My 78 year old mother will be traveling alone and taking the TGV from Gare de Lyon to Avignon. Having traveled on TGV in June with me from CDG to Lyon, she is very nervous about navigating the crush of people boarding and how to determine which car she is seated in and stowing her suitcase on the train in the short time the train is in the station. Does Gare de Lyon offer porterage service or is there a private service she could hire for this assistance? Thanks!
Posted by
Boston
518 posts
You don't say if Mom has reduced mobility, but this is from the Gare de Lyon website:
Posted by
London, England
411 posts
There are no porter services in European stations nowadays. As HappyToBeHere said you can prebook "assistance" at stations which is primarily intended for people with mobility issues. Note that the staff will not carry your luggage for you - they put you on a wheelchair ("fauteuil roulant", pronounced "foh-toy roo-long") and push you to the door of the carriage. Your case goes on your lap or on a bracket under the seat of the wheelchair.
Also note that Gare de Lyon is where the train begins, so you will probably have more time to board than you did at CDG.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
12102 posts
We used a porter at the Paris Gare de Lyon in recent years when we were moving. They aren’t always easy to spot because unless you need one, you don’t tend to look for them.
Here’s the SNCF link:
https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/fr/gares-services/paris-gare-lyon/services-commerces/portage-bagages
You can change this to English.