My husband and I are taking the train from London to Paris. I read a lot of unsavory things about the Nord train station...that's its confusing even finding the exit. Also, since its our first visit to paris would it be best to take a taxi to the hotel or take public transportation (fyi, we don't speak French).
Thanks!
As I recall there's a taxi stand right outside. We were at our hotel in a jiffy. If a reasonably short ride, a taxi may be worth it to you. You may find this site helpful:
http://www.seat61.com/London-to-Paris-by-train.htm#.U1rjzaLwo1I
"...For the taxi rank, walk off the end of the platform onto the concourse, turn right and walk out of the side entrance"
The Eurostar platform is on the upper level of Nord separate from the rest of the trains, so you can't just walk out the door.
Go down the escalator/ stairs and you'll see the exits as well as the signs to them from the moment you step off the trains. If you really get confused, the front entrance is in front of the train noses and has the largest windows.
You'll also see signs to the rer and metro. What you use is personal choice.
Unsavory? Beats me. I've been through there with kids for years and never thought about it.
Estella,
i thought it was a cool place. Busy too, but unsavory? To each his own.
happy trails.
I walked to my hotel from the Gare du Nord, middle-aged woman pulling a suitcase, it was fine. I stopped a couple of times to ask directions, everyone was helpful.
What's best for you depends on your personal choice and comfort level. It's also difficult for anyone else to tell you because we don't know where your hotel is, what metros you'd need to take, etc. Inside the station, finding the exit and the taxi rank isn't difficult as they are well marked. As for unsavory, it's not the Ritz. You may see a heavy police presence with police dogs, and that's for a reason, but it also means it's well patrolled. We've frequented that neighborhood for forty years, stay about 800 meters away now, and have even lived close by. I judge it to be a bit grittier than in previous years. Despite the grit, we exit the station and walk to our apartment. You should do what makes you comfortable no matter what others do.
Last summer we arrived at gare du nord after a long travel day. We were staying for 3 weeks in an apartment about 2km away in an area of Paris where we'd never been before (but looked at it on google street view plenty of times). We found and took a taxi easily from the train station to our apartment. We returned to this train station 2 more times during our time in Paris and felt comfortable enough to use the metro and bus to get us there. It was very crowded and chaotic during rush hour times of the day. We have done this method of getting to our house/apartment/hotel by taxi upon arrival if the area is unknown to us and leaving by public transportation if it is operating at our departure time. If you have never been to Paris before you may want to study some maps, look at google street view and see what you are comfortable doing.
Estella, first of all, learn some French - at least a few key phrases - can you ask "where is..."? "please" and "thank you"? On every trip to Europe, we've been embarrassed watching American tourists shouting English at Europeans. More often than not, in a large city like Paris, people are multilingual, and are able to speak English, but don't expect it of them. You're not going to Disneyland, you're visiting peoples home. Now, having lectured you on that, let me say, DON'T WORRY! Any train station will be fine. Just pay attention, and look at the signage. As it is here, there will be icons to guide you. Do you know what "sortie" means? Pick up a phrasebook, or you can even get a free language translator app for a smartphone. If you're not carrying a lot of luggage (recommended) take the Metro rather than a taxi. You can get all over Paris via Metro. Check online, you can prepare yourself by finding maps of routes and stations. Basically, what I'm recommending is: do some research and prepare yourself - you'll have a lot more fun when you get there. And don't pay too much attention to "unsavory" reports. Just because one person had a problem, doesn't mean everyone does. Gare du Nord, by the way, is a really grand station! My wife and I had a wonderful time in Paris, and will be returning in September, we loved it so much. Have fun, and keep smiling!
This website has lots of info about Gare du Nord and the Eurostar. It's part of the larger "Paris by Train" site that tells you a lot about metro, RER, etc.
I'd suggest taking a taxi to your hotel since you're not familiar with Paris and you'll have luggage. Learning a few phrases is certainly good advice. You can't assume that the driver will speak English, though many do. After you've checked into the hotel, try to use the metro and/or buses to get around, you'll save lots of money and often time.
Nord is a big city train station and pickpocketing is certainly an issue there as elsewhere in Europe. That would be about the most "unsavory" thing to be concerned about. This board and good guidebooks have advice about protecting your stuff.
This being your first time in Paris, make it easy on yourself. You do not want to hit the metro first thing, with luggage. Follow the signs to the Taxis and take one from the station to your hotel. Learn how to say the name & address of your hotel, but also have it printed on a piece of paper to show the driver to prevent misunderstandings if you cannot speak French well.
I've taken the Eurostar into and out of Nord several times by myself with no problems. It's a big, bustling train station though, and like everywhere else be alert and aware of your surroundings.
On departure from Paris Gare du Nord, the Eurostar departure lodge is indeed upstairs, just inside the front doors of the station.
When arriving, however, the Eurostar arrives on the ground floor like all other main line trains - over to the right hand side of the station, looking towards the front of the station as you get off the train. You just walk along the train to the front and just past the front you pop out into the main part of the station.
I find it well signed and easy to use, and all the facilities are easy to find. When I was there in February I didn't observe any problem areas in the vicinity of the station, or around Magenta. I thought the area around Gare de l'Est was a bit rougher.
@Nigel, Glad to hear it's cleaned up outside Gare du Nord now. Last summer it was a mess (a homeless camp under scaffolding used to clean a block of buildings across the stree). We'll be back there very soon.
