Paris Gare Du Nord/Paris Nord

Paris Gare Du Nord is Europe’s busiest train station, so if you're a first time user our guide to navigating the station, should help make sense of what can be a bewildering location.

Paris Nord's status is partially due to its role as one of the city's main commuter hubs - though these RER and Transillien trains use different parts of the stations to the long distance trains.

The station is an enormous complex with multiple access points to/from the trains - particularly if you will be transferring between the RER/Metro and the part of the station which the high speed trains use

Therefore the Gare Du Nord houses numerous shortcuts - very convenient for its regular users, but confusing if you're not familiar with the station.

It also houses a fairly large mall, which functions like a magnet to the youths who live to the north of the city centre.

Improvement Works:

Paris Gare Du Nord has been improved for the better in recent years and the station has lost what could at times be a slightly intimidating atmosphere.

Completed building works have brightened up the mall and the main RER station, as well as making the access to and from the RER and Metro less confusing - there are also usually more staff on the platforms in the RER part of the station.

Also access to Metro Line 4 is being worked on - hopefully it will include better access to a part of the station, which wasn't step-free.

These works were a prelude to major re-construction, which has now begun.
Inevitably this has made the station a more bewildering location to navigate - the temporary signs on the main concourse don't help.

Living up to its name:

The station also lives up to its name in two ways:

(1) It is located to the north of the city centre, in what isn't the smartest are of town - particularly on either side of the station.

So the more popular areas of the city are a Metro, RER, bus or taxi ride away.

(2) It does indeed serve destinations to the north of Paris.

In addition to the Eurostar trains to the UK and the Thalys trains to Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands - the TGVs to towns and cities in northen France including Arras, Boulogne, Douia, Dunkerque and Lille depart from here.

When arriving at Paris Nord station by Eurostar, Thalys, TGV, or Intercité trains, simply walk towards the front of the train to access the main concourse

Heading to the main concourse is the only route for exiting the station or accessing the public transport connections.

When arriving by Eurostar or Thalys at the Gare Du Nord you don't pass through any checks - as these would have been carried out prior to boarding at each respective train.

TO THE METRO/RER      TO GARE DE LYON   

 TO GARE MONTPARNASSE       TO GARE DE L'EST

TO ST LAZARE    TO AUSTERLITZ

On the main concourse at Gare Du Nord:

When you step on to the concourse - the taxi rank and left luggage office are to the right.

The left luggage office 'Consignes' is at a lower level - next to the Lost Property 'Objets Trouvés' office

If you're heading for the RER or Metro, then head over to the left and ignore
the steps and escalators down to the metro, which you may see ahead of you.
 

Eight Things Worth Keeping in Mind if you will be connecting to the Metro Or RER at the Gare Du Nord:

(1) The RER is the commuter rail system in Paris in which full size trains cross the city in tunnels - so in central Paris they have stations underground.

(2) At the Gare Du Nord the RER Line D is by far the quickest option if you're heading to the Gare De Lyon, or the area around it.

It also provides the train service between the Gare Du Nord and the two main airports in Paris - Charles De Gaulle and Orly.

(3) if you will be heading to the Left Bank area of the city (the south bank of The Seine), then taking RER line B is usually a better option than taking the Metro.

Line B stops at St Michel-Notre Dame - where connections are also available to RER line C, which stops at the Musée D’Orsay and Champs de Mars-Tour Eiffel.

(4) Gare Du Nord is served by Métro lines Line 4   and  Line 5 .

Line 4 stops at:

(i) Etienne Marcel station, which is a 5 - 10 min walk from the Pompidou Centre
(ii) Cité station, which is right by Notre-Dame cathedral

Though as can be seen on the Metro map neither of these lines head west, so if your final destination is on the western edge of the city centre, making the one-stop hop on RER Line E to St Lazare can be the best option.

(5) It's a good idea to work out which Metro or RER line you will be taking before arriving at Paris Gare Du Nord.

Metro/RER maps at Gare Du Nord can be tricky to track down.

(6) Think twice about taking the Metro or RER if you have heavy luggage etc.

The majority of exits and interchanges on the Metro are NOT step free, including the access to and from Line 4 at Gare Du Nord - though this may be about to change

As for the RER, if the lifts down to the RER lines B and D platforms are out of order, you will have to use the stairs to access the platform, as there are no down escalators.

Also the majority of the ticket barriers at Metro/RER stations don’t accommodate large bags - and there are no luggage racks on the invariably crowded Metro trains.

(7) A zone 1 single journey ticket is valid for the RER or Metro - there are no specific RER tickets.

There are numerous ticket machines on the RER concourse, so many that the queues for the ticket office can be shorter – - though the ticket booking counters can be closed in the afternoon/evenings.

The ticket machines have good English translation – but look out for the easy to miss ‘confirm your purchase button’.

You can also book multiple tickets – useful if you will also be using the RER on a return journey.

(8) In the RER station:

The platforms/voies in the Line B and D station have been brightened up and there also usually numerous station staff on the platforms – which has made the RER station much more user friendly.

Making Your Way To The Metro and RER:

The RER concourse is at a lower level, at the far left of the main concourse - when facing away from the trains.

The sign posting isn't the best and you may need to thread your way through the queues of people waiting for Thalys trains.

However, turning left and then heading straight ahead to the far side of the station is the easiest option for making this transfer.

That's because you can't miss the atrium that leads down to the RER and Metro stations - check the images above.

This is also the easiest route to follow to the Metro.

When you have reached the atrium leading to the RER and Metro, on the far left of the main concourse, you will see an escalator leading down.

At the foot of this escalator;
(i) go ahead for RER lines B and D
(ii) turn right for RER line E (the line E station at Gare Du Nord is named 'Magenta')
(iii) go sharp right for the Metro lines - the entrances to lines 4 and 5 are adjacent to each other.

There are also lifts available look out for the 'Ascenseur' signs.

Towards the back of the concourse opposite the voies/platforms/tracks used Thalys and TGV is another entrance to the Metro - but this route to the Metro is no quicker and more confusing for first time users.

To The Other Main Paris Stations:

We have produced dedicated guides to how access these three stations from the Gare Du Nord.

TO GARE DE LYON      TO GARE DE L'EST

TO GARE MONTPARNASSE 

To Gare St Lazare:
 

The transfer to St Lazare station should take 10 - 20mins.

Take RER Line E, there are trains every 5-10mins to Haussmann – St-Lazare, which is also where the trains terminate.

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

The RER Line E station at Gare Du Nord is named Magenta.

To Gare Austerlitz:

Metro Line 5 (direction Place d'Italie) provides a direct link from Gare Du Nord to Austerlitz, but think twice if you have luggage.

The Austerlitz Metro station on line 5 is above ground and there are no escalators/lifts down to ground level - where the mainline trains depart from, you have no choice but to use the stairs.
 

Worth knowing about taking the Metro:

Even more information is available on our guide to using major stations in France, which you can find here.

Discover more about the ticket machines, how to make sense of the departure information and how to find your way to your train - regardless of which station you will be using.