Where can I easily get to Paris by train and where to look for tickets? How to hit the right Paris train station? This chapter will answer all your questions.
Where to buy tickets?
Trains to Paris are mainly operated by the French state carrier SNCF, but also include Eurostar trains from London and Thalys trains from the Netherlands.
On long-distance services and TGV express trains, it's always worth buying tickets at least 14 days in advance. The price goes up as the departure date approaches.
Tickets for all routes, including Eurostar or Thalys trains, can be purchased on the SNCF website.
Buy your TGV ticket via sncf-connect.com
Paris railway stations
There are several train stations in Paris, but none are central.
The stations are terminals and the tracks always end at them. This system is familiar from London and Moscow, for example, and dates from the 18th to 19th centuries, when different railway companies built their own lines.
All stations (except the smallest one, Bercy) are well equipped with services such as mini-markets with takeaways, restaurants, fast-food outlets or even toilets and luggage storage.
Gare du Nord
The largest of Paris's train stations is also one of the main international train hubs in Paris. It is located in the 10th arrondissement of Paris and is very well connected to the metro and the city's RER trains.
Trains to the following international and French destinations run from Paris North Station.
| International trains | Long-distance Domestic trains |
Regional |
|---|---|---|
| London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Brussels, Antwerp, Liege Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Aachen |
Amiens, Arras, Calais, Dunkerque, Lens, Le Touquet, Lille, Valenciennes |
Beauvais, Creil, Compiegne, Laon, Persan-Beaumont, Pontoise, Saint-Quentin, Soissons |
North Paris station is served by the following public transport lines.
- RER trains
- Line C (blue) - CDG airport, Châtelet - Les Halles, Notre-Dame, Antony (ORY airport), Massy, Stade de France
- Line D (green) - Gare de Lyon, Châtelet - Les Halles, Stade de France
- Line E (purple) - the station near the station is called "Magenta", goes to Gare Saint-Lazare, La Défense
- Metro
- Line 4 - direction Gare de l'Est, Gare Montparnasse, Châtelet - Les Halles, Notre-Dame
- Line 5 - direction Gare de l'Est, Gare d'Austerlitz, Bastille, Place d'Italie
- Buses
- Lines 39, 54, 91 - direction Gare de l'Est
- Lines 26, 34 - direction Gare Saint Lazare
- Lines 43, 45 - other directions
- Hotels near Gare du Nord - Hotel Habituel ****, Hotel Flanelles Paris ****, Hôtel Hor Europe ****
Gare de Lyon
This station is similar in size to Gare du Nord and is the most important domestic station and international entry point from Switzerland, Spain and Italy.
| International trains | Long-distance domestic trains |
Regional |
|---|---|---|
| Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, Milan, Turin, Barcelona |
Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Mulhouse, Dijon, Montpellier, Nimes, Narbonne, Perpignan, Grenoble, Avignon, Annecy, Chambéry, Besancon, St Étienne, Valence, Toulon, Cannes |
Melun, Monterau, Montargis |
Lyon station in Paris is served by the following public transport lines.
- RERtrains
- Line A (red) - CDG airport, Gare Saint-Lazare, Châtelet - Les Halles, Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, La Défense, Vincennes, Disneyland
- Line D (green) - Gare du Nord, Châtelet - Les Halles, Stade de France
- Metro
- Line 1 - Châtelet - Les Halles, Concorde, Arc de Triomphe, La Défense
- Line 14 - Gare Bercy, Gare Saint-Lazaire, Châtelet - Les Halles
- Buses
- Line 91 - Gare de l'Est and Gare Montparnasse
- Lines 24, 57, 63, 91 - Gare d'Austerlitz
- Lines 24, 77 - Gare Bercy
- Lines 29, 61- other directions
- Hotels near Gare de Lyon - Mercure Paris Gare de Lyon ****, Novotel Paris Gare De Lyon ****
Gare de l'Est
An important station for eastbound directions from Paris, it is located near Gare du Nord in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. The Gare de l'Est also has international services to Germany with direct services to Austria and beyond.
| International trains | Long-distance domestic trains |
Regional |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Saarbrücken, Mannheim, Ulm, Karlsruhe, Luxembourg, Vienna, Salzburg |
Strasbourg, Reims, Metz, Thionville, Nancy, Colmar, Charleville-Mezieres, Sedan |
Troyes, Nogent-sur-Seine, Belfort Meaux, Chalons-en-Champagne, St Dizier, Coulommiers, Provins |
The following public transport lines serve the eastern Paris train station:
- RER trains
- Line E (purple) - the station near the station is called "Magenta", it goes in the direction of Gare Saint-Lazare
- Metro
- Line 4 - Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse, Châtelet - Les Halles, Notre-Dame
- Line 5 - Gare du Nord, Gare d'Austerlitz, Bastille, Place d'Italie
- Buses
- Lines 39, 54, 91 - Gare du Nord
- Line 91 - Gare de Lyon, Gare d'Austerlitz
- Lines 38, 39, 46 - other directions
- Hotels near Gare de l'Est - NH Paris Gare de l'Est ****, Hôtel D'Alsace ***, Ibis Styles Paris Gare de l'Est ***
Gare Montparnasse
The largest railway station on the south bank of the Seine, it offers connections mainly to the south and south-west of France and to the border town of Hendaye on the border between France and Spain.
The station is located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.
| International trains | Long-distance domestic trains |
Regional |
|---|---|---|
| Hendaye/Irún | Angers, Birarritz, Bordeaux, Brest, Nantes, Toulouse (TGV only), Tours, Le Mans, Lourdes, Pau, Poitiers, Rennes, St Brieuc, St Malo, St Nazaire, Le Croisic, La Rochelle, Angouleme, Niort, Agen, Arcachon |
Versailles, Rambouillet, Chartres, Dreux, Argentan, Flers, Avranches, Granville |
Paris Montparnasse station is served by the following public transport lines:
- Metro
- Line 4 - Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est, Châtelet - Les Halles, Notre-Dame
- Line 6 - Gare Bercy, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Place d'Italie
- Line 12 - Gare Saint-Lazare, Montmartre, Concorde, Solferino
- Line 13 - Gare Saint-Lazaire, Invalides, Champs Élysées, Stade de France
- Buses
- Line 91 - Gare d'Austerlitz, Gare de Lyon, Gare de l'Est
- Lines 59, 88 - other directions
- Hotels near Gare Montparnasse - Ibis Paris Gare Montparnasse ***, Hotel Miramar ***
Gare d'Austerlitz
The station is located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, on the other side of the river Seine from the "Gare de Lyon".
After the modernisation of Gare Montparnasse, this station lost most of its TGV connections. It mainly serves the slower long-distance Intercites trains to the south and centre of France. Two services a day also run on the route via Tours to Nantes.
There are no regular international trains from Gare d'Austerlitz.
In addition to the normal daytime trains, many night trains also run from Gare d'Austerlitz to destinations that are dedicated to other Paris stations during the day.
| International trains | Long-distance domestic trains |
Regional |
|---|---|---|
| -- | Toulouse (Intercités), Limoges, Orléans, Latour-de-Carol (Andorra), Nantes (Intercités), Chateauroux, Brive-la-Gaillarde, Rodez |
Dourdan, Chateaudun, Vendome, Blois, Tours, Nevers, Vierzon, Bourges |
Paris d'Austerlitz station is served by the following public transport lines:
- RER trains
- Line C (yellow) - Notre-Dame, Invalides, Eiffel Tower, Versailles
- Metro
- Line 5 - Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est, Bastille, Place d'Italie
- Line 10 - Notre-Dame, La Motte-Piquet, Janel, Boulogne
- Buses
- Line 91 - Gare Montparnasse, Gare de Lyon, Gare de l'Est
- Lines 24, 57, 63, 91 - Gare d'Austerlitz
- Lines 61, 89, 215 - other directions
- Hotels near Gare Austerlitz - Libertel Austerlitz ***, Hotel OFF Paris Seine ****
Gare Saint-Lazare
Trains to the whole of north-west France, especially Normandy, start at the station in the 8th arrondissement north of the centre of Paris.
International services do not run regularly from this station.
| International trains | Long-distance domestic trains |
Regional |
|---|---|---|
| -- | Caen, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Le Havre, Rouen | Gisors, Mantes-la-Ville, Évreaux, Vernon |
Paris Saint Lazare station is served by the following public transport lines:
- RER trains
- Line E (purple) - Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est
- Metro
- Line 3 - Bourse, République, Pere Lachaise
- Line 12 - Gare Montparnasse, Montmartre, Concorde, Solferino
- Line 13 - Gare Montparnasse, Invalides, Champs Élysées, Stade de France
- Line 14 - Gare Bercy, Gare de Lyon, Châtelet - Les Halles
- Buses
- Lines 26, 34 - Gare du Nord
- Lines 20, 32, 42, 43 66, 94 - other directions
- Hotels near Gare Saint-Lazare - Hilton Paris Opera ****, Timhotel Opera Madeleine ***, L'Ouest Hotel ***
Gare Bercy
The smallest of Paris' termini, this station is located just next to Gare de Lyon and serves mainly the slower long-distance trains to central and central-eastern France.
Although many guidebooks suggest that Bercy station is directly connected to Lyon station, the opposite is true and it is only possible to walk between the stations on foot (about 400 metres) or by bus or metro.
| International connections | Domestic connections |
|---|---|
| -- | Clermont-Ferrand, Auxerre, Vichy, Avallon |
Paris Bercy station is served by the following public transport lines:
- Metro
- Line 6 - Gare Montparnasse, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Place d'Italie
- Line 14 - Gare Saint-Lazare, Gare de Lyon, Châtelet - Les Halles
- Buses
- Lines 24, 77 - Gare de Lyon
- Lines 71, 87, 215 - other directions
- Hotels near Gare Bercy - ibis Styles Paris Bercy ***, Novotel Paris Centre Bercy ****, Hotel Claret ***
By train to London under the English Channel
A very interesting option to get to Paris is the now legendary Eurostar high-speed train through the Eurotunnel tunnel under the English Channel, which connects the French capital with London.
The Eurostar trains cover a distance of over 460 km in 2 and a quarter hours, making their journey every two hours. Single tickets start at 57 eur when bought at least three weeks in advance. As the departure date approaches, tickets rise to values around 140 eur.
The most straightforward way to buy tickets is via the official French rail websites or the UK connection finder trainline. Ticket prices are always the same.
- Buy tickets on sncf-connect.com
- Buy tickets on thetrailne.com
All Eurostar trains arrive in Paris at Nord station. In London, they stop at St Pancras station.