I'm looking at booking the TGV from either Basel or Bern to Paris. I have a choice of Paris Est or Paris Gare-de-Lyon on the Swiss rail website. I've yet to find a map to see where each of these are. Our hotel is in between Notre Dame and the Louvre, near Luxembourg Gardens. Any advice as to whether we want Est or Gare-de_Lyon? Thanks.

I'd take the Gare de Lyon, only because I know it best.

>Any advice as to whether we want Est or Gare-de_Lyon?

It depends on the route. All trains going via Strasbourg end up in Gare d'Est, the trains via Dijon (from Bern) will go to Gare de Lyon. Decide based on travel time and price, not on where your hotel is.

Link to very basic map showing both station locations:

http://0.tqn.com/d/goeurope/1/0/R/x/...tation-map.png

Then you may want to use the Metro Station map for some finer tuning:
http://www.frenchculture.com/images/metro_map.gif

Thank you. It looks like with either one, we'd need to take additional transportation to the hotel. I don't know how crowded the city trains are (we'll be arriving with 2 kids and luggage in tow), and whether we should take the train from the TGV station to one near the hotel, or to take a cab. Any ideas? Thanks.

Gare de l'Est is a much simpler station than Gare de Lyon.

Agree with kerouac. I have yet to take a train out of Gare de Lyon when it wasn't a total zoo. Gare de l'Est is much more navigeable. Do listen carefully, though, for platform changes after your platform has been posted on the overhead signs.

Hi K,

www.viamichelin.com has a very good interactive map of Paris.

www.ratp.fr will give you directions for public transport between any 2 addresses or stations.

This is about arriving in Paris rather than leaving, but if the Gare de Lyon's a zoo to leave from, it can't be much better to arrive at. There is a straight run on the RER from Gare de l'Est to Luxembourg, but I'd have thought with two children and luggage, after a long train journey, a taxi would be more comfortable. Nothing worse than getting yourself up the stairs at the destination station, and then finding there's still a bit of a way to walk.

I'd take a taxi, anyway, but don't find any train station particularly difficult to leave from. You just get off your train, go to the door based on the signs and leave.

With two kids and luggage, I'd take a taxi. The stairs in Paris metro stations can be brutal. And if you arrive at Gare de Lyon you'll need to change lines at Chatelet Les Halles to get to your hotel. That's a huge station and you could have a long walk up and down to get to your connection. Unless you want to drag your luggage from there.

From Gare de l'Est you could take the No. 4 line to Odeon without making a change. I'd still take the taxi.