Paris Gare de l'Est / Paris Est (Paris)

The Gare de l'Est aka Paris Est train station has a comparatively rare quality of being as stunningly beautiful inside, as it is on the exterior.
Though it would look even more magnificent without the huge advertising posters, which hang down from its roof.

It's not only beautiful, it's also enormous - and it's this combination which earned it a place on our list of most awe-inspiring European stations.
Though despite its size it's a fairly easy station to navigate, so taking a train from here is usually a delight.

Seven Things Worth Knowing About Paris Est station:

(1) The station isn't named after its location, it's not on the eastern edge of Paris city centre, but towards the north.
It takes its name thanks to the destinations that can be reached from here by train; as they're to the east of Paris.
So this is the station to head to if you will be departing Paris for the likes of Belfort, Metz, Nancy, Reims or Strasbourg.
The high speed trains to central Germany and Luxembourg also depart from here.

(2) It is a terminus station, so the voies (platforms/tracks), which the TGV, ICE and TER trains depart from, are all linked to the one concourse.
This concourse is at street level, so there is step free access to the taxi ranks and the bus lines/routes which serve the station.

(3) The concourse is large and airy, so the station rarely feels crowded.
Heaters are scattered around the concourse in winter.

(4) The specific voies (platforms/tracks) which trains will be leaving from, are usually confirmed no more than 20mins before departure.

(5) The Metro station serving lines, 4. 5 and 7 has its own hall in the middle of the station buildings.

(6) The Metro station has escalators which connect this hall, by the main concourse, and the Metro ticket hall - and an elevator which is available to travellers requiring Mobility Assistance.
Escalators also provide some of the access between the Metro trains and the Metro ticket hall.

(7) The left luggage office is located in the atrium, which gives access to the metro station, its down on the lower level by the entrance to the Metro station.

The following train services depart from and and arrive at the Gare de l'Est:

• DB-SNCF (ICE and TGV trains) to and from Frankfurt (Main), Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Strasbourg and Stuttgart
• TGV InOui trains to / from Bar-le-Duc, Colmar, Luxembourg, Metz, Nantes, Reims and Strasbourg
• TER trains to / from Bar-le-Duc, Belfort, Chaumont, Strasbourg, Troyes
• the Nightjet trains to and from Berlin, Linz , Salzburg and Wien / Vienna.

Detailed journey guides for travel to many of these destinations can be accessed from the 'Contents Menu'.

When planning a trip, finding convenient accommodation can be trickier than working out which train to take.
Hence ShowMeTheJourney has partnered with the innovative accommodation portal, Stay 22, to offer three options for discovering your optimum accommodation:

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Libertel Gare de L'Est Francais

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Stay 22 will 'shuffle' the booking services so that you can be automatically directed to its partner that currently has the optimum availability at this location.

ShowMeTheJourney has anticipated what questions are most often asked about taking trains to and from Paris-Gare de l'Est and answered them below.

If you can't find the information you are seeking, you can ask a question by using the Travel Planning Service.

Yes, the Gare de l'Est is a terminal station so the voies (platforms / tracks) used by the trains are easily accessible from the main concourse, you can simply walk to and from the trains.

The Gare Du Nord is served by three Metro lines;
the Line 4
the Line 5
the Line7

Line 4

The Line 4 is the primary public transport link between the Gare de l'Est and The Left Bank area of Paris , hence it is typically very busy
It's stop at Cité takes its name from a location on the Île de la Cité in the middle of The River Seine, which is the island on which Notre Dame cathedral is located.

At Châtelet station the Line 4 has comparatively convenient connections with Line 1 and Line 14.

Line 5

The Line 5 links the Gare de l'Est to the eastern side of central Paris and it has stops at the Place de la République and the Place de la Bastille.

Line 7
The Line 7 is the primary public transport link between the Gare de l'Est and the heart of Paris, as it is the only line which heads west - though the most westerly Metro stations with a direct connection are Opéra and Chaussée d'Antin — La Fayette.

to the main tourist attractions from the Gare De l'Est

A quirk of Gare De l'Est is that it has comparatively few direct links to the most popular tourist attractions in Paris:

• The Eiffel tower = take the Metro Line 4 to St Michel and make the short transfer to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame station, to take a RER line C train to and from the station named Champ Du Mars Tour Eiffel.
• the Sacre Couer and Montmartre = take Metro line 4 between the Gare de l'Est and the station named Barbès - Rochechouart, transfer with Line 2 which goes to and from the station named Anvers.
• the Louvre Museum = take Metro line 7 direct to and from a station named Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre.
• the Musée d'Orsay = take the Metro Line 4 to St Michel and make the short transfer to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame station, to take a RER line C train to and from the station named Musée d'Orsay.
• the Pompidou Centre = take the Metro line 5 between the Gare De l'Est and Republique and connect at that station with line 11 which goes to and from the station named Rambuteau.

Ultimately by the close of 2027 the CDG-Express trains will provide a direct link with the main international airport in Paris, but until then the rail link between the city and Charles-De-Gaulle airport is provided by line B of the RER.

The Line B doesn't serve the Gare de l'Est, but it goes to and from the Gare Du Nord, which is a one-stop hop from the Gare de l'Est on Metro Line 5.
Two reasons for taking the Line 5 and not the Line 4 between the Gare de l'Est and the Gare Du Nord.

1. When exiting from Line 5 at the Gare Du Nord, the access to the RER B (Nord) is steps away to the right.
2. The Line 5 tends to be quieter than Line 4.

8 x line B trains per hour are typically provided - though all day at weekends and during the middle of the day on Monday to Friday, half of the services are faster by around 7 minutes, because they skip some stations.

The journey time between the airport and the Gare Du Nord is 31mins by the faster trains and 38 mins by the slower trains.
The ticket cost is less than €12.
More info is available on the guide to airport rail links in France.

to and from Orly Airport

Metro line 14 of the Paris Metro is now direct to and from Orly airport
It has an interchange at the Pyramides station with Metro line 7 which goes to and from the Gare de l'Est.

More info is available on the guide to airport rail links in France.

How to travel on to the major sports, entertainment and business venues across the city from the Paris-Est station:

To the Stade De France

The Stade De France is located more than 3km from the city centre.

1 - Take Metro Line 5 to Gare Du Nord.
2 - The RER trains on line B and line D will depart from opposite sides of the same platform (RER Nord) - Both lines will have trains departing every 5 to 10 mins.

If your seats are in blocks are on the south and east sides of the stadium = Blocks A, R, S, T, U, X, Y and Z, the station named La Plaine Stade de France on RER line B has the shortest walking distance of around 10 to 15 minutes.

If you will be sitting on the western side of the stadium = Blocks, K, L and N, the shortest and easiest walking route is from the station named Stade De France – Saint Denis on RER line D - despite it being the farthest of the three stations from the stadium.
Though bus line/route 353 is a five stop ride to the stadium and its stop is by blocks U, X and Y.

If your seats are on the northern side of the stadium = blocks C, D, E. G, H and J an option is to remain on the Line D train one stop beyond to the station confusingly named St Denis and transfer to Tram line T8 - The tram stop is straight ahead from the station exit, on the other side of a bridge which spans a canal.
Tram line T8 goes to a stop named Saint Denis-Porte De Paris.

OR avoid the crowds and take this longer roundabout route
1 – Take Metro Line 7 to its northern terminus at La Courneuve–8 mai 1945
2 – Take Tram route / line T1 to Basilique de Saint-Denis
3 – Take Metro line 13 for a one stop hop to Saint Denis-Porte De Paris

To the Accor / Bercy Arena

The Accor Arena is located within a 20 minute walk of the Gare de Lyon.
Though the easier route from the Gare de l'Est is to take Metro Line 7 to Pyramides station and connect there for a Line 14 train to Bercy metro station.

To the Villepinte Exhibition Centre

The Villepinte Exhibition Centre is located on the northern edge of Paris by CDG Airport.rt.
Take Metro Line 5 to Gare Du Nord and transfer there to a Line B train to Parc des Expositions station

To the Addidas / Porte de la Chapelle Arena

The Addidas Arena is located within easy distance of the Porte de la Chapelle metro station, from which it takes its name.
It is a two step journey:

1. take Metro line 7 to Porte de la Villette
2. Transfer to tram line / route T3b and leave it at the Porte de la Chapelle stop

To the Stade Garros

Reaching the iconic tennis venue is a two-step journey:

1. Take a Metro line 4 train to Strasbourg St Denis
2. Take a Metro line 9 to Michel-Ange Molitor station.

**To the Paris Expo Exhibition centre **

The Paris Expo Exhibition Centre is located in the south west corner of the city.
It is a two step journey:

1. take Metro line 4 to Montparnasse - Bienvenüe station
2. take Metro line 12 to Porte de Versaille station

To the Parc de Princes and the Stade Jean-Bouin
The Parc de Princes and the Stade Jean-Bouin are adjacent to each other in the Boulogne-Billancourt area of the city.
It is a two step journey:

1. Take a Metro line 4 train to Strasbourg St Denis
2. Take a Metro line 9 to Porte de Saint-Cloud

All of the info you will need is available on the Paris By Train website.

Despite the epic scale of the Gare de l'Est, there are relatively few outlets in the station in which to take a seat and have a meal, with the primary option for doing so being a branch of the Roberta cafe chain.
So a better option can be heading to one of the numerous brasseries in the street opposite the station frontage.
Though the station building houses numerous chain cafes and outlets for takeaway food.

The left luggage office, the 'Consignes', is down on level - 1, which is the location of the lobby which provides the access to the Metro station booking hall.
Two key things to be aware of are;

• The access to the lockers is staffed, so you can only deposit and collect luggage when it is open - and it typically closes each day at 22:30 (10:30pm).
• You need to pay with cash when collecting luggage, you cannot use bank / credit cards for payment.

Yes, the station has a Grand Voyageur lounge, which can be accessed by those who will be travelling with Business Premiere tickets, on the TGV InOui services.
When facing the trains, It is located on left of the rear of the main concourse, opposite voies 2 and 3.

When you're at Paris Est station it can seem like an exceptionally easy station to take a train from.
It's a terminus station, so to access any mainline train, all you have to do is walk ahead from the main concourse.

However, how you FIND your train and make your way to it, is unique to Paris Est.
Because what won't be obvious is that the concourse at the Gare de l'Est (Paris Est) is so enormous, that it is divided into three sections, to make it easier for travellers to find their trains.

(1) The area on the left, in front of voies (platforms/tracks) 2 -13 is the 'plateforme jaune' = the yellow zone.

(2) The area on the right, in front of voies (platforms/tracks) 22-30 is the ‘plateforme bleu' = the blue zone.

(3) Voies (platforms/tracks) 14-21, the area BETWEEN these two zones, is used exclusively by the TER and 'Transillien' commuter trains, which depart from Paris Est.

So the TGVs and other express trains depart from either the yellow OR blue zones.
There are a lack of signs on the concourse marking these zones, we didn't notice them, but it's worth being aware of these zones if you're at Paris Est more than 20 mins before your train departs.

Validating your ticket(s):

If you have a ticket(s) issued by a machine or ticket office, don't forget to stamp it in the machines before boarding.
You'll find these at the entrance to the voies (platform/tracks).

The specific voie/platform/track that a train will be departing from will only be confirmed around 10-20mins before departure.
Prior to the specific voie (platform/track) that your train will be departing from being confirmed, these blue and yellow zones are indicated on the long distance train departure 'Grandes Lignes' information screens.
The zones are showing which part of the station your train will ultimately be departing from.

If you see a yellow square, then your train will ultimately be departing from voies/platforms 2-13.
If you see a blue square, then the train will be departing from voies/platforms 22-30.
So for easy boarding, you can head for the side of the concourse that your train will be departing from.

If you can’t see the station that you’re travelling to on the departure screens, find your train using the train number.
This will be a 4 digit number, which will be printed on your ticket - so match this number to the train number that will be on the departure screens.

The blue zone is furthest away from the main exit from the metro, but you won't know if your train is departing from here until you arrive at Paris Est
So aim to be stepping off of the Metro a minimum of around 7 mins before your train is due to depart.

In contrast, the 'plateforme jaune' (yellow zone), the location of voies/platforms 2–13, is directly ahead of the main entrance to the station and in front of the Metro station exits

The Gare de l'Est is a terminus station so the exits on to the main concourse are towards the front of arriving trains.
Simply walk ahead when you step off of the train and then when you are on the concourse you will discover that all the exits from the station are step-free and level with the surrounding streets.
Paris Est is a comparatively easy station to navigate as all of the facilities at the station are grouped around its one main concourse.

Though a staircase outside the station does lead up to the shortest pedestrian route to the Gare Du Nord.

The access to the Metro is roughly in the centre of the main buildings, which span the concourse on the opposite side to the voies (platforms/tracks) that the mainline trains arrive at.
The Metro station entrance is at a lower level - by the left luggage office.

The Gare de l'Est Metro station is understandably named after the full name in French of Paris Est station.
It is served by

• Line 4
• Line 5
• Line 7

As seen on the Paris Metro map lines 4 and 7 provide direct links to many of the most popular areas of the city centre.

Line 4 stops at:

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

Line 7 stops at:

• Opéra station by the Palais Garnier
• Palais Royal Muséé du Louvre station - which is just across the street from the gallery.

Though think twice about using the Métro if you have luggage etc as virtually all the exits from the metro stations aren't step-free.

Walking between the Gare de l'Est and the Gare Du Nord only takes 5 - 10 mins; but on the most direct route you need to use a steep flight of stairs.
Find out more and discover the alternatives on the guide below.

This is an awkward transfer, as there are no direct metro or RER lines that link the Gare De L’Est and Gare De Lyon.
There are direct TGVs from destinations including Frankfurt (Main) Luxembourg, Metz, Nancy and Strasbourg to some of the destinations served by trains from the Gare De Lyon including Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier; so take those if you can, the journey will be exponentially more convenient.

If you do need to make the transfer between these stations in Paris then the first stage of the easiest option is take Metro Line 5 (and not Metro Line 4) one stop to Gare Du Nord (direction Bobigny).
This may seem odd because you will initially be heading north despite the Gare De Lyon's location to the south.
Then when you're at Gare Du Nord transfer to RER Ligne D Sud, it's the comparative cross-city speed of the RER trains, which gives this route and advantage.

Once you’re on the RER platform, any Line D Sud train will take you to the Gare De Lyon.
But before boarding a train, check that you’re heading in the right direction; use the electronic departure screen, or ask the SNCF staff, who can normally be found on the platform/voie.
Avoid both taking a Line B train, they depart from the opposite side of the platform - or heading north on Line D (Nord).

It sounds more straightforward than it is; so if you have luggage or the weather is hot, then a taxi ride can be worth every cent.
Though a good alternative to the metro can be taking the bus, Line 91 goes to the Gare De Lyon from a stop on Rue du 8 Mai 1945.

Metro Line 5 (direction Place d'Italie) provides a direct link from Gare De L’Est to Austerltz, but think twice if you have luggage.
The Line 5 Metro station at Austerlitz 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.

Hence it can be easier to take the bus, Line 91 goes to Austerlitz, from a stop on Rue du 8 Mai 1945.

This is a transfer that looks straightforward as Metro Line 4 provides a direct link between Gare De L’Est and Montparnasse; direction Mairie de Montrouge.
However, if you have luggage it’s far from convenient.
Line 4 is the 2nd busiest line on the Paris Metro, so at peak times the crowds can seem overwhelming.

You'll be leaving the train at Montparnasse-Bienvenüe station; it's 13 stops from Gare De L’Est, so the train journey takes around 22-25 mins.

The part of Montparnasse–Bienvenüe metro station used by the line 4 trains is connected to the exit from the Metro into Paris Montparnasse mainline station by long passage ways.
They're so long, that despite the travellators, it takes 10 -12 minutes to make the transfer from stepping off the Metro, to arriving at the Paris Montparnasse main concourse.
You will also have to negotiate three flights of stairs within the Metro station!

When you finally exit the metro station at Montparnasse, the mainline trains will be two levels above, though there are banks of escalators and lifts.
If you will be taking a TGV from Paris Montparnasse, then from the Metro, follow the signs to ‘Lignes Grande Vitesse’

In the summer, making the transfer can be particularly uncomfortable, temperatures can soar at both main line stations, on the train and in the passage ways.

So despite the distance, if you have the time, taking the bus instead can be easier.
Line 91 goes to Montparnasse from a stop on Rue du 8 Mai 1945.

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.
The easiest option is take Metro Line 5 (and not Metro Line 4) one stop to Gare Du Nord (direction Bobigny)
On arrival at Gare Du Nord follow the signs to RER Line E; the RER station at Gare Du Nord, that the Line E trains depart from, is named 'Magenta'.

From Magenta, there are trains every 5-10mins to Haussmann – St-Lazare, which is also where the trains terminate.
You should be at St Lazare within 25mins of arriving at Gare De L’Est.

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