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.

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

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Practical Information

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

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.

More on cities reached from the Gare de l'Est

• 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.

Getting to Paris on Eurostar

Services from the Gare du Nord

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

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Practical Information

112 rue de Maubeuge
Paris 10
Information on Paris Gare du Nord
Operating hours 5am to 1am

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

• 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.

Services from Gare de Lyon

Most popular TGV services go to

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

TER trains serve Melun

Practical Information

20 boulevard Diderot
Paris 12Gare 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

• 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.

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
Tours, Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes.

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

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Practical Information

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

To Charles de Gaulle Airport
Air France coach line 4, every 30 minutes.

More on Cities reached from Gare Montparnasse

• 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 servies 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:

• 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

Practical Information

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

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

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

Paris Saint-Lazare was originally built 150 metres 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 Intercite 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
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Practical Information

13, Rue d' Amsterdam
Paris 8
Information on Gare St Lazare
Opening hours 5am to 1.15am

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

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