Paris1972-Versailles2003

A memorable train station for its restaurant and our trip east as well as my boys school trips to skiing sites.  The venerable gare de Lyon or Paris-Lyon train station. In France as in most of Europe , public transport is a must many times, usually forced by work. I have come thru it for business trips to Geneva, Basel, and Zurich, as well as my sons going on ski school trips. It is a very nice station and something inside worth coming to even if not traveling on the train; there is a wonderful restaurant Le Train Bleu worth going for it alone !!! Therefore, let me tell you again on the Gare de Lyon, and Le Train Bleu of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Gare de Lyon train station (see posts) is located in the 12éme arrondissement or district of Paris, mainly in the neighborhood or quartier of Quinze Vingts ; however, the southeast of the tracks and quays being located in the neighborhood of Bercy. It is the third station of Paris by its traffic , and a train station of main lines ensuring the service of a large southeast quarter of France and intermediate regions. Gare de Lyon is the head of the TGV line to the southeast of France, The train station is serve by 2 RER lines, 2 metro lines, 10 bus lines, 14 Noctilien bus lines and 3 underground car parks.

Some of the renovations of the Gare de Lyon train station as late as 2024 were a skylight once again appeared above Hall 1 of the Gare de Lyon. After three years of work, the small passenger hall, built in 1898, has been completely renovated and restored to its original splendor. Some 840 m2 of land required for the project were found by demolishing a building adjoining the Halle des Fresques. And the development of the esplanade overlooking Place Fresnay provides an additional 2,000 m2 for the deployment of access and user services. Covering these spaces, two large glass roofs were created in the tradition of 19C botanical greenhouses, echoing the glass roof of the halle à chiffres, itself completely renovated. Finally, the vertical circulation between the platform level and the salle Méditerranée was completely reorganized with the creation of a gap accommodating a large access ramp, the construction of which is part of the engineering structure

For us, the main attractions if we call it that of the Gare de Lyon once called the Buffet de la Gare de Lyon built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 of Paris, later took the name of the Le Train Bleu restaurant in 1963, in homage to the mythical Train Bleu running from 1868, the Paris-Marseille-Nice-Monaco-Ventimiglia express train which follows the Côte d’Azur seaside route along the Mediterranean Sea, and is the place where remains the most intact, the most striking testimony of the end of the Second Empire style (Napoléon III). A masterpiece of 1900s art, It is located on the first floor, by the grand Staircase.

The Le Train Bleu restaurant rooms, the golden lounge or small lounge, the great hall, the Tunisian and Algerian lounges, the passages and their decor were renovated ! The interior is worthy of a 1900s museum, loaded with sculptures, gilding, moldings, chandeliers, ceremonial furniture, club chairs and 41 vast decorative paintings on the walls and ceilings depicting the major stages traveled by the PLM Company (Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée) and the events of 1900, painted by some of the most fashionable painters of the time , The immense dining rooms still have their original features, polished floors, woodwork, leather banquettes, mahogany serving furniture, lush gilded stucco, numerous sculptures and wall and ceiling paintings depicting scenes from France. The thirty or so painters who worked there were among the best of their time, characteristic of French painting from the 1900s.

In 2014, a major renovation of the Le Train Bleu took place, at the expense of some of the period furniture, an integral part of the decor but not protected as a historic monument. It was auctioned off on June 30, 2014. The restaurant reopened on September 12, 2014. The kitchens were completely modernize, All the decor and frescoes were cleaned and restored, the walls repainted, and the gilding reapplied with gold leaf. The parquet floors and all the furniture were redone “identically,” however, the Chesterfield club chairs in the lounges were not preserved. The new armchairs, benches, and chairs now feature the new blue color. On the ground floor, the brasserie was previously transformed into a “music bar.”

On the first floor, by the grand Staircase, is the mythical restaurant style Second Empire, the Train Blue , as well as its bar le Big Ben. The blue Train is a gastronomic restaurant of neo-Baroque style and Belle epoque of the 1900’s. This is an older picture of our days in and around Paris.

The SNCF gare and connections on the Gare de Lyon: https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/fr/gare/frply/paris-gare-lyon

The Paris tourist office on the Gare de Lyon: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/transport/gare-de-lyon-p1937

The Oui SNCF official train site on public transports connections on the Gare de Lyon: https://www.sncf-connect.com/gares/paris/paris-gare-de-lyon

A good unofficial site on the exclusively the Gare de Lyon: https://www.garedelyon.fr/

The official le Train Bleu restaurant : https://www.le-train-bleu.com/en/

There you go folks, you are all set to know and come in and out of the Gare de Lyon. Another nice architectural monument of Paris. Holding many nice memories for us especially coming to get our boys from their school vacations to the Alps, and having lunch or dinner at Le Train Bleu!  Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Gare de Lyon, and Le Train Bleu of Paris !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!