To lynny

If you wish to avoid the metro, you can take the 48 city bus [direction Palais Royale Musee du Louvre]. The stop is at the north east end of the station.

I've come into the Gare du Nord a couple of times at about that time of night and definitely felt like I had to keep my guard up, but not been scared as a woman alone. I'd definitely go right to the taxi stand, make sure you get into a Taxi Parisien taxi (look at the sign on the top of the car), and get going. Don't dally, don't look confused or silly, just act assured and you'll be fine.

Thanks for the reassurance. I think we'll take the metro in since we're packing light, still we'll obviously be targets for thieves with our bags. We have security pouches and will try to keep our wits about us--untless we get completely lost!

<< Don't dally, don't look confused or silly, just act assured and you'll be fine. >>

StCirq offers sound advice, for all modes of public transportation.

If you are taking a bus or metro, I suggest that you know in advance which line and stop you want, and avoid standing around reading a map.

Woody

I confirm that Gare du Nord is perfectly safe for vigilant people. And it is true that spending a long time looking at the metro map targets you as "lost and possibly vulnerable" -- so feel free to look at the metro map if you need to, but be wary.

Security pouches scream "unsecure and vulnerable tourists". Millions of Parisians travel in the métro everyday and maybe 0.0001 % get pickpocketed. And they don't carry any security pouches.

I think my suitcase will scream "vulnerable tourist" louder than my map or my security pouch! Thanks for the advice, though, I will try to seem like I come there all the time!

Er, native Parisians have been known to carry suitcases.

Get your route (line, direction, and stop) firmly in mind before you start out, don't stop and consult a map in the middle of stations, and don't stand and study signage in an obvious way. This will help to create the impression of familiarity you suggest.

I use a program called Métro on my iPAQ to calculate and display my stops. It also runs on Palm Pilots and SmartPhones.

http://nanika.net/metro

Thank you, Robespierre, you are of course correct. I'll do my best to seem like I know what I'm doing, I appreciate the link!

Question: I have to meet someone at Gare du Nord. Can anyone suggest a good meeting place, such as a restaurant or such? Merci!

I have found that the easiest place to meet someone at the Gare du Nord is upstairs on the Eurostar level, before the check-in area, obviously.

Regarding Waterloo, there will still be some people around at 11 pm, and it won't be hard to get a cab (the tube is still running at that time, too, if you'd rather take that, and there are a ton of buses that stop in the vicinity of Waterloo as well).

If any of the travellers on this thread would like some good mussels, go across the street from the Gare and have a tureen at Maison Blanche--just to the left down the wide street.