Paris has six main stations, and the one on your ticket is the one that matters. Here is which is which.
The short version
- Check the station on your ticket, not the city. Paris has six main stations, each for a different part of France, and they are up to 30 minutes apart by metro.
- Saint-Lazare is Normandy: Rouen, Caen, Bayeux, and Vernon for Giverny. It is the station for our D-Day tours.
- Montparnasse is the TGV west and southwest: Tours for the Loire, Bordeaux, and Rennes for Mont-Saint-Michel.
- Gare de l’Est is Reims and Champagne, and Strasbourg. Gare de Lyon is Burgundy, Lyon and Provence. Gare du Nord is London, Brussels, Lille and the RER B to CDG.
- TGV gates close two minutes before departure, and the platform is often posted only 20 minutes ahead. Be in the station 30 minutes early.
- Book on sncf-connect.com or the SNCF Connect app and keep the ticket on your phone. Regional trains have no reserved seats; TGVs always do.
The stations
- Saint-Lazare. Metro 3, 12, 13, 14 and RER E. Normandy and Giverny. A big, busy commuter station: the main-line departures board is on the upper level.
- Montparnasse. Metro 4, 6, 12, 13. The TGV platforms are up the escalators at the back, a long walk from the metro.
- Gare du Nord. Metro 4, 5 and RER B, D. Eurostar has its own check-in upstairs with passport control; arrive 60 to 90 minutes early for London.
- Gare de l’Est. Metro 4, 5, 7. Next to Gare du Nord, a five-minute walk.
- Gare de Lyon. Metro 1, 14 and RER A, D. The TGV halls are split, Hall 1 and Hall 2; your ticket tells you which.
- Austerlitz. Metro 5, 10 and RER C. The quietest of the six.
How our day trips use them
Our day trips don’t pick you up at the hotel. You take a morning train, and a local guide meets you at the station at the other end. How our day trips work explains it start to finish.
For Normandy that means the early train from Saint-Lazare to Bayeux, where the guide meets you on arrival. Our Normandy D-Day tour runs daily, leaving Paris before 7:00, and the train to Bayeux page covers the ticket, the class and the platform.
For the Loire it is Montparnasse to Tours, with the guide at the tourist office two minutes from the station. For Champagne it is Gare de l’Est to Reims, with the guide by the Reims TGV station.
What goes wrong
Going to the wrong station is the classic one. A ticket to Bordeaux leaves from Montparnasse, not Gare de Lyon, and the metro between them takes 25 minutes. Check the station the night before.
The second is the gate. TGV doors and gates close two minutes before departure, and SNCF doesn’t hold the train. With luggage on the metro at rush hour, leave 45 minutes.
Then there are strikes. SNCF publishes the next day’s schedule the evening before a strike. Check the app that evening; on a strike day, the train you booked may not run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Paris station is for Normandy?
Saint-Lazare, for Rouen, Caen, Bayeux and Vernon-Giverny. Mont-Saint-Michel is the exception: it is reached via Rennes from Montparnasse.
How early should I get to a Paris station?
Thirty minutes before a TGV or regional train, 60 to 90 minutes before a Eurostar. The platform is often posted only 20 minutes ahead, and the gates close two minutes before departure.
Do I need to print my train ticket?
No. Keep the e-ticket on your phone in the SNCF Connect app or as a PDF with its QR code. Scan it at the gate or show it to the conductor.
Which station is for Champagne?
Gare de l’Est, for Reims and Épernay. The TGV to Reims takes about 45 minutes.
Does your guide meet us at the station?
Yes, at the station at the other end. Our Veuve Clicquot day trip meets at the tourist kiosk by the Reims TGV station, and our Loire Valley day tour at the tourist office two minutes from Tours station.
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