Eurostar delayed? Here's how to spend your wait around the Gare du Nord
Eurostar delays are no fun, especially, in my opinion, if you're stuck on the return leg of your journey from the UK. The 10th arrondissement around the Gare du Nord is arguably the least inspiring quartier of Paris.
But there are ways to spend your extra time in this corner of the French capital with a bit more flair. Explore just a little further beyond the station and you can access some of Paris's coolest museums, cultural centres and bars while you wait for your train to arrive.
Having lived in France since 2013, I travel to Paris monthly and across the Channel to see family so regularly the Eurostar often feels like my standard commute. Below I outline how to spend your Eurostar delay time – all the suggestions below are under 30-minutes' walk from the Gare du Nord (top tip: store your luggage and get there even faster on a Lime Bike or Vélib').
Things to do
Saint-Quentin covered market (Marché couvert Saint-Quentin)
Stock up at the market
After discovering this local gem, you'll never settle for a mediocre sandwich at Gare du Nord again. The covered market is home to a plethora of world cuisines, including Senegalese, Lebanese and Brazilian, or keep it traditional with a platter of oysters. There's also a great caviste for your wine needs and (check ever-changing import rules before buying) several cheesemongers.
Opening times: 8am–8pm, Tues–Sat; 8am–1:30pm, Sun
Distance from station: Nine-minute walk
Price: Free
Point Éphémère
Mingle with East Paris's cool cats
Gritty, urban and impossibly edgy, this former docks-turned-cultural centre on the banks of Canal Saint-Martin has a diverse events schedule. Massive open-air concerts, exhibitions, talks, or maybe a protest or two — it attracts a tattooed, pierced kind of crowd. If there's nothing on (rare), it's worth going for the waterside bar and roof terrace.
Distance from station: 19-minute walk
Price: Free
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Dive into a good book
Hogwarts' library looks bland in comparison to the BNF. There are over 20,000 books in the Oval Room, but it's difficult to concentrate on reading when the setting is so beautiful. This 17th-century palace has giant globes, tapestries on the walls, and both painted and glass ceilings.
Distance from station: 30-minute walk
Price: Free for the Oval Room, £ for the on-site museum with temporary exhibitions
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Explore the world's greatest minds
This museum of inventions shows everything from the first planes to astrolabes and telecommunications devices. It's easily walkable from Gare du Nord, but catch the metro one way to admire the metro station, copper-plated and designed to look like Jules Verne's fictional submarine Nautilus.
Website: arts-et-metiers.net
Distance from station: 24-minute walk
Price: £
Le Centquatre
Dip into East Paris's eclectic arts scene
It's worth looking up the programme at this cultural centre before you go, as there's a rotating selection of theatre, circus performances, roller blading parties, exhibitions and more. When no specific events are happening (or your train delay is too short), there are plenty of boutiques, restaurants and regular artisan markets.
Website: 104.fr
Distance from station: 27-minute walk
Price: Free
Cimetière de Saint-Vincent
Unleash your inner necrotourist
Quieter and significantly smaller than Père Lachaise, Montmartre's cemetery, higgledy-piggledy among the tall buildings, has its fair share of celebrities, although largely of French fame rather than international. You don't have to know the names of the people buried there to appreciate it though, the charm is in the elaborate headstones and sculptures, shaped like little houses and giant, winged angels.
Opening times: 8am–6pm daily
Distance from station: 30-minute walk
Price: Free
Artazart Design Bookstore
Discover Paris through the lens
Specialising in very visual tomes on illustration and photography, with a large collection of indie magazines, this is the perfect bookshop for coffee-table books. There are also prints for sale, and a stationery section. It's more than a little hipster, but very aesthetically pleasing. There's a children's book section too.
Distance from station: 19-minute walk
Price: Free (books ££)
Where to eat and drink
Maison de la Culture Arménienne
A slice of Armenia in the heart of Paris
One of the largest Armenian diaspora in the world is in France, with some 150,000 French Armenians living in Paris. This restaurant is somewhat of an institution. Expect specialities like manti (steamed dumplings) and lavash, a tablecloth-long flatbread. Dirt cheap and full of atmosphere.
Contact: +33 1 48 24 63 89
Opening times: 12–3pm and 7–11pm Mon–Sat
Distance from station: 15-minute walk
Price: £
Canal Saint-Martin
Take a break along a 19th century shipping lane
Canal Saint-Martin is lively, and a great place for a stroll. Depending on the length of your delay, walking the entire canal is only 4.5km, although around half of it is underground (footpaths stay on the surface). Along the banks are heaps of waterside bars and restaurants for refreshments. Try Bisou, which tailor-makes cocktails for each client.
Distance from station: 20-minute walk
Price: Free
Le Syndicat
While away the time over happy hour
Slightly time-warped, with moody lighting and oodles of gold, this cocktail bar is all about creativity. Drinks like the PBJ (made with armagnac, strawberry liqueur, peanut butter and eau de vie) are served to a hip-hop soundtrack, and liquors typically considered passé are reinvented, with many cocktails built around things like Cognac.
Distance from station: 16-minute walk
Price: ££
About our expert
Anna Richards first moved to Paris in 2013 during her studies. Now she lives in Lyon, and with family and friends on both sides of the Channel, she's taken the Eurostar so many times it feels like her regular commute.
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