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Eurail long transfer time

  • 3 December 2022
  • 6 replies
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I have a question about planning the trip from Roma to Paris and London to Berlin. there are the long transfer time. Can I stay overnight in the station? For example, I will arrive at Paris at 23:17 from London and the next train will departure in 06:13 next day. Can I wait in the station overnight and there are any facilities I can take a rest in?

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Best answer by MartinM 4 December 2022, 11:17

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Userlevel 7
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Hey, most stations are open in the night, but I would not suggest to stay there over the night. It is not like an airport with seats. 

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

There may be a waiting area with seats but I would not recommend it at all. Certainly if you want to get some sleep. Then you run the risk that your belongings are stolen.

Userlevel 3
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Hi @Chak Sine Lee I would also not recommend staying in the Gare du Nord (where you will be arriving in Paris from London) or Gare de l’Est (where you are probably leaving from if you’re taking the TGV to Germany - it’s next door to Gare du Nord). There are lots of police, but the stations and the area around them do not “feel” very safe at night and there are quite a lot of people hanging around who do not look very honest.

I would suggest one of the following:

  • Take a room in a hotel or a hostel next to the station, even if only for a short night - there are lots of them.
  • Put your luggage in a locker in the “consigne à bagages” in the station (left-luggage area - don’t forget to check the time it’s open - I think the one in Gare du Nord opens at 06:00), take the metro to a beautiful, safer area of the city like l’île de la Cité, the Champs-Elysées, and walk around for a few hours. This will feel safer if you’re travelling with another person, but I would personally feel safe doing it. Then come back to the station at about 05:30 when travellers are starting to arrive.

Are there any people here who live in Paris who could recommend a safe place to walk around?

Userlevel 7
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Hi, what you could look into is checking if there are any other trains going out that late-and coming back in town that early-but I am afraid from/to Paris-Nord there will not be much. F.e. in DE=Germany this is often quite possible. After all your pass gives you the right to use as many trains as can manage in 1 travelday-and you use both anyway.

(there used to be a very slow overnight seats only train Paris/Est-Strasbourg, the last stop in FR going to south DE, but I think that is no more)

Agree with all above that it is a very UNwise idea to even think about staying in those stations there overnight.

Badge +5

If you’re at the planning stage replan you avoid a night in Paris. There are lots of places in the Gare du Nord area but it is expensive. As stated this is not a nice area at night and you will be very conspicuous. Train stations are not like airports so avoid spending time at them very late at night. You run a real risk of getting your luggage stolen by groups who prey on the unwary 

Userlevel 7
Badge +6

I’ve done this before (after a football game) waiting for my ICE/TGV to Germany and it was OK but if I remember right (it was in 2012) the station closed at night.
Not sure if they allow Eurostar passengers to stay in the station.

There was a 24h bar nearby Gare d’l Est at that time but it seems it has closed or at least I couldn’t find it anymore.

The area between those two stations in general feels not the most safe.

Better to take the last Eurostar of the day to London. The St. Pancras terminal in London is open the whole night (although some parts of it get closed these days) and offers free toilets and security around the station all the time. There is also a 24hr Starbucks in the station building.

 

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