train connection time

Don't worry about having tickets in hand. Put them in your pocket so you don't lose them. You will not need them till the conductor comes around. However, be sure to know you train number and car number. We have done transfers in less than ten minutes.

Woinparis,
Thanks for your input! That's always the answer, right? If the train is on time...

Frank,
Thanks for the reassurance! Yes, I will keep our tickets in my pocket. What I should have said, is that we won't have to buy tickets for our connecting train. :-) Frank, are all the tracks on the same level at Lyon Part Dieu?

Thanks again!

The description on Google maps says there are 11 tracks at Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu. The satellite view shows 11 tracks, all on the ground level.

Yes. all on the same level. The connecting walkway is beneath the tracks. Just walk down the stairway, ramp or escalator to the walkway, check the signage, go to the correct track, then up to the platform. should take just a couple of minutes.

Lee,
Thank you! Google Map is great, I forgot to check it.

Sam,
Thanks for the detailed information!

Now I just need to figure out if there's really a savings by booking our tickets in advance.

My search thus far doesn't show much difference in price, between next week & June 1st. (Annecy >> Avignon Centre)

Am I missing something?

{We will then head to L'Isle sur la Sorgue (from Avignon Centre) via bus or train, whichever is available first}

I think that the TER trains set the price on this route. There are several single connection journeys on TER trains and their prices are always the same (but there are under-26 and over-59 discounts for off peak travel) at 54.60 euro. So that seems like an anchor point for prices. Trains using the TGV are faster, but they require 2 changes, one at Lyon Part Dieu and one at the Avignon TGV station to get on a TER train for the short hop to Avignon Centre. These full fare ticket are just a bit more. I do see a some TGV Leisure fares for 41 euro vs 63.50 euro standard. They charge extra for TGV's since they save about an hour of travel time.

Hi Priscilla - The SNCF has some diagrams of the station, see if this helps.

http://www.gares-sncf.com/fr/gare/frlpd/lyon-part-dieu/plan-de-la-gare

The PDF of the station (on my browser at least) is about halfway down the page, a yellow Adobe symbol, "Plans de la Gare." The top of the page has a virtual reality walk through the station ("gare) - pivot from the beginning view which is out to the plaza - so you're going INTO the station and click on "Access Gare" - then you can "look around" much as you would on Google Street View. Hopefully this will give you some familiarity that you can put to work for you when you're really there.

The other thing is that if you are late because of the TER, there are PLENTY of trains from Lyon down to Avignon - they should put you on another one hopefully no problem.

Sam,
Thanks again for the information!

Woinparis,
Thanks again!

Kim,
Thanks for sharing such a helpful website! I love the "street view" of google map, & this is similar but inside the station.
I find it very helpful to "see" where I will be going, before I actually get there!

Thanks again!

Hi Kim,

I have a question for you regarding your comment,

"The other thing is that if you are late because of the TER, there are PLENTY of trains from Lyon down to Avignon - they should put you on another one hopefully no problem"

I presume this will only work if I have a "Flexible" TGV train ticket, right?

Thanks!

If you miss the TGV because the TER train was late, you can get the next train to Avignon even if you have a Prems ticket. You'll need to stop at the Lyon ticket office to get the seat reservation changed.

Sam,

Thank you so much for your reply!

Would you please explain how this is possible?

When I read the "Terms of Exchange & refunds" on the SNCF website,
this is what it says for TGV train tickets:

TGV Prem's
Ticket may not be changed nor refunded.

and this is the information for TGV Leisure tickets:

TGV LEISURE
This ticket can be exchanged and refunded free of charge up until the day before departure, or changed subject to an administration fee of € 12, plus the difference between the cost of your original ticket and the fare applicable on the day of departure. It cannot be exchanged or refunded after departure.

Sam,
I have not traveled in France in many years & I'm trying to understand how all of these tickets work, thank you!

It is essentially the same as connecting airline tickets. If your first flight is late and you miss the connection, the airline is obligated to get you on the next flight (on their airline), to your destination. So if you buy a single itinerary that includes a TER train connecting to a TGV, SNCF will get you on the next train to your destination if the TER train is late and the connection is missed because of their issue.

Note that does not include if you get lost, go to the bathroom, decide you need to buy a sandwich and a bottle of water. You should make an effort to make the train as fast as you can without killing yourself in the process. They will sometimes hold a train for a few minutes if a lot of people are connecting to it. They do that in Germany at times, I don't know about France, but the TGV could be running late as well.

Sam,

Thanks for your explanation, it makes sense now! ;-)

Priscilla,

I'm not as familiar with the train situation in France, but the information provided by Sam sounds spot-on. I suspect that 14 minutes will be more than adequate time to change trains, providing the TER is on-time. If you scroll down to the station map on *THIS website", it appears that changing trains will be easy.

In the unlikely event that you are late for your TGV connection, you'll have to at least speak with a Conductor as you won't have reservations on the next train you're assigned to. H/she may elect to just find you an empty seat on the next train. Visiting the ticket office to change your reservations will take time, so that's something I'd try to avoid.

Thanks Ken for the information you've provided here for me!

I haven't booked our train tickets for this leg of our trip (Annecy >> Avignon Centre) because there appears to not be an advantage in buying in advance.

I suppose I better book soon, though ;-)

Thanks again!