Taxi Gare du Nord – Gare d'Austerlitz: Price, Duration and Fast Booking

Gare du Nord is your gateway into France — Eurostar from London, Thalys from Brussels or Amsterdam, TGV from Lille. Gare d'Austerlitz is your gateway to the South-West and Centre: Bordeaux, Toulouse, Tours, Blois, or one of the rare overnight trains still running in France, heading to Hendaye, Latour-de-Carol or Briançon. Between the two, 5 kilometres crossing Paris from end to end. And often, an international suitcase, a tight schedule, and the fatigue of a long journey already in your legs.

This connection has its own identity that others don't. It's not about linking two neighbouring stations — like Nord to Est, a few hundred metres away — but about crossing the capital lengthways, from the 10th to the 13th arrondissement, to reach the most overlooked of Paris's six major rail hubs. A station whose Belle Époque architecture conceals intense activity: more than 600 daily departures, trains sometimes leaving in the middle of the night, and travellers who often arrive from very far away.

→ Book your taxi Gare du Nord – Gare d'Austerlitz: €39 fixed rate in a saloon car, confirmed driver, flight and train tracking included. No meter, no surprises.

A booking designed for connecting travellers

When booking, provide your train number at Gare du Nord. If your Eurostar or Thalys is delayed — which is common — your driver is informed in real time and adjusts their arrival time accordingly. You don't need to rush, call, or worry. You step off the train and your driver is there.

Saloon car for 1 to 4 passengers at €39, van for 5 to 8 people at €60. See our Paris van service for groups and families with large luggage.

Gare d'Austerlitz: The Station Tourists Don't Know (But Travellers Love)

Before talking about price and duration, it's worth understanding why you're going to Austerlitz — because that's precisely what explains the value of a taxi for this particular journey.

The only major Paris station operating overnight trains

Gare d'Austerlitz is the only Parisian terminal still offering long-distance overnight trains from Paris. Relaunched in a new form by SNCF and its European partners, these trains leave late in the evening to arrive early the next morning — Hendaye for the Spanish border, Latour-de-Carol for the eastern Pyrenees, Briançon for the Southern Alps.

For a traveller arriving from London in the late afternoon and wishing to sleep on the train rather than in a hotel, the combination Eurostar–Gare du Nord then taxi–Gare d'Austerlitz is an increasingly popular itinerary. It requires precisely the kind of reliable connection that a taxi can guarantee where the metro, at rush hour, cannot always do so.

Austerlitz's exclusive destinations

Austerlitz serves rail corridors that other Parisian stations don't cover: Intercités to Orléans, Blois, Tours, Vendôme; TER Centre-Val de Loire; services to Bordeaux-Saint-Jean and Toulouse-Matabiau via Limoges and Brive; Ouigo and TGV trains to the South-West. It's also the departure station for Limoges, Périgueux, Agen, and an entire region of France poorly served by other routes.

In short: if you're arriving on the Eurostar or Thalys and your final destination is to the west or south-west of France, your connection will almost inevitably go through Austerlitz. Checking the station information on Trainline's Austerlitz page lets you verify schedules and services before you leave.

An overlooked but impeccably equipped station

Unlike Gare du Nord — noisy, international, a little intimidating — Austerlitz is calmer and better scaled, with its 21 platforms opening onto a pleasant forecourt running along the banks of the Seine. The Jardin des Plantes is five minutes on foot. The Institut du Monde Arabe and Notre-Dame are a quarter of an hour away. For someone with time before their departure, it's one of Paris's most pleasant stations to wait in.

Taxi Price and Duration: What the Numbers Really Say

Five kilometres between Gare du Nord and Gare d'Austerlitz — almost exactly the same distance as between Gare de Lyon and Gare Saint-Lazare, but on a north-south axis rather than east-west. Journey time by taxi depends essentially on the route taken and the time of day.

TaxiVite fixed rate: €39, no haggling, no meter

The Gare du Nord – Gare d'Austerlitz journey falls within the 5–14 km bracket of TaxiVite's pricing scale. The fixed saloon-car rate is €39 for 1 to 4 passengers, standard luggage included. In a van for 5 to 8 people, the rate is €60.

This rate is locked in at the time of booking. Whether the journey takes 12 minutes at midnight or 32 minutes on a Friday at 6 pm — you pay €39. This is the exact opposite of a metered taxi or Uber with surge pricing at peak times. Check our full pricing page for all TaxiVite rates.

On the regulatory front, Service-Public.fr confirms that an electronic payment terminal is mandatory in all Paris taxis — debit/credit card, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay are all accepted, regardless of the amount.

Journey time by hour: how to plan

The 11 pm–6 am slot deserves special mention. This is precisely the time for overnight trains departing from Austerlitz — and also the moment when taxis move fastest through Paris. Taking a taxi at midnight for a 1 am overnight train is comfortable, quick and reassuring. The metro, by contrast, stops shortly after midnight.

Metro Line 5 vs taxi: a fair comparison

Metro Line 5 does connect Gare du Nord directly to Gare d'Austerlitz in 9 stops. It's the obvious budget solution for a savvy, light traveller. But travellers who know Paris's stations well are aware: managing heavy luggage between major Paris stations on the metro remains a challenge in itself, regardless of the displayed journey time. Stairs, corridors and crowded platforms at peak hours always add to the theoretical duration.

The Special Case of Overnight Trains: Why a Taxi Becomes Essential

Overnight trains from Austerlitz represent a use case of their own, illustrating better than anything else why TaxiVite is the right choice for this connection.

A nocturnal schedule that rules out the metro

Long-distance overnight trains generally depart between 9:30 pm and 1:30 am from Austerlitz. The Paris metro stops around 12:30 am on weekdays and 1:30 am on Fridays and Saturdays. The latest slots are not covered. And even for an 11 pm departure, a traveller arriving on the 8 pm Eurostar at Gare du Nord has no reason to venture alone into the metro with their luggage, at night, in a neighbourhood they don't know.

The night taxi between Gare du Nord and Gare d'Austerlitz is fast (8 to 12 minutes), reliable, and represents the logical transition between an international journey and a nocturnal train departure. It's the hour when Paris is at its most beautiful through a car window, crossing the lit boulevards from the 10th to the 13th in a quarter of an hour.

Combining two long-distance journeys without a hotel stopover

More and more travellers are deliberately choosing to chain Eurostar + overnight train without a hotel night in Paris. It's a way of crossing France without losing a day or paying for Parisian accommodation. The taxi between the two stations then becomes the central logistical link of the entire itinerary — it needs to be perfectly reliable.

TaxiVite lets you book this journey up to several weeks in advance, with immediate confirmation and real-time train tracking. If your Eurostar is 40 minutes late, your driver knows before you do. That level of reliability is what turns a stressful chain of connections into a smooth journey.

Practical Tips: The Details That Make the Difference

Taxi exit at Gare du Nord: avoid false starts

The official taxi rank at Gare du Nord is on the forecourt on the Boulevard de Denain side, at the main exit. For Eurostar arrivals, take the West exit after customs checks: the taxi rank is immediately visible on the right.

Be extremely vigilant in the Eurostar arrivals hall: touts regularly offer "taxis" at rates two to three times higher than official rates. Some travellers have paid €100 or more for a journey that costs €39 in a regular taxi. Use only the official rank or your confirmed TaxiVite booking.

Arriving at Austerlitz: the right side of the station

Ask your driver to drop you at Cour d'Arrivées, 7 bis Boulevard de l'Hôpital — this is the main entrance on the Seine side, with direct access to the services area and platforms. Avoid the exit on the Rue du Chevaleret side, which is further from the main-line platforms.

Planning your connection: the margin rules

For a stress-free successful connection:

• Off-peak hours: 30 minutes of margin between arrival at Nord and departure from Austerlitz
• Peak hours (8–10 am, 4–7 pm): minimum 55 to 60 minutes
• Eurostar arrivals: add 15 minutes for leaving the terminal and going through checks
• Overnight trains: 25 to 30 minutes is enough, Paris is deserted

If your Paris itinerary includes other legs — CDG airport at €70, Orly at €55, or other inter-station transfers — our Paris stations taxi page centralises all rates and routes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why go to Gare d'Austerlitz rather than another Paris station?

Austerlitz is the only Paris terminus for lines to Bordeaux via Limoges, Toulouse via Brive, Tours, Blois, Orléans and all destinations in the Centre-Val de Loire. It's also the only Paris station operating long-distance overnight trains. If your final destination is in the South-West or Centre of France, you have no choice: it's Austerlitz.

Does the taxi work for very late overnight train departures?

Yes. TaxiVite is available 24/7, with no night surcharge on the €39 fixed rate. Overnight trains from Austerlitz depart between 9 pm and 1:30 am — precisely the time slot when the metro becomes unreliable or unavailable, and when a taxi is the only truly safe option.

What is the rate for this journey in a 7–8-seat van?

The TaxiVite van rate for Gare du Nord – Gare d'Austerlitz is €60 fixed for 5 to 8 people, luggage included. This is the ideal solution for families or groups of international travellers with bulky luggage.

Can you pay by card in all TaxiVite taxis?

Yes, without exception. French law requires all taxis to accept card payment, regardless of the amount. Chip and pin, contactless, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted. If you pay online in advance when booking, no additional payment is required on board.

How do I book my TaxiVite taxi for this connection?

On taxivite.fr/reservation-taxi-paris: enter Gare du Nord as your departure point, Gare d'Austerlitz as your destination, the desired time (or your train number if you're arriving on Eurostar/Thalys), and the number of passengers. Immediate confirmation by SMS. Free cancellation up to 2 hours before.

In Summary

Gare du Nord and Gare d'Austerlitz are not two neighbouring stations you can walk between. They represent two different rail worlds at opposite ends of Paris, connected by 5 km crossing the city diagonally. For the international traveller with luggage, for someone catching an overnight train, for the family stepping off a Eurostar: TaxiVite at €39 fixed rate is the simplest, most reliable answer — and often the most economically sensible once you divide by the number of passengers.

Book your connection now. Your train to the South is waiting — arrive at Austerlitz ahead of time and stress-free.