Should we drive from Paris to Lyon to catch a Viking river cruise or take a train?

I would not drive it. It is not going to take four to five hours. It is going to be more like seven (traffic), six if you are very lucky. I would take the train and spend the saved time in Lyon. It's a great city. The drive on the highway is boring unless you make it a multi-day trip and stop in towns along the way. If you take a scenic (non-toll) route, it is going to take even longer than seven hours. Driving in Lyon is a pain. I am not a person who is afraid to drive in cities, BTW, having learned to drive in NYC and living there for years so this is not fear of city driving influencing my thoughts. All in, I see no real value in driving for this trip.

We have all day to get here and were planning on taking our time. & hours is a bit much. I was told 4 to 5. I may re-visit the thought. We will be spending the entire next day in Lyon. Perhaps we should stay in Paris for the morning and take the train down in the afternoon?

I agree with JHK, I would take a train, and I’ve driven all over France.

Cpo, if the Viking tour doesn't include the Lyon food hall or the Old town, then they are worth your time to see if you want to spend part of your free time in Lyon. Much less crowded and frantic as Paris can sometimes be. Otherwise more time in Paris with an afternoon arrival in Lyon makes sense. Lyon has nice river walk ways easily accessible from your ship. The Rhone was our first river cruise though with a different company.

Via Michelin is estimating 5 to 6 hours, and that's with no traffic, getting lost, getting off the highways, etc. I have no idea what the real-world conditions are, because I've never driven in Europe. Keep in mind that in addition to the driving time you'd be dealing with two outposts of the car-rental agency. That is not always quick, and it's important to check the operating hours of the rental offices; many of them close for a while at noon, and they may not be open late.

Looking at the map I see several places of interest along the way--Orleans and Bourges along the longest route (with tolls of about 34 euros) and Beaune along the fastest route (with tolls of about 66 euros). I'm sure there are many other points of interest, but getting off the highway would slow you down a lot.

The thing is, Lyon has way more than one day's worth of sights, and it's the gastronomic capital of France. Your choice comes down to spending 2 hours on the train plus some minutes getting from your hotel to the Gare de Lyon in Paris (plus whatever time it takes to move between Lyon Part Dieu and your hotel there) or spending probably 6 hours sitting in a car plus time at two rental agencies and travel time between two hotels and those rental agencies. Ultimately, you can have perhaps 9 daylight hours in Lyon or 5 hours (if you're lucky) somewhere else.

Thanks to all, decision made. Morning in Paris, train to Lyon. Dinner in Lyon that evening and the entire next day we are in Lyon until we take off down river. I'll be posting further questions stay tuned. Very helpful group.
Merci and au revoir

Very god point. Glad I asked. we would be chasing the ship down the river.

I deleted my post about mapping services when I saw that your 1:51 post was there (we were posting at the same time) but I have decided to add it back in again.

Were you told 4 to 5 hours by someone who used Google Maps or Via Michelin or was it someone who makes the drive often? If you put your planned trip into something like Google Maps or Via Michelin, it will show up as between 4 and 5 hours but that is not going to be correct. What I do to get a reasonable estimate of the time is divide the amount of miles (kilometers) by the number of hours to see what the average speed the mapping service thinks I will be driving. It is never a realistic rate of speed so I usually have to add more time to the estimated travel time. I spent the summer of 2013 in a small town about 140 kilometers north of Lyon and we went there many times. There was always traffic on A6 and it usually took around 2 to 2.5 hours to make the trip. I also used to drive from the town to Paris and that trip which shows it a 3.5 hour trips on mapping services but was never less than 4.5 hour trip.

I lived in Lyon for several years, took my French driver's license test there, and drove from Paris to Lyon on a return trip from Normandie last weekend. So, perhaps I can offer a little direct experience to your smorgasbord of responses.

The time estimate you've noted is fine, despite detractors to the contrary. If you want to "enjoy the sites" however, or plan to arrive in the Lyon area on a weekday during morning commute hours, then plan on a much longer trip. Don't get me wrong -- one can glide into Lyon with nary a delay on some days, at some times. But on other days, count on an hour or so of rolling forward, stopping, rolling forward, stopping, rolling forward, stopping, until you reach your destination after quite a long time.

Unless your travel plans strongly indicate a need for a car in Lyon upon arrival, I would recommend taking the TGV. It's fast. Convenient. And it will get you where you need to be with both a high degree of certainty and a small chance of delay. And having a car in a city like Lyon is more of a liability than an asset. Lyon's mass transit is comprehensive and advanced. Download the TCL app to your phone and you'll be able to use it like a champ.

Edit: Just thought I'd add a note for those contemplating driving in large French cities: the traffic in Paris is horrible but the drivers (except for motorbikes and motorcycles) are pretty darn polite. Marseille is less congested than Paris and drivers seem more laid back to me. Lyon drivers, on the other hand, are nuts. Far more aggressive than those in Paris or Marseille. Think twice before you drive in Paris because of the congestion. Think three times before you drive in Lyon because of the other drivers.

The train from Paris to Lyon is non-stop taking 2h. As of now, the last departure time is 5:30p. However, if you drive, you pass Beaune along the way that’s well known for its vineyards (Burgundy).

Hi cpo, please post a trip report when you return from your cruise. We did a Rhine river cruise on Viking a few years ago and loved it. Your itinerary from Lyon looks wonderful. Love France ❤️

The best part of the Rhone river cruises is that many of the stops the ship is right in the heart of the sights like Arles and Avignon so you can just walk to and from them from the ship taking your time. It's not the most scenic river but usually the ship cruises overnight so you aren't missing much. We fell in love with river cruises after our Rhone cruise.

thank you again. I will continue to ask questions as we go on.

If you take the train, you could have lunch in Le Train Bleu restaurant at Gare de Lyon before boarding. https://www.le-train-bleu.com/fr/

Donna, I will post a post a report after we complete the trip. This will be our first Viking trip.

I would rent a car only if you could take a few days on the road -- there are many lovely spots to stop for a few nights and enjoy the area if you drive BUT if it is just getting to Lyon definitely take the train.

Hello from Wisconsin,
Take the train. Driving in the second most populace city of France is a challenge. I don't know where you have to drop your car, but that could be the biggest challenge. Getting from the outskirts to the drop point could be tough. Also getting out of Paris in a rental...I did it once. Won't do it again.

If you have never ridden a high speed train, get ready for a very enjoyable experience. The TGV is not the same as our rail in the US. For first time riders, it is eye opening.

wayne iNWI

How to book Train to Lyon on TGV? Some bizarre websites come up. First class seats?

It sounds like you’ve already made your decision, but I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring. My husband and I actually made this very drive in August 2016, to catch a barge in Lyon. We were staying in the Latin Quarter in Paris, walked down to the Gare Montparnasse, picked up our one way rental (cute Mini Cooper) and enjoyed a drive down to Lyon (where we dropped the car at the train station). It was a Sunday, so traffic was admittedly light. We stopped for a nice lunch en route, but otherwise really just enjoyed the fine roads and fun car. To be honest, we had cancelled a train reservation because this was the summer after the Bataclan attack and I was a bit skittish about the trains (totally unfounded, I know!). So, that’s how we ended up driving. Would we do it again over the shorter train ride? I’m not sure. But, we really did enjoy that day, and we did not regret the drive. Whatever you choose, I hope you have a wonderful time! I’d also love to hear about your experience with Viking. We loved our barge trip, but have yet to try the larger river boats. It’s on our list!

Usually this website works for French rail tickets: https://en.oui.sncf/en/. It's best to buy from the company that operates the trains if you possibly can. Unfortunately, at the moment a lot of folks in the US are having trouble with that website. I hope it will be fixed soon, but it has been going on for a while, at least for me.

I find the standard seating perfectly comfortable and wouldn't pay extra for first class. I suppose if the fare difference is very small (which does occasionally happen) and you will have a lot of luggage to stow, it would be nice to be in a less-crowded First-Class rail car.

Train tickets are only available 3-4 months prior to departure, and I do not know when you plan to travel.
If SNCF website does not work, then Trainline is a good alternative (despite slight extra fees for overseas buyers).
Avoid trains labelled "Ouigo", because they come with a lot of hassle (luggage allowance, cramped seats, 30-minute check-in), and since I see that you are staying at the Bristol, I assume that you can afford the reasonable (10-50%) extra expense of 1st class, so go for it!

Pay attention to the terminus station in Lyon. There are 2... Lyon-Perrache and Lyon-Part-Dieu. Part-Dieu is adjacent Centre-Ville (historic town center). Many TGV use the Paris-Lyon line, including those which are express directs to the Cote D'Azur.

I love driving but here... take the TGV.

Depending on day of week, you could spend a long time getting out of Paris, tolls are high, there are speed cameras on the Autoroute, and you could get stuck in the Beaune Entonnoir, an infamous junction of the Autoroute de L'est and the Autoroute du Sud. There will always be a lot of truck, bus, and vehicle traffic. Really, take the train - you'll get there a lot faster and be better rested.