Guide to Major Train Stations in Paris

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.

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

• Place du 11 Novembre, Paris 10
• Information on Paris Gare de l'Est
• Operating hours 5 am to 1 am

• 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

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

• Reims, Champagne
• Strasbourg
• Pompidou-Metz Center in Metz

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.

TGV services go to:

• Tourcoign, Roubaix, Lille-Flandres
• Calais-Ville, Calais-Frethun, Lille-Europe
• Rang-du-Fliers-Verton, Etaples-Le Touquet, Boulogne-Ville
• Dunkerque, Hazebrouck, Bethune, Lens, Arras
• Saint-Omer
• Valenciennes, Douai

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

• 112 rue de Maubeuge
• Paris 10
• Information on Paris Gare du Nord

Operating hours 5 am to 1 am

• 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

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

• Nausicaa in Boulogne
• La Piscine Museum in Roubaix
• Lille
• Attractions in Le Touquet
• Arras
• Wellington Quarry Museum, Arras
• Matisse Museum, near Cambrai

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.

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

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

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

Take Air France Coach line 4, departs every 30 minutes

• Lyon in images
• Roman Theaters of Lyon

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.

• 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:

• Tours, Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes.

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

• 17, boulevard Vaugirard
• Paris 15
• Information on Gare Montparnasse
• Operating hours: 4.30 am to 1.15 am

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

Air France coach line 4, every 30 minutes.

• Attractions in Bordeaux
• Saint Pierre, Bordeaux
• Angers in the Loire Valley
• Top Attractions in Nantes

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.

There are no TGV trains from Austerlitz

Popular Intercites services include to:

• Orléans, Blois, and Tours
• Vierzon, Bourges, and Montluçon
• Limoges, Brive, Toulouse, Narbonne, and Cerbère

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

• 55, quai d'Austerlitz
• Paris 13
• Information on Gare d'Austerlitz
• Hours of operation: 5.30 am to midnight

• 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

Take the RER train C departing every 15 minutes

• Blois
• Albi
• Toulouse
• Nice Attractions
• Artists Museums in and around Nice
• Top Ten Bistros in Nice

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.

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

• 13, Rue d' Amsterdam
• Paris 8
• Information on Gare St Lazare
• Opening hours: 5 am to 1:15 am

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

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

• Rouen Guide
• Top Attractions in Rouen
• Bayeux Tapestry
• Visiting Bayeux
• Visit Caen
• Caen Memorial and the Story of Two World Wars