Paris By Train

If you’re traveling to Paris from another European city, trains can be a scenic and inexpensive option. Prices and number of trips per day vary according to destination, the day of the week, season, and other criteria. To find prices, schedules, and locations, check www.raileurope.com or www.voyages-sncf.com.

Gare du Nord: Trains to northern France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and northern Germany (Cologne, Hamburg) all depart from this station. To: Amsterdam (4-5hr.); Brussels (1hr.); London (by the Eurostar Chunnel; 3hr.).
Gare de l’Est: To eastern France (Champagne, Alsace, Lorraine, Strasbourg), Luxembourg, parts of Switzerland (Basel, Zürich, Lucerne), southern Germany (Frankfurt, Munich), Austria, Hungary, and Prague. To: Luxembourg (4-5hr.); Munich (9hr.); Prague (15hr.); Strasbourg (1hr.); Vienna (15hr.); Zürich (7hr.).
Gare de Lyon: To southern and southeastern France (Lyon, Provence, Riviera), parts of Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Berne), Italy, and Greece. To: Florence (13hr.); Geneva (4hr.); Lyon (2hr.); Marseille (3-4hr.); Nice (6hr.); Rome (15hr.).
Gare d’Austerlitz: To the Loire Valley, southwestern France (Bordeaux, Pyrénées), Spain, and Portugal. (TGV to southwestern France leaves from Gare Montparnasse.) To Barcelona (12hr.) and Madrid (12-13hr.).
Gare St-Lazare: To Normandy. To Caen (2hr.) and Rouen (1-2hr.).
Gare Montparnasse: To Brittany and southwestern France on the TGV. To Rennes (2hr.) and Nantes (2hr.).

Traversing 31 miles under the sea, the Chunnel is undoubtedly the fastest, most convenient, and least scenic route from Britain to France.

Trains: Eurostar, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE, UK (UK ☎08705 186 186, elsewhere +44 1233 617 575; www.eurostar.com). Frequent trains between London and the continent. Destinations include Paris, Disneyland Paris, Lille, Avignon, and Calais. Book online, at major rail stations in the UK, or at the office above.
Buses: Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) provides bus-ferry combinations to France. Service to major cities in France, including Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.
Cars: Eurotunnel, Ashford Rd., Folkestone, Kent CT18 8XX, UK (☎+44 8705 35 35 35; www.eurotunnel.co.uk). Shuttles cars and passengers between Kent and Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Return fares range UK£50-200 for a car, depending on length of stay. Travelers with cars can also look into sea crossings by ferry (below).