Transfer from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon

Paris has several main train stations, all serving national and international trains to different parts of the country. When travelling through Paris by train it is almost always necessary to change from one station to another.

Between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon

The express metro line RER D connects these two stations. A train departs every 3-8 minutes. No need to take an expensive taxi!

The train journey between the two stations takes around 8 minutes. Including walking to the RER D platforms to/from the main train station, boarding the train and buying a ticket, the whole journey will take around 25-30 minutes. This depends on whether you have tickets beforehand and how much luggage you have with you. Elevators will be available to the RER platforms at multiple locations at both train stations, but calculate a few minutes to find these.

We generally recommend planning at least 75 to 90 minutes to transfer in Paris, to allow time for delays, finding the right metro line and platform, buying tickets if necessary, and boarding the next train.

How to buy tickets

• Parisian public transport is run by RATP. For tickets download the RATP and SNCF apps to buy tickets on your phone with your credit card.
• Use your phone's NFC function to use the tickets at the metro stations.
• If you don't have a smartphone with NFC, a paper NAVIGO pass can be bought from ticket machines at every train station or metro stop, which can be topped up with money as you travel.
• A single ticket between any two train stations as described above usually costs €2.50.

Single use metro tickets are being phased out, with the top-up Navigo pass being the best alternative if you have no phone with internet and NFC functions. It used to be possible to buy single tickets on board of TGV and Eurostar trains, but this is slowly being phased out.