Three Paris stations have a hotel list on this guide, and the choice between them is mainly a choice of lines. The page compares them on the same rule so that the distances can be put side by side, and says what each neighbourhood is good for.
How we compared the three stations
For each station we drew a circle of 600 m around its Wikidata coordinates and measured every hotel file we hold from its own coordinates, in a straight line. The circle holds 17 files at Gare du Nord, 15 at Gare de Lyon and 16 at Montparnasse. The three list pages show 12, 11 and 12 of them (farthest listed: 540 m, 350 m and 459 m), with the hotels checked by hand first, then the stars from five down, then the shortest distance. No five-star hotel falls inside any of the three circles.
Photo: Arthur Weidmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The nine hotels above are the nearest hotel of each station, plus two others for each that show what the circle holds. Straight lines are shorter than the walk itself, so allow for the street layout and for the climb from the platforms.
What each station offers
- Gare du Nord has metro lines 4 and 5, RER B and D, and Transilien H and K. RER B goes direct to Roissy. The 10th arrondissement is the neighbourhood: our sheet for the Canal Saint-Martin area rates it recommended for couples and for a budget, and possible for a first visit and a family.
- Gare de Lyon has lines 1 and 14, RER A and D and Transilien R. Line 14 runs direct to Orly, RER A goes to Disneyland, and high-speed trains leave for the south-east. Our sheet for the Bercy area rates it recommended for families and a budget, and possible for a first visit and couples.
- Montparnasse has lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 and Transilien N. Our sheet for the Montparnasse area rates it recommended for a first visit, for a budget and for shopping, and possible for couples, families and nightlife.
At all three, the rail concourses belong to the six main Paris stations that have a Sunday trading derogation. The 2026 tourist tax is €8.45 per adult per night in a four-star hotel, €5.53 in a three-star and €3.25 in a two-star; minors do not pay.
Photo: Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Which to choose
Choose by the first and last day of the trip. A morning Eurostar or a Charles de Gaulle flight points to Gare du Nord and the RER B, and a flight from Orly to Gare de Lyon and line 14. Montparnasse has no direct airport link in our data: Orly is 38 minutes away and Roissy 54 to 63.5, with changes. For a first visit, our sheets rate the Canal Saint-Martin area (Gare du Nord side) and the Bercy area (Gare de Lyon side) possible, not recommended, and the Montparnasse area recommended.
Photo: Lionel Allorge, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For the neighbourhoods behind the stations, see the lists for Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon and Montparnasse station, or the pages for Canal Saint-Martin, Bercy and the Montparnasse area. For flights, there are separate lists for Charles de Gaulle and Orly.
