Paris Saint-Lazare (Paris)

In addition to its Metro and RER trains, Paris has a local / commuter train network, which is known as the Transilien.
The overwhelming majority of people travelling from and to the main stations in Paris are taking these trains - and what makes St Lazare super-busy is that it's the terminus station for two Transilien networks

1. the J - which includes slow but frequent trains to/from Vernon / Giverny for Monet's home and garden
2. the L which offers the rail route between the northern areas of Paris city centre and Versailles - as one of its branches goes to the station named Versailles Rive Droite

Asa result of these commuter lines, the station is particularly busy between 16:00 and 18:30 and the thousands of people rushing through the station can seem overwhelming.
If you will be a first time user of the station during these times, resist going with the flow and take your time, but try to avoid getting in the way.

Though during the mornings Saint Lazare station is a comparatively calm location from which to take a train, because it draws people into the city like a magnet, but fewer people will be heading away from Paris.

However Paris St-Lazare is also the Paris terminus of the 'Lignes Normandes' which connect the French capital with multiple more distant destinations popular with tourists, including Bayeux, Caen, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Le Havre and Rouen.

So this guide is going to focus on arriving at; and departing from St Lazare station, on these 'Lignes Normandes'.

The Gare Saint-Lazare is divided into two sections:

(1) the metro concourse
This is in effect is a mall on three levels, which is parallel to the part of the part of the building that the trains use - the access to / from the departure concourse is on the upper level.

It houses the majority of the food / drink outlets at the station.

On its lower level is the access to /from the Metro and RER.
There are four sets of escalators which connect the three levels. so that they can be used to transfer between the mainline trains and the Metro / RER.
There are also less obvious Ascenseurs (elevators / lifts)

(2) the departure concourse

This is parallel to the upper level of the mall which straddles the station and it is divided into three zones:

• the rose / Pink zone for the L network of Transilien trains; voies 1 to 11
• the vert / Green zone for the J network of Transilien trains; voies 12 to 21
• the bleue / Blue zone for the Lignes Normandes trains; voies 22 to 27

The rail services which connect Paris with Bayeux, Caen, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Le Havre and Rouen are managed by SNCF Nomad and the trains are its Krono + services.
The routes to and from these destinations are collectively known as the 'Lignes Normandes'.
Many of the trains heading to Rouen and Le Havre also call at Vernon / Giverny for Monet's home and garden - so when heading there taking them is a faster, but less frequent alternative to taking the Transilien trains.

At Paris Saint-Lazare these 'Lignes Normandes'. trains nearly always depart from voies (plafforms/tracks) 22 – 27, which can be accessed from the Zone bleue on the station concourse.
The Gare Saint-Lazare is a huge building, but this Zone bleue is a small area within it - when looking at the front of the station from the street, it is at the far right side.
There are numerous signs within the station which point the way to the Zone bleue and the 'Lignes Normandes'.

From the Metro and RER

If you arrive at Saint Lazare on Metro line 12 or the RER line E, the exits from the part of the Metro / RER station used by these lines is directly below the Zone bleue.
So the route to the 'Lignes Normandes' from them is fairly obvious, you simply go up the flights of escalators to the top level - and then the access to the Zone bleue is over to the right.
If you would rather take the elevator / lift, on exiting the Metro hall, look for the signs pointing the way to the Ascenseur.

Though if you arrive on the Metro lines 3, 9 or 14, the exits from the metro are at the opposite side of the station.
The exit from the Metro here will lead into the lower level of a mall, so a route to take is to ignore the first set of escalators that you will see, and instead walk over to the other end of the mall and use the flights of escalators you will find there.
These escalators will take you up to the Zone bleue, that the trains on to Normandy will be departing from.

The line 13 is between these two metro concourses, so there are exits at both ends of its platforms, so look out for the signs pointing toward the exits towards the 'Lignes Normandes'.

A particularly unobvious feature of St Lazre is that in effect it has two metro stations, but they are linked by a passage way, so the signage within the rail station doesn't make the distinction.
Because no matter which entrance to the Metro / RER that's used, you can access any of the the lines which serve St Lazare.

The Metro / RER entrance on the right when facing the station from the street, so is on the left of the building when arriving by Nomad and Transilien trains, provides the easiest access to / from:

• Metro line 12
• the RER line E.

The Metro / RER entrance on the left when facing the station from the street, so is on the right of the building when arriving by Nomad and Transilien trains, provides the easiest access to / from:

• Metro line 3
• Metro line 9
• Metro line 14.

Metro line 13 is directly underneath the main station building, so it's located between the two access points to/from the metro.

Good to know

1. The quickest routes to/from line 12 and RER line E arem't quite step-free, there are short flights of stairs between sets of escalators, but there are elevators available.
2. If you want to take a step-free route to/from line 13 use the part of the metro station that gives the access to / from lines 3 and 14.
3. The connection to /from the lines 3 and 14 is by escalators.
4. Line 14 is at a particularly deep level, three flights of escalators have to be used when heading to/from its platforms.
5. When arriving on a train from Normandy, lines 3 and 14 are particularly distant, the transfer to and from line 14 will take around 5 minutes.
6. The metro line 9 doesn't actually call at Saint-Laare, it's nearest station is Saint-Quentin.
   It is connected to Saint Lazare by an underground passage way but this connection is to/from the line 14 platforms, so the transfer to and from line 9 it will take around 8 to 10 minutes.

Which line?

• Line 3 connects St Lazare with Le Marais with its stop named Arts et Metiers
• Line 12 connects St Lazare the Place de la Concorde and Montmartre, with its stop at Abbesses
• Line 13 connects St Lazare with Invalides
• Line 14 connects St Lazare with Pyramides for the Louvre; and the city's main metro hub at Chatelet-Les_Halles; and Orly Airport
• RER Line E connects St Lazare with La Defense

Connecting to Paris Nord from Saint Lazare:

Take RER Line E, there are trains every 5-10 mins to Magenta station, which is linked to the Gare Du Nord by a passage way.
Any Line E train heading west will call at Magenta, it’s the first station that the trains will call at.
The journey will only take around 5 mins, so it’s not worthwhile finding a seat on the train, particularly if you have luggage.

There are short passage ways at both mainline stations connecting them to the RER, but this is a comparatively straightforward transfer.

Connecting to Paris Est from Saint Lazare

This is an awkward transfer as there are no direct metro or RER lines that link the Gare De L’Est and Gare St Lazare.
If you have luggage then a taxi can be worth every cent.

The easiest option is

• take a RER Line E to Magenta station
• walk down a comparatively short passage way to the Gare Du Nord.F
• From Gare Du Nord take Metro Line 5 (and not Metro Line 4) one stop to Gare de l’est (direction Place d’Italie).
  You should be at Paris Est within 25 mins of arriving at Saint-Lazare.

Connecting to Paris Lyon/Gare De Lyon from Saint Lazare

Go direct on Metro Line 14 - the access to and from the trains at both stations is step free, but allow 5 mins to make the transfer at St Lazare and 3 to 5 mins at the Gare De Lyon.

Connecting to Gare Montparnasse from Saint Lazare:

Go direct on Metro Line 13 and avoid the Metro line 12.
At Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, the line 12 platforms are some distance from the exit from the metro, there is a long passage way, so long it has a moving walkway
So the transfer from line 13 to the trains at Montparnasse is much easier.