Guide to Major Train Stations in Paris

Written by
Mary Anne Evans
Mary Anne Evans is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. She lives part-time in Auvergne, France and writes travel articles about the country.
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Mary Anne Evans

Updated 06/26/19

Entrance to Gare De L'est

TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre 

Paris Est (or Gare de l’East, East Station), is one of the largest and oldest railway stations in Paris. Originally called the Strasbourg Platform, it opened in 1849 as the western terminus for the Paris-Strasbourg railway. In 1854 the service was expanded to Mulhouse and the station renamed Gare de l’Est. In 1883 it began services on the Orient Express to Istanbul. Gare de l'Est was used for large-scale transport of French troops in World War I.

Today it is the major terminus for services to eastern France, and major cities in Europe including Zurich in Switzerland, Munich in Germany and Vienna in Austria.

Services from Gare de l’Est

TGV services go to major cities like:

  • Reims, Charleville-Mezieres and Sedan, Metz Ville, Nancy, Sarrebourg, Saverne 
  • ​​Strasbourg, Colmar, and Mulhouse 
  • The Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Chalons-en-Champagne, Vitry-le-Francois, and Bar-le Duc

Deutsche Bahn operates a City Night Line to:

  • Metz Ville, Saarbrucken Hbf, Gottingen, Hanover, and Berlin
  • From the USA: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with Rail Europe
  • From the UK: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with SNCF

Practical Information

Transport Links To Gare de l'Est

  • Metro
    Ligne 4: Porte de Clignancourt to Porte d’Orleans
    Ligne 5: Bobigny-Pablo Picasso to Port d’Italie
    Ligne 7: La Coureuve 8 Mai 1945 to Ville Juif to Louis Aragon
  • For buses, see the Paris Bus map

To Charles de Gaulle Airport

Take RER(Regional Express Railway) train Line B directly to the airport.

01 of 05

Paris Gare du Nord Train Station

paris gare du nord
© Paris Tourist Office - Photographe : Jacques Lebar

Gare du Nord (or Paris Nord), built between 1861 and 1864, is the busiest railway station in Europe. It’s the main station for trains to North France and also for the Eurostar from London, Lille and Brussels. It runs both TGV trains and SNCF trains.

Eurostar arrives here from London, Brussels, and Lille.

Services from the Gare du Nord

TGV services go to:

Most popular Intercités run to: 

  • Creil, Boulogne, Cambrai, Maubeuge
  • Saint-Denis, Pontoise
  • Aulnay-sous-Bois, Crepy-en-Valois

Most popular TER trains run to:

  • Mitry-Claye, Laon, Persan-Beaumont, Amiens
  • From the USA: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with Rail Europe
  • From the UK: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with SNCF

Practical Information

Operating hours 5 am to 1 am

Transport Links To Gare du Nord

  • Metro
    Ligne 4: Porte de Clignancourt to Porte d’Orleans
    Ligne 5: Bobigny Pablo Picasso to Place d’Italie
  • For buses, see the Paris Bus map

To Charles de Gaulle Airport

Take RER (Regional Express Railway) train Line B directly to the airport

More On Cities Reached From the Gare du Nord

Continue to 2 of 5 below.
02 of 05

Paris Gare de Lyon Train Station

Paris Gare de Lyon
© Paris Tourist Office - Photographe : Barthelemy Ruggeri

Paris Gare de Lyon is one of the busiest stations in France and Europe. Built for the World Exposition of 1900, it’s a splendid building both inside and out where it’s dominated by a huge clock tower.

Even if you’re not using the station, I thoroughly recommend a meal at the fabulous restaurant, Le Train Bleu. A Belle Epoque gem, it’s decorated more like a cathedral than a restaurant with wonderful gold decorations and paintings on the walls and ceilings.

Le Train Bleu and the station have appeared in films like Nikita by Luc Besson, The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, Mr Bean’s Holiday with Rowan Atkinson and the 2010 film The Tourist.

Paris Gare de Lyon city links include Lyon, Marseille, Paris and Geneva, Milan in Italy.

Services from Gare de Lyon

Most popular TGV services go to:

  • Le Creusot and southeast France
  • Montbard
  • Dijon to Bern, Lausanne and Zurich, Switzerland
  • Macon-Loche TGV to Geneve-Comavin
  • Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport to Milan, Italy
  • From the USA: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with Rail Europe
  • From the UK: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with SNCF

TER trains serve Melun

Practical Information

  • 20 boulevard Diderot
  • Paris 12 Gare de Lyon
  • Operating hours: 3.30am to 1.30am

Transport Links to Gare de Lyon

  • Metro
    Ligne 1: La Defence to Chateau de Vincennes
    Ligne 14: Saint Lazarre to Bibliotheque Francois Mitterand
  • For buses, see the Paris Bus map

To Charles de Gaulle Airport

Take Air France Coach line 4, departs every 30 minutes

More On Cities Reached From the Gare de Lyon

Continue to 3 of 5 below.
03 of 05

Paris Gare Montparnasse Train Station

Paris Gare Montparnasse
© Paris Tourist Office - Photographe : Amélie Dupont

Opened in 1840 as Gare de l’Ouest, Gare Montparnasse became famous for the derailment of the Granville-Paris Express which overran the buffer, continued across 30 metres (100 ft) of the station concourse, went through the end wall and smashed out of the station to land on its nose in the Place de Rennes, 10 metres (33 ft) below the platform level. The photograph is well known, as is the incident which was used in the film Silver Streak and in Hugo, the children’s film.

The station was totally rebuilt in 1969 with an extension built in 1990 for the TGV Atlantique to the west and south-west of France.

Services from Gare Montparnasse

  • Gare Montparnasse serves west and south-west France, southern Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Tours, Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrenees, and north-west Spain.

Popular TGV services include:

Popular TER services include trains to Dreux and Granville and Versailles-Chantier towards Le Mans.

  • From the USA: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with Rail Europe
  • From the UK: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with SNCF

Practical Information

Transport links to Gare Montparnasse:

  • Metro
    • ​Ligne 4: Porte de Clignancourt to Porte d’Orleans
    • Ligne 6: Charles de Gaulle to Etoile to Nation
    • Ligne 12: Porte de la Chapelle to Mairie d’Issy
    • Ligne 13: Saint-Denis–Universite to Chatillon–Montrouge
  • For buses, see the Paris Bus map

To Charles de Gaulle Airport

Air France coach line 4, every 30 minutes.

More On Cities Reached From Gare Montparnasse

Continue to 4 of 5 below.
04 of 05

Paris Gare d'Austerlitz Train Station

Paris Gare Austerlitz
© Wikipedia Commons Florian Pépellin

Paris Gare d'Austerlitz was built in 1840 for the Paris-Corbeil and then the Paris-Orleans line. Originally called Gare d’Orleans, the station was renamed after the Czech town where Napoleon I defeated his enemies. The station was extended in 1865-1868.

When the TGV Atlantique route was built, the terminus moved to Gare Montparnasse and Austerlitz lost most of its original long-distance services to the southwest.

Today Austerlitz serves south-central France and night trains to the south of France and Spain.

Services from Gare d'Austerlitz

There are no TGV trains from Austerlitz

Popular Intercites services include to:

Lunea night services run to:

  • Orléans, Dax, and Tarbes
  • Limoges, Portbou, Latour-de-Carol, and Luchon
  • Toulouse and Albi
  • Toulon and Nice

The Elipsos Train Hotels (Trenhotel) operated jointly between RENFE and SNCF operate from here to Madrid & Barcelona. They generally leave around 7.30pm local time and travel overnight arriving the next morning at their destinations.

  • From the USA: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with Rail Europe
  • From the UK: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with SNCF

Practical Information

Transport Links to Gare d'Austerlitz

  • Metro
    • ​Ligne 10: Austerlitz to Boulogne Pont de St-Cloud
    • Ligne 5: Bobigny Pablo Picasso to Place d’Italie
  • For buses, see the Paris Bus map

To Orly Airport

Take the RER train C departing every 15 minutes

More On Cities Reached From the Gare d'Austerlitz

Continue to 5 of 5 below.
05 of 05

Guide to Paris Saint-Lazare Train Station

Paris Gare Saint-Lazare
© Paris Tourist Office - Photographe : Amélie Dupont

Paris Saint-Lazare was originally built 150 meters north-west of where it is currently and opened in 1837. It rapidly expanded and by 1900 was the terminus for nine lines. The second busiest train station in Europe and just behind the Gare du Nord, it serves destinations and cities in northern France.

Services from Paris Saint-Lazare

SNCF Intercity services go to:

  • Vernon, Rouen & Le Havre
  • Évreux-Normandie, Lisieux, Caen, and Cherbourg
  • Trouville-Deauville
  • Dieppe
  • From the USA: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with Rail Europe
  • From the UK: Check Train Schedules and Book Trains in France with SNCF

Practical Information

Transport links to Gare Saint-Lazare:

  • Metro
    • ​Ligne 3: Porte de Levallois-Becon to Gallieni
    • Ligne 12: Porte de la Chapelle to Mairie d’Issy
    • Ligne 13: Saint-Denis–Universite to Chatillon–Montrouge
    • Ligne 14: Saint Lazare to Bibliotheque Francois Mitterand
  • For buses, see the Paris Bus map

To Charles de Gaulle Airport

Take the RER train E to Magenta and change for the RER B to the airport

More On Cities Reached From Gare Saint-Lazare

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