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The main dining room

I have been to the Gare de Lyon many times but this is the first time I learned about Le Train Bleu. It's easy to miss even though the sign and the stairs leading up to the restaurant are huge. I had only been paying attention to the cafe bar on the ground floor until my friend Pablo asked me to meet him there.  Le Train Bleu was built in the 1900 on the occasion of the Universal Exposition. It is one of the best preserved buildings of that period.  If you are not in a rush, I recommend you check out the place. It's like a palace.

 

There is a full service restaurant but if you walk further down to your left, there is a narrow hallway where they serve coffee and sweets. Its furnished with comfortable leather chairs . that make you feel like you're in a first class cabin from the old times.  I sat there with Pablo and had coffee before we caught our train to Fontainbleu. Many famous personalities hung out here, including  Luis Bunuel and more recently, Willem Dafoe, one travel guide said. I found that amusing.