Lots of you have to pass through Gare du Nord when you come to or leave from Paris, either from the airports, the Eurostar or the Thalys, and I see plenty of people worrying about it. Will I get lost? Where are the taxis? Are the lines for the lockers too long? How do you get from the RER to the Eurostar? Where can I pick up my ticket? Is the area safe? Do I dare stay in a hotel there? Is there anything to eat?

All of the regulars here have seen these questions dozens of times, and we try hard to explain things, but working on the concept that a photo is often more explicit than multiple paragraphs, no matter how clearly written, I have taken some photos of Gare du Nord which I hope will help people to find their way around.

Most of these photos were taken just yesterday, so this can help you to extrapolate from "intermediate season" how things might be during high season and low season.

Anyway, I hope that this guide can reduce some of the more repetitive questions: http://tinyurl.com/yk4fjp4

Seriously good set of photos kerouac and very helpful

I could have used this last week. Oh well, we figured it out and lived through it. Thanks I'll save this for future reference.

Sorry, Suzanne! I had been planning on getting this up during summer and look how long it took me to finally do it.

I was traveling with an older freind who was insisting on getting a cab. We only needed to get to the Luxembourg RER station so I was refusing. I was happy to spot those glass elevators.

Gare du Nord was once a den of pickpockets - any advice on that or is the problem no more?

Anyway you do an invaluable service with these posts. Great info.

It still fills with those "do you speak English" Roma beggar girls, but they are just begging rather than pickpocketing (I think).

Thanks for your compliments, everybody. Just trying to help a bit.

I've really only seen the begging at the Taxi stand. Another reason to take the RER

wow!

The "do you speak English" women in long skirts at the taxi stands do not bother you once you shake your head, in my experience. I would expect the actual pickpockets to be much more inconspicuous.

Your usual excellent work kerouac. Thank you.

Here is a plan of the station http://tinyurl.com/2cgs57

The gypsies hang out by the taxi drop off. There is a pack of ten or so. Now and then the police come by and chase them away. A minute later after the cops leave the gypsies return.

Cops are everywhere inside the station, and they even tried to prevent me from taking photos.

When I was doing my Gare de l'Est report, the (private) security guards tried to stop me, but it quickly became obvious to all of us that I knew the regulations better than they did so they left me alone.