kswl

Well, #3 son and I are about to leave and I now realize there is at least ONE thing I forgot to plan:

Where can we stash our rolling suitcases during a day in Paris?

We will be taking the early Eurostar into Paris Nord, spending the day at the Eiffel Tower, and leaving Paris Bercy at 7:30p for the overnight train to Rome. After all the posts about pickpockets and muggings, not to mention the inconvenience of lugging those cases around, I want to put them in a locker somewhere. Can I do that at P.Nord? Or, should we take the Metro to Bercy immediately and put them in a locker there. Are there even lockers in the train stations?

I imagine the child and I are going to look, act, and sound about as "touristy" as is humanly possible (right down to his red hair). The suitcases would just put the icing on the cake---not to mention making our sightseeing more difficult.

Any suggestions or help? Thanks in advance. . .

Gretchen

There is a "left luggage" place at the Gare du Nord. I would leave them there, come back to collect them in time to take a taxi to Bercy.

111op

Yes, Nord should have luggage service. I used it in September. Now, what's possible is that the service could be closed subject to terror/security alerts, so that's a wrinkle that you might have to be prepared for.

Also I had a small bag. Presumably a large (?) suitcase won't be a problem.

lincasanova

what i have done in the USA and Madrid/Barcelona... i go to very nice hotel with bag, say i am going to have something in the café... check it in with porter, he gives me a ticket, i have a coffee. then i go back later after meeting/sightseeing to fetch it.

kswl

thanks for the suggestions! k

PalQ

The luggage lockers at GAre du Nord were open in October when i was there; metal detectors in use. One of few train stations in France with lockers open (Paris Est, Lyon, austerlitz also open don't know about Montparnasse) under the Vigipirate order that closed all lockers and removed trash cans (replaced by clear plastic bags sitting in shallow cardboard boxes on the floor)from public places in response to terrorism; put into effect long before 9-11. thus only lockers with airline-type security such as at Nord are open. none at airports nor at Bercy, though bercy is actually a prolongation of gare de lyon. three sizes of lockers, cheapest about $5. lockers are in basement at west end of concourse, near the Eurostar check-in/exit.

111op

I also used the service at Montparnasse -- same visit.

By the way, do not wait until the last minute to retrieve your luggage. It's common sense. But I actually arrived at Montparnasse to pick up my bags when the attendant was leaving (fifteen minutes prior to advertised closing time).

Robespierre

Procedures Analysis 101

If the distance/time between your intended sightseeing venues and the two train stations is about the same, you might want to head right over to Gare de Lyon as soon as you arrive, and check the baggage. Then at the end of your stay, you won't have to guess how long it will take to a) get to GdN, b) retrieve the bags and c) get to Bercy in time for your departure. If you work this out, you can spend more time sightseeing, because you will only need to provide for arriving back at GdL, instead of padding your itinerary with multiple time cushions to make sure you get to your train. An excellent map of the GdL-Bercy area can be found at

<b>http://www.citefutee.com/orienter/tous_plans_pdf.php</b>

Click on <i>Plans de quartier de Paris</i>, select <i>Bercy</i> from the first pulldown menu, and press <i>OK</i>.

kswl

I think I will do just that: head on over to GdL and deposit them first.

This is a trip to augment my son's art history/architecture study, along with the Roman Empire in history. It's his second European trip, but our first with just the two of us. I hope it will be as fun as we hope. As you all know, trying to anticipate every logistic hurdle is, well, trying!

Many, many thanks for your help, everyone!