Avenue Champs-Elysées on New Year’s Eve looking with trees lit from Concorde all the way to the Arc de Triomphe.

Glass bottles of any type are now banned (”interdit“).  There’ll be packs of heavily armored police folks at all major Paris Metro stations along the Champs-Elysées searching bags.  People still manage to bring bottles on the avenue by simply walking from farther out stations.  This measure is to avoid mountains of broken glass along the street which presents a hazard to people who’ve been well “champagned”.

This photo was taken near station Champs-Elysées Clemenceau.

Eiffel Tower on New Year’s Eve. Photo was taken from Pont Alexandre III between the Grand Palais and Les Invalides / Napoleon’s Tomb.

Gare de l’Est is located in Paris’ 10th Arrondissement, a bare 10 minute walk south east of Gare du Nord, visible in the Google Map below:

Gare de l’Est serves high speed trains such as Thalys, TGV, and ICE to eastern cities such as Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Luxembourg, and Cologne and also regular speed trains to cities around the Ile-de-France region.

Arriving at Gare de l’Est by Car, Taxi, Bus, on Foot

Here is a picture of the front entrance of Gare de l’Est, also known as Paris East station, found on street 8 Mai 1945.  (See Gare de l’Est in relation to Gare du Nord on Google Maps).  This photo was taken looking north.  The street running up the left side of the station is rue d’Alsace. To walk from Gare de l’Est to Gare du Nord, simply head north up rue d’Alsace, turn left onto Rue de Dunkerque and you’ll arrive at the front entrance of Gare du Nord in about 10 minutes.

Arriving by Metro

Here is a photo of arriving at Gare de l’Est by way of Metro Line 4, one of three Metro lines with stops at this major train station.  Metro Line 5 and 7 also stop at Gare de l’Est.

Immediately after entering the station from the Metro Line 4 we are underneath Hall Central.  Overhead we see two video screens showing departures information.  The left video screen, labeled “Départs Grandes Lignes” shows trains leaving Paris for far eastern France and German cities via highspeed trains such as TGV and conventional trains such as Corail.  The display on the right shows trains departing for the region surrounding Paris (the Ile-de-France) normally served by Ter and Transilien trains.  These trains will leave via the center train lanes (”voie” 13 to 22) reserved for Ile-de-France travel.  More on this further down.

Another photo of the main Metro entrance/exit underneath Hall Central.  Visible are entrance/exits for Metro Line 7 and 4. On the right hand side, partially hidden by some pillars, we can see a ticket window (guichet pronounced [gee-shay]) for purchasing Metro tickets.  In the immediate foreground of this photo is a is a wheelchair lift down onto the Metro level.  Gare de l’Est is one of the more wheelchair friendly train stations in Paris.

Here’s another photo of the Metro entrance under Gare de l’Est.  A sign off to the right shows Metro Lines 4, 5 and 7.

On the Metro level is a baggage locker/left luggage room tucked into a corner behind some escalators.  Baggage storage at Paris train stations ranges from 5€ for small lockers to 9,50€ for large ones fitting about 2 large roller suitcases.  Maximum duration of storage is 48 hours.  You’ll need to pass through a quick security checkpoint in order to store your bags, not unlike the security done for boarding a plane.

Moving up one level from the Metro lines we arrive at Hall Central of Gare de l’Est.  This space is mostly occupied by shops and could be mistaken for a commercial shopping centre.

Here’s a wide-angle photo of Hall Central at Gare de l’Est which gives you a good idea of the layout.  The information pillar on the left gives you some orientation hints.  This photo was taken facing west.  Off to the right are the main train lines.  The hall beyond the far end of this area is known as Hall d’Alsace. Behind us is Hall St. Martin.

This sign within Hall Central shows how the main train lines are split onto two platforms, yellow and blue, with train lanes numbered from 2 to 30.  You’ll notice there’s a big gap in lane numbers, 13 to 22. That’s because the central train lanes are reserved for Ile-de-France trains serving the area immediately surrounding Paris.  Ticket purchases for trains heading to other cities and far off destinations can be found in Hall St. Martin.

Looking just slight down from the previous photo we can see the central train lines off in the next hall.  Just before that are a set of four display screens providing information on trains departing within the next hour and from which lanes/platforms.

Moving west from Hall Central puts us at Hall Alsace, easy to recognize with its massive overhead painting.  Hall Alsace gives access to the yellow train platforms, lanes numbered 2 to 12.

This is an overhead shot of the yellow train platform area just north of Hall Alsace.  The trains are a bit hidden off to the right hand side of the photo behind the “happy” flower shop.  The exit straight ahead leads out to Rue d’Alsace, which as mentioned above connects to Rue de Dunkerque and Gare du Nord train station.  Center foreground in the photo is an information booth with an ACCUEIL sign on top, helping passengers out with directions and train information.

Turning to our right we now face the central train platforms serving Paris and the immediate surrounding area (Ile-de-France).  Trains here are sectioned off from the rest of the platform via gate barriers (visible on the left with green lights and swinging glass doors.  The green building in the centre of the photo sells tickets for Ter and Transilien trains servicing the Ile-de-France region.  This tickets are known as Billet Ile-de-France and are the same size and shape as small Metro tickets, but are priced specifically for travel between two stations.  Two green ticket vending machines are visible in front of the ticket office, which accepts either Euro coins or smart-chip credit cards for payment.  Above the ticket office is an Ile-de-France train network map.

Turning again to our right we now face east towards the blue train platform, lanes numbered 23 to 30, with the central platform visible to the left.

Here’s an overhead map view of the station showing the yellow platform on the western end, Ile-de-France train lanes in center, and blue platform trains on the eastern end.  You can also see the layout of Hall Alsace, Central & St. Martin.

And finally a closer picture of the two levels of Gare de l’Est showing the place of the Metro lines in relation to the train lines and streets surrounding the station.

I hope this gives you an idea of the layout of Gare de l’Est!  Happy travels.

This is a photo of an old style RER B stations served panel located at Luxembourg RER station.

At the bottom right hand corner is a square to specify whether the next train will be short or long.  If the train is short, don’t wait for it at the extreme ends of the station platform, as the train will stop in the middle and you’ll have to rush back to the center of the platform to board the train.

Here’s a modern style RER B stations served panel at Antony station.  This panel shows direction as “Aéroport Ch. de Gaulle 2 TGV” (which stops at Terminal 1 as well), wait time of 0 minutes, and the “mission” or itinerary name of the train: EFLA.  Secret tip: any trains with mission names starting with the letter “E”, go to Airport Charles de Gaulle.

This is a photo of a train ticket vending machine found throughout Paris and Ile-de-France train stations (Gare de Lyon, Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse, Gare St. Lazare, Gare de l’Est, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare de Bercy, plus stations through Ile-de-France) and at some Paris Metro/RER stations. These ticket machines operate with a touch screen. They accept Euro coins and European or smart-chip enabled credit/debit cards.

Tickets sold from these machines are for station to station travel, inside and outside central Paris, within the Ile-de-France region. You may also purchase tickets for the Paris Metro, Tram and Bus (Ticket t+, carnets ["booklets"] of Ticket t+) from these machines.

Tickets and change (if necessary) are dispensed into the bottom tray. Ticket printing can be somewhat slow, so be patient when completing your transaction and wait till all of your tickets are dispensed.

Passes such as Pass Navigo Decouverte, and Paris Visite Card, are not sold from these machines.  You’ll have to visit a ticket window/booth to purchase these, since they come with additional paper identification cards and/or contactless smart cards.

Above the screen is a large black bar containing a CB (Carte Bleu) debit card symbol and a “Rend La Monnaie” (”Makes Change”) note. When a ticket vending machine is not working, a red “Hors Service” (”Out of Service”) sign will be lit on this black bar. Check that this sign is not lit before attempting to use a given machine. Also, if the machine is low or out of coins and cannot make change, a red sign will be lit just below Rend La Monnaie to indicate this.

Looking closely at the payment panel we see that the ticket machine accepts Mastercard and Visa credit cards, Carte Bleu debit cards, Euro coins and Mondeo cash cards. North American and non-smart chip credit cards will most likely not work with any ticket machines nor at ticket purchase windows. Keep this in mind and have cash on hand before queuing to buy tickets at Paris train stations.

Visible in the above photo is the large purple Navigo card slot. This slot can be used to recharge a Pass Navigo or Pass Navigo Decouverte with Carte Orange week and month transit passes.

The starting screen of these ticket vending machines (”billetterie”) offer language choices at the top right hand corner. In this photo we see the choices are English and Spanish languages for this train ticket machine.

After switching to English we see that our options are either to recharge a Navigo Pass card or to buy individual tickets or carnets of tickets. To charge a Pass Navigo with Carte Orange, start by inserting your card into the purple Navigo card reader (visible in the second photo above).

Touching the blue rectangle will start a ticket buying session.  The “season tickets” mentioned on the second choice refers not to football tickets (unfortunately), but rather ticket based fares for station to station travel which work for a set period of time.

The other useful information we can see on this initial screen:

• Coins are usable for purchases up to 30€
• Mondeo cash cards are accepted up to 30€
• Carte Bleu debit cards/credit cards are accepted for purchases greater than 1€

Before analyzing this screen, keep in mind that some of the choices shown here will differ depending on where the machine is located. Starting from the top left and moving clockwise:

• Single Ticket to Paris: This machine, being located outside of Paris, offers the most popular ticket first: a single ticket from this station to Paris. These “station to station” tickets, priced on the distance between stations, are known as a billet Ile-de-France.  The price of these tickets varies depending on where you are buying the ticket.  For example from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris the price of the billet Ile-de-France would be 8,40€ (July 1, 2008).  Fontainebleau-Avon to Paris Gare de Lyon is 7,60€.
• Mobilis Ticket: a day pass in the form of a multiple use, plasticized ticket coupon.  Good for unlimited voyages on trains, RER, Metro, buses and trams within Zones 1 to 6 (all zones) for a single day until end of service (not a 24 hour period).  The number of zones covered by the Ticket Mobilis depends on where the ticket machine is located. In this case, the machine is located in Zone 6 and thus to be valid for use here, the Ticket Mobilis covers zones 1 - 6.  If you purchased this ticket in Zone 4, it would be Zone 1 to 4 (with more zone choices avaiable through the “Other Options” selection).
• Cancel button: Ends this purchase session, returning to the (French) welcome screen.
• Other options: If you’re wishing to travel to another train station other than the default destination (Paris), this is where you would find that option.  You will be asked to specify the name of the destination station through an on-screen keyboard.  As you start to type the name of the destination station, the machine will offer suggestions depending on what you’ve entered.  Click on the desired station name when it appears below the on-screen keyboard to select it as your destination station.  At that point the ticket machine will price the station to station billet Ile-de-France and present you with quantity options (how many tickets you wish to buy).
• Ticket(s) to Airports: Travel to Airport Charles de Gaulle and Airport Paris-Orly are specially priced and require their own specific billet Ile-de-France.
• Book of tickets Ticket t (Metro/Bus/RER) in Paris: For convenience these billetteries offer carnets (books of 10 or 20) of single ride tickets for the Metro, Bus, RER, Tram within Paris.  These tickets, known as Ticket t or Ticket t+, are not valid for station to station travel outside of Paris (which require billets Ile-de-France). Ticket t+ are valid for voyages on the Paris Metro (subway which covers zones 1 & 2), Bus and Zone 1 for the RER.
• 1 book of 10 tickets: This selection is for buying a carnet (book of 10) of billets Ile-de-France for a particular voyage from this station to another station.  These tickets will be valid only for travel between these two stations in particular.  Don’t try to use these tickets departing from a different station other than the two you’ve specified during the purchase routine.

On this screen we choose the number of individual tickets we wish to purchase.  In this example I’m purchasing a single Ticket Mobilis 1-6 Zone day pass for a day trip into Paris from Fontainebleau.  I chose a Ticket Mobilis because I knew I’d have to make a same day round trip to Paris, with several Metro/RER rides while in central Paris.  Thus the Mobilis makes the most economic sense and is also convenient, being a single ticket I use over and over, rather than multiple separate tickets I must keep track of.  Keep in mind that Ticket Mobilis day passes are not valid for voyages to or from Airports CDG nor Paris-Orly.  Pass Navigo Decouverte, if you have purchased one, is valid for CDG Airport, granted that you have purchased the zones necessary (5 zone for CDG).

This is the payment screen for the Billetterie Ile-de-France ticket machine.  Here I must choose Cash or credit/debit card.  Although the choice reads “Cash”, these ticket machines only accept Euro coins, not Euro bills.  When paying by coins, selecting the Cash button will unlock the coin slot, otherwise, it will be blocked.

Here I’ve chosen to pay by Carte Bleu debit card.  After inserting your European smart-chip credit/debit card, wait for the reader to (slowly) read the card. (North American credit cards are not accepted, except for smart-chip cards available from a few select banks).

PIN code security is required for all credit/debit card purchases.  Three consecutive errors on entering your PIN code will block your card.

Complete the purchase by removing your card when you see the above screen and hear the chirping noise coming from the machine.

The final question is whether you’d like a receipt printed or not.  The receipt will be printed on a blank ticket.  After this, simply wait until the tickets you’ve purchased are (slowly) dispense at the bottom collection tray.  If you’ve paid with coins, collect your change (if any) from the right hand side of the collection tray, separated from the tickets.

Here is a photo of a directional sign within Gare du Nord station showing:

• Metro Lines 4 and 5 (bottom row)
• RER E suburban express trains on platforms 30 to 36, accessible by elevators (”Par Ascenseurs”)
• Grandes Lignes (”Main Train Lines”) of type TGV, Eurostar (Paris to London high speed train), and Thalys (Paris to Brussels, Paris to Cologne, Paris to Amsterdam)

This is a step-by-step photo guide of taking RER B Paris city trains from Airport Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2 to Paris city centre. From the the CDG arrivals lounge to central Paris, I’ll guide you step-by-step on how to make this transfer. If you’re arriving at Terminal 1, see the CDG Terminal 1 to Paris photo guide.

Arrival at CDG

Upon arrival at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2 the first thing that will happen after exiting the plane is immigration/passport control, which can be very quick depending on where you are sitting on the plane.  If you’re seated near the front of the plane and are the first to exit, you’ll be the first to go through immigration screening by French national police.  Thus you could be past immigration within 5 minutes (or 40 if you’re the last to exit a large plane).

Next you’ll collect your baggage at the carousels.  Estimate a good 30 minutes for this, nothing out of the ordinary in terms of expediency, perhaps even a little slow.

Customs control for baggage is next, which is separate from passport control and handled by customs officers near the exit of the baggage collection area.  In general the customs officers spot check passengers and only stop those who rouse their curiosity.  After this you’ll exit into an unsecured area of Charles de Gaulle Airport free to make your way to Paris or other cities via train.

If you happen to be arriving via Terminal 2G, the new Schengen (Euro Borderless Zone) terminal, you’ll need to take a shuttle bus to Terminal 2E/F in order to catch the RER train.  The shuttle buses, circulating every 4-5 minutes, can be found just outside the arrivals area of 2G.  [Thanks to Lynne P. for this updated information].

Getting to the Train Station at Terminal 2

The CDG Terminal 2 arrivals hall will look like this:

Notice the blue overhead signs? Those will point to Gare SNCF / Railway Station, Paris par Train / Paris by Train. Follow these signs to make your way to the train station located right within Terminal 2.

Here are some close-up photos of signs pointing to the CDG Terminal 2 train station:

At the end of each of the terminal buildings (there are six sub-terminals at Terminal 2: terminals 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F) will be a large sign noting how long it will take to reach other terminals and the train station. In this photo, we see that the train station at Terminal 2 is 3 to 5 minutes walk from Terminal 2F.

Here is a map of Charles de Gaulle Airport showing the layout of CDG Terminal 2. Also visible are Terminal 3, Terminal 1 (which has its own train station) and CDGVAL shuttle train between CDG’s 3 terminals and parking structures.

(Courtesy of ADP)

The moving sidewalks between Terminal 2’s sub-terminals definitely speed up walking times:

Closer to the train station area you’ll find more signs directing you down to the station.

When you’ve arrived at the train station area, you’ll be on Level 4 of an atrium with a Sheraton hotel on one end, HSBC Bank on the other end and multiple signs pointing to the Gare/Station/Paris by Train.

Another photo of the station atrium taken on Level 3 facing the opposite direction (towards HSBC Bank, one level up). Signage is quite clear on the station location. You may wish to withdraw some Euro cash from the HSBC bank machine (visible at the top right in the below photo).  If your (non-European, non-smart-chip) credit cards don’t work with the automated ticket machines, they won’t work at the SNCF/RATP ticket windows either.  Thus you’ll need Euro cash to buy your tickets.

At the bottom of the atrium, Level 2, the actual station level you’ll have various stores and eateries on one side of the hall and a SNCF ticket purchase office on the other side.  Scattered throughout the middle of the train station are blue or green Billetterie Ile-de-France train ticket vending machines.

The SNCF ticket office is split into two halves, each selling only certain types of train tickets.  When facing the ticket office the left half sells tickets and passes for traveling within Paris and the Ile-de-France area, known as Billets Ile-de-France.

The right half deals with TGV tickets (for sale, collection, refunds and changes) for trains traveling to other cities within France, known as the Grandes Lignes.

If you’re wanting to buy a simple train ticket to Paris and you have a smart chip credit card or Euro coins, you can use the blue Billetterie vending machines to purchase such tickets. (The machines shown in this photo are from Terminal 3, but they are otherwise identical). Note that multi-day passes such as Carte Orange / Pass Navigo or Paris Visite cards are not sold by the machines.  You must visit the ticket office to purchase passes.

Bear in mind that these machines will not work with most North American credit cards, which in general do not have smart chips nor are PIN number protected.

After buying your train tickets or passes it’s time to turn towards the train platforms which will require descending another set of escalators or stairs onto Level 1. The Paris Train platforms are marked as “Voie” (”platform”) 11 and 12 and also show “RER B Paris par Train“, the Regional Express Network trains that operate between Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Paris city centre.

This is a photo overlooking Paris bound train platforms 11 and 12 at CDG Terminal 2 Station.

On the platform itself you’ll see signs noting that all trains are going to Paris, since Aeroport Charles de Gaulle is the terminus or end-of-line station for the RER B train line.

Note that although the platform sign reads Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV, this platform shown is not the TGV train platform, it’s simply the name of this station as a whole.

The TGV train platforms are located and accessed from the other side of the station.  If you’re taking a TGV train to another city besides Paris, the train platform area should look like the following:

Remember to keep your train ticket with you at all times throughout the journey.  You may be asked by a ticket controller to show a valid fare or otherwise pay a penalty fare of 35€. The tickets are also required to exit the arrival station in Paris as there will be turnstiles protecting the exits, just as they protect entrances.  Finally, your RER train ticket is also good for connections onto the Paris Metro and other RER train lines once you’ve arrived in Paris; There’s no need to purchase a separate Paris Metro/RER Ticket T+ for making connections within the city centre onto other Metro or RER trains (but not buses nor trams, which require a new ticket).

The first Paris city centre station will be Gare du Nord, requiring about 30 minutes for the voyage from Airport CDG Terminal 2.  Paris stations along the RER B line after Gare du Nord will be Chatelet Les Halles, St. Michel-Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau and Cité Universitaire.

Resources

The following train timetables show depature times of RER B trains leaving CDG Terminal 2 towards Paris.  (Ignore the second pages).

RER B Train Schedule (departure times) CDG Terminal 2 to Paris Mondays to Fridays (except holidays)

RER B Train Schedule (departure times) CDG Terminal 2 to Paris Saturday, Sunday and holidays

Photo of the front of Gare Montparnasse in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris, opposite Montparnasse Tower (Tour Montparnasse).

Gare Montparnasse to Metro

The following section will explain how to get to the Metro station at Gare Montparnasse if you’ve recently arrived via bus or on foot.

Upon entering Gare Montparnasse from street level (Niveau 0), you’ll have stairs and escalators leading up to the main train lines (TGV, Ter, Transilien, two floors up on Niveau 2) on Level 2 or you can continue forward towards to the Metro area.

From the entrance of Gare Montparnasse, walking straight ahead and down, you’ll enter Sublevel 1 (Niveau -1) where you’ll find the entrance for Metro lines 4, 6, 12 and 13.

Here we see the entrance for Montparnasse’s Metro station just after the arrival of a Grandes Lignes train from the upper levels, hence the crowd.  As you can see from the overhead signs in the photo above, Montparnasse’s Metro station connects to Paris Metro lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 (see Metro map). Just past the overhead signs are two ticket windows on either side of the hall and several blue Billetterie Ile-de-France ticket vending machines scattered throughout.

After purchasing your tickets or passes and passing through the turnstiles you’ll need to traverse a long tunnel to where the Metro lines are actually located, which is quite far north Gare Montparnasse (the train station).  Due to the length of this walkway, the transit authority is experimenting with a high speed moving sidewalk, shuttling pedestians along at 9km/h rather than the normal 3km/h.

After the tunnel you’ll be at Montparnasse’s Metro station called Montparnasse Bienvenue.  Here you’ll have access to lines 4, 6, 12 and 13. For more information on taking the Metro, see the Paris Metro photo tour.

Arriving at Montparnasse from Metro

If you’re arriving at Gare Montparnasse from the Montparnasse Bienvenue Metro station, the photo below is the view you would have of the entrance of Gare Montparnasse (and the exit of the Metro area). At the top left of the photo is an overhead sign (in white) for Trains Grandes Lignes and Trains Ile-de-France. If you’re making a connection to a TGV, Transilien, Ter or Corail train departing from Gare Montparnasse, these are the signs and directions you’ll want to follow.

Just past the exit barriers from the Montparnasse Metro (red doors on the left), past the Metro ticket sales hall and ticket vending machines, up the few short steps, you’ll enter an area with shops, escalators and four sets of stairs leading up, two in front, two to either side (see below photo). Near the center of the photo is a small blue sign reading Grandes Lignes with an arrow pointing up. Take those stairs (or the escalators) and climb up 3 levels to Niveau 2 to get to the TGV, Ter and other intecity trains. After this point you may only see signs that read: “Access Aux Trains”. That refers to the Grandes Lignes Trains at Hall Maine so you may follow these signs as well.

If you’re traveling to Paris suburbs rather than far away cities in France, you’ll want to climb only one level to the Transilien Ile-de-France train level (street level, also known as Niveau 0 or Rez-de-Chaussée).  The photo below shows the Transilien train ticket purchase area and entrance:

Tickets for Transilien trains can be purchased from Billetterie Ile-de-France train ticket vending machines and from the ticket window just off to the right in the above photo.

Montparnasse TGV Trains & Tickets

Back to Gare Montparnasse’s main train station section. Above is a photo of multiple levels of Gare Montparnasse, taken from Level 2 (”Niveau 2″), two floors up from ground level. Looking down at Level 1 we see the Mezzanine, which has baggage storage (”Consignes”), Lost and Found (”Objets trouvés”) and some food services.  Further down, near the middle of the photo, we see the subterranean access to the lanes (”voie”) for Transilien/Ter commuter trains which are parked up on Level 2 between lanes 18 to 28.  This below ground level entrance allows you to pop up onto the train lanes halfway down the platform, useful for long trains, giving travelers on the latter half of the parked train quicker access to the Metro.

At the center upper part of the above picture is a black departures board, showing trains that are schedule to depart soon from Gare Montparnasse.  The yellow boxes scattered through the middle of the photo are Grandes Lignes train ticket (TGV, Corail, etc.) change, collection and vending machines which take credit/debit cards.

Above is another photo of the departures board from head-on.  Just below the board is a sign reading Access to Trains (”Access aux Trains”).  The short hall past the ticket machines leads into Hall Maine, where all the TGV, Ter and Transilien trains are parked at lanes (”voie”) 1 to 28, starting from the left (east).

Train Tickets

Looking left from above position, still on Level 2, we see signs directing travelers to the TGV ticket office as seen in the photo below:

Moving closer to the ticket office we see that there are different types of ticket counters available to us (three in total). The first set of ticket counters to the extreme left sell TGV tickets and other non-high speed train tickets for immediate departures, i.e. train tickets for travel leaving in the next hour.  Here is a photo of that area:

Further to the right are ticket counters for Grandes Lignes train tickets which includes TGV, Ter, Téoz, Corail, Lunéa brand French trains which travel to other cities across France.  If you’re not in a rush to buy a ticket and hop on the next train, this is where you should buying your train tickets.

The final ticket office area is enclosed in glass and is marked Espace de Vente. This ticket office sells train tickets for international destinations such as Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.  Below is a photo of the International train ticketing office at Montparnasse:

Below is a map of Montparnasse Level 2 showing the layout of the train ticket office on the bottom left and its three counter areas: Réservations Internationales (International Train Reservations), Réservations Grandes Lignes (TGV, TER & other intercity trains within France), and Billets Départs Immédiats (Tickets for Immediate Depatures).

This Montparnasse map is courtesy of Gares en Mouvement.  Visit their site for a full version.

Montparnasse Train Departures & Arrivals Area

Let’s look at the train platforms (arrivals & departures) for TGV, Ter and other trains.  Here is an overhead map of the train lanes at Hall Maine which are can be seen in the pictures further below:

The picture below taken from the left end of Hall Maine, Level 2, where the lane numbers are low and climb as one moves further down the hall.  At the top center of the photo below is a large black departures board showing when trains are departing, their destinations and from which lanes.  The trains are parked on the left, starting with Lane 1 (Voie 1) and climb as you move further down the hall. The ticket counters described in the previous section are off to the right of this position (not visible in the photo).

Each of the lanes terminates with a column showing a lane number on the side. TGV lanes 1 - 9 are marked with a TGV insignia near the tops of the columns.

Ter, Transilien commuter trains and finally more TGV trains are parked between lanes 18 to 28.  On the front of each column marking the lane you’ll find the lane number (”Voie”) and train information including direction and stops along the way.

In the photo below, at the far end of Hall Maine you’ll notice that the train lanes stop at 24, yet there are 28 lanes in total at Gare Montparnasse.  On the far wall is a sign pointing to lanes 25 to 28, located diagonally to the left past lane 24. This area is also referred to as Montparnasse 3 or Gare Vaugirard.

If you’re arriving at, rather than departing, Gare Montparnasse by TGV, Ter, or Transilien train and are looking to make a connection to the local transit options, follow the large blue overhead signs pointing towards buses and Metro lines located ahead and below at Street Level (Niveau 0) and Sublevel 1 (Niveau -1) (overhead signs in blue can be seen at center left of the above photo).

To help get your bearings after you’ve arrived and are still on Level 2, walking straight out from the main train lines will give you a view of Tower Montparnasse (Tour Montparnasse), which is very visible out the front window of Gare Montparnasse.  You are facing north east from this position.

Useful Links

Online map of Gare Montparnasse

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CDG Terminal 1 to Paris

If you’re arriving at CDG Terminal 1, you’ll first need to take the CDGVAL shuttle train to Terminal 3/Roissypole (center of map) to catch the RER B train to Paris.

Follow CDGVAL signs posted throughout Terminal 1 that will look like the following:

The CDGVAL shuttle train travels from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3/Roissypole then to Terminal 2 as shown on this line map:

While on the CDGVAL shuttle, keep in mind that:

1. Terminal 3/Roissypole is the second stop which is before Terminal 2.
2. The shuttle will stop at parking garage Pr before arriving at Terminal 3/Roissypole.

Upon arrival at Terminal 3/Roissypole, you will enter a large concrete atrium show here:

When exiting the CDGVAL stop at Terminal 3/Roissypole, turn to your right and walk towards a series of blue ticket vending machines and several ticket windows behind an overhead sign for RER B “Paris par train / Paris by train”:

From here you can purchase single train tickets for Paris from the blue vending machines (Billetterie Ile-de-France) for €8,40 one way. These tickets are known as “Billets Ile-de-France“.

Keep in mind that these vending machines do not sell pass cards Pass Navigo Decouverte / Paris Visite and only take coins or smart-chip enabled credit cards. If your credit card is from North America, most likely it will not have a smart-chip and will not work with these machines.

To purchase a Pass Navigo Decouverte or Paris Visit Card (public transportation passes) you must visit the ticket window immediately in front of these machines (off to the right side of the photo, not visible). If you already have a Pass Navigo / Pass Navigo Decouverte, you can recharge your card with Carte Orange from the blue Billetterie machines by inserting your pass into the purple Navigo slot and following the prompts.  Beware of the purchase restriction schedule on the Pass Navigo.

After purchasing your tickets or passes, you can verify when the next RER B train is scheduled to depart CDG by checking the overhead display screens. The display screen on the right shows RER B trains “To Paris” (”Vers Paris”).

RER B trains on this screen stop at all the Paris stations regardless of the name under the Destination column. The Destination names are the terminus stations for the several RER B train line branches and are used to specify the direction each train is traveling. A complete list of departure times from Terminal 1 RER B station towards Paris is available at the bottom of this article.

Insert (and then retrieve) your ticket or scan your pass at the turnstiles and descend onto the RER B train platform. Signs will note that “Tous les trains vont à Paris” (”All trains go to Paris”).

Once the train arrives, the train doors may not open automatically. Press the small metallic or rubberized button on the door to open the train doors.

Remember to keep your ticket or passes handy as “controllers” (”ticket checkers”) frequent these trains.

Travel time to the first major Paris station: Gare du Nord, is roughly 25 minutes. Stations served after that will be Chatelet Les Halles, St. Michel-Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau and Cité Universitaire.

If you need to transfer to a Paris Metro train or a different RER train to arrive at your final destination, you may use your ticket for making the transfer; You do not have to purchase another ticket for the Paris Metro or RER within Paris Zone 1. If you need to transfer to a bus or tram, you will need to purchase a new Ticket t+ as transfers from Metro/RER to buses/trams are not allowed.

Useful Links

CDG Airport Map

CDG to Euro Disney by TGV

The following train timetables show depature times of RER B trains leaving CDG Terminal 1 towards Paris.  (Ignore the second pages, which show Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 departure times).

RER B Train Schedule (departure times) CDG Terminal 1 to Paris Monday to Friday (except holidays)

RER B Train Schedule (departure times) CDG Terminal 1 to Paris Saturday, Sunday and holidays