 |
Train Stations in Paris, France | |
| Paris is the hub of France's excellent, elaborate intercity train network, and its seven major train stations are your gateways to train travel in France and all of Europe. | ||
|
|
||
|
|
|
Paris possesses seven major train stations. Each has an information office (Acceuil) staffed by at least one person who speaks English. The Acceuil ("Welcome") offices are apt to be crowded in summer. Get There Early!Unless you know the train station well, arrive early to catch a train. 30 minutes is the bare minimum! Paris's great stations are huge, confusing, and always bustling. Arrive at least an hour before train departure time if you need to buy your ticket because (a) you may need to find a particular ticket office for your destination, (b) there may be a long line at the ticket office, (c) you may have trouble with a ticket-selling machine, (d) you may have to walk over a half-kilometer to your train platrform, and (e) Murphy's Law always applies. How to Buy Train TicketsHere's all you need to know on buying train tickets in France. Gare du NordComing from the north (northern Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands), you'll probably arrive at the Gare du Nord. Eurostar trains from London-St. Pancras station arrive here as well. Cities served from Gare du Nord include Amiens, Beauvais, Boulogne, Compiègne, Creil, Dunkerque, Lille and Valenciennes. More... Gare de l'EstOnly a 10- to 15-minute walk from the Gare du Nord, the Gare de l'Est serves trains to Bar-le-Duc, Chalons, Culmont, Frankfurt (Germany), Luxembourg, Metz, Nancy, Reims, Remiremont, St-Die, St-Dizier, Sedan, Strasbourg, Troyes and Verdun, as well as Basel, Switzerland. More... Gare de LyonIn the southeastern part of Paris near the River Seine, the Gare de Lyon serves trains to and from the south and southeast. Cities served by the Gare de Lyon include Annecy, Besançon, Chalon-sur-Seine, Geneva (Switzerland), Grenoble, Laroche, Lyon, Marseille, Miramas, Montargis, Nice, and St-Étienne. More... Gare d'AusterlitzTrains to and from the southwest (Spain and the Pyrenees) use the Gare d'Austerlitz, a 10-minute walk across the Seine from the Gare de Lyon. Cities served from the Gare d'Austerlitz include Bourges, Briançon, Brive, Cahors, Irun, Latour, Limoges, Orleans, Montluçon, Nice, Tours and Vendôme. More... Gare MontparnasseTrains arriving from the west (Brittany, Chartres, Versailles) usually head to the huge, ever-bustling Gare Montparnasse. Cities served from Gare Montparnasse include Bordeaux, Brest, Chartres, Granville, Hendaye, La Rochelle, Le Mans, Nantes, Nogent, Pau, Quimper, Rennes, St-Brieuc, St-Nazaire, Toulouse, Tours and Vannes. More... Gare St-LazareGare St-Lazare, in the northwest part of the city, serves TER and Intercité trains to Vernon (for Claude Monet's estate and gardens at Giverny), and other cities in Normandy (for the D-Day landings beaches) including Bayeux, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Rouen and St-Lô. More... Gare de Bercy Bourgogne - Pays d'AuvergneThis station in the southeastern part of Paris (Métro: Line 6 or 14 to Bercy) serves TER Bourgogne (regional trains to Burgundy) and Intercités trains to Besançon, Dijon, Lyon and Nevers, especially those that transport passengers' cars. More... Types of TrainsThe train stations of Paris serve up to a dozen types of trains, from suburban to regional, intercity, international, slow and fast. Type of train affects fares, facilities and travel times. More... Paris Métro &
|
|
|
A TGV locomotive at Gare
du Nord, Paris.
The mammoth Gare Montparnasse, Paris, France.
