Match the station to your actual train
Read the departure station on your ticket before choosing storage. “Paris” can mean a different mainline station from the one where you arrived. Keeping luggage at the arrival station is convenient only if returning there fits your day and onward journey.
Ask your accommodation about a bag drop as well. If it is on the way to your train, that can avoid a paid counter; if it sends you back across the city, include both the extra journey and its time in the comparison. Free storage is not automatically the easiest choice.
| Station | Published service and first-period price | Where to look | Payment/collection detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gare du Nord | Staffed storage: €4 up to 4h; €7.50 for 4–12h; €9.50 for 12–24h, per item | Level −1 opposite track 3, taxi-courtyard side | Published 06:15–23:15 hours for the dates checked |
| Gare de Lyon | Lockers: €5.50 small, €7.50 medium, €9.50 large, per 24h compartment | Hall 3, level −1, Rue de Bercy side | Bank cards not accepted; published 06:15–22:00 |
| Montparnasse | Lockers: €5.50–€9.50 by size, indivisible 24h | Hall 1, level 2, near track 24/taxi lane | Card payment only; published 07:00–22:00 |
These details come from the separate SNCF facility pages for Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon and Montparnasse. Hours can change; recheck your date rather than treating a daily price as overnight access.
Check dimensions before assuming two bags fit
Gare de Lyon lists these compartment dimensions, converted from millimetres to centimetres:
| Locker | Height × width × depth |
|---|---|
| Small | 43.3 × 34.7 × 82.4cm |
| Medium | 59.1 × 34.7 × 82.4cm |
| Large | 90.8 × 51.9 × 82.4cm |
Measure the bag including wheels, handles and protruding pockets. Two cabin bags do not necessarily fit side by side just because a locker is described as large. If you need separate compartments, price two; a pushchair or rigid sports case may need another arrangement entirely.
The Lyon service page also states an additional charge after the first 24 hours of €5 per parcel per further 24 hours. Ask how that applies to several items inside one compartment before leaving bags overnight. Do not assume the first-day locker charge governs every later day.
A useful two-bag comparison
For two items left for eight hours, Nord's published 4–12-hour band gives 2 × €7.50 = €15. At Lyon, a single large locker would be €9.50 if both items fit; two large lockers would be €19. These are storage-only examples, with no city transport or extra day included.
That comparison explains the products; it is not a reason to travel from Nord to Lyon just to save €5.50. A cross-city storage detour could cost more, use your sightseeing time and leave you at the wrong station for departure. The station that fits your train remains the starting point.
Make the last walk part of the plan
Allow time to reach the storage level, use the counter or machine, and return to the train's required boarding process. The listed storage point is not the platform entrance. At Nord, the facility page describes stairs/escalators while also flagging accessibility, so ask station staff for the usable lift route if you need to avoid stairs; do not infer a continuous route from the icon alone.
For an international departure, your train operator may require checks before the platform. Work backwards from that requirement rather than collecting bags at the scheduled train time. If travelling with children or several suitcases, give one person the ticket and collection details and avoid splitting the party without a meeting point.
If storage is full or the payment fails
- Ask staff whether another usable compartment or staffed option is available in the station.
- If considering a private host outside it, check a current booking for every bag, both times and the exact address before walking there.
- Read the host's collection and cancellation terms. A low advertised starting rate is not the final price or proof of late access.
- If the alternative creates a risky return, keep your bags and simplify the outing instead.
Keep documents, medication, valuables and anything needed before collection with you, and retain the receipt or access code. For the time you have left, the three-day Paris route groups visits by area so a final afternoon need not become another cross-city trip.
