, then one stop on the No 13 Metro to Montparnasse.

Or you could bite the bullet and book this train from the get go. Gare de Lyon to Gare Montparnasse is an easy taxi ride. or take the No 14 Metro to Bercy, then the No 6 Metro to Gare Montparnasse.

I've done the walk from Gare de Lyon to Gare d'Austerlitz. Take a left out of the front door of Gare de Lyon and walk down the street and over the Pont Charles DeGaulle. The side entrance to Gare d'Austerlitz is more or less directly in front of you. DB shows "800 m, 25 min walk". Your arriving train might stop at the far end of the platform at Gare de Lyon, so it could be a fair walk to get to the front entrance of the station.

I like Sam's back up idea.

the problem with trying to walk between Gare de Lyon and Gare d'Austerlitz in time to make a train in 36 minutes is partially just the sheer time it will take you to orient yourself as to where you are in the building and how to get out of it on the "right" side to go where you want to go. The Gare de Lyon is HUGE and I wouldn't depend on myself to be able to go the right way -- and I live just three metro stops away and use it often! 36 minutes is just not enough time to make that transfer IMHO. I like the ideas Bets and Sam have raised.

Bets, Sam & Kim, many thanks for your help!

Bets, I realize that breaking up our Paris visit is not ideal... I've researched all our options & I think this may be the best option for us.
If I break up our Paris visit, we will still spend the same amount of time in Paris & this will allow us to arrive to Amboise in the late morning (departing from Paris) instead of early evening (if traveling from Avignon). Thanks for your insight, I appreciate it ;-)

Sam,
Thanks for your suggestions! I'd seen this option while researching the SNCF site &I should have mentioned this in my original post above.
I truly appreciate the time you took to research this, though, thanks!

Another reason for deciding to split our Paris visit is that I suffer from a bad back, so it's difficult to sit for long periods of time.
So I'd rather take 2 shorter trips, on separate days, than one long trip one day.

Kim, I've been in HUGE stations (recently in Madrid's Atocha station) & it does take me some time to figure out which way is the "right" way to go. Thanks for your input! I may send you a PM with more specific questions regarding Paris... If you don't mind :-)

Thanks again to all of you, who have been so kind to take the time to help me!

This blog, from a Canadian living in Paris, has been around awhile and is easy to use. Ben does photo tours of the main stations so you can recognize what you are getting into. http://parisbytrain.com/
The Paris regional train system RATP will allow you to track your path between the two stations, across the Seine:
http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ratp/recherche-avancee
Google Maps will provide perhaps a better map. The streets are a bit tangled so print out or capture the map. For some reason, the Directions function insists you type in Gare d'Austerlitz on Avenue de l'hopital first, then Gare de Lyon, rather than vice versa.
Estimates of walking time are around 7-10 minutes, which is optimistic for a stranger. Remember, it's Paris so there is always a chance of rain which makes getting a taxi tougher.