Getting Around · Our pick in Paris
Paris by rail: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Prateek Karandikar · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Paris by rail: the back story
Paris has six main railway stations, each serving its own direction: the Gare du Nord (the Eurostar to London, Brussels and Amsterdam, and trains to the north), the Gare de l’Est (eastern France and Germany), the Gare de Lyon (the south-east, the Alps and Italy), the Gare d’Austerlitz, the Gare Montparnasse (the west and south-west) and the Gare Saint-Lazare (Normandy).
The stations
Check which station your train leaves from: the termini are far apart, linked by the metro and the RER.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Remontees · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsHigh speed
SNCF’s TGV inOui and Ouigo trains run to the regions; the Eurostar runs to London, Brussels and Amsterdam from the Gare du Nord.
Book TGV and Eurostar tickets early, on the operators’ own websites.
Day trips by train
Versailles by RER C or from Saint-Lazare and Montparnasse; Giverny via Vernon from Saint-Lazare; Fontainebleau from the Gare de Lyon; Reims from the Gare de l’Est.
Our advice: see ULTIMATE Rail Journeys for the great journeys of Europe.
Why it's on our list
- The stations
- High speed
- Day trips by train
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Paris by rail: the back story before you go.