I came in and left the region through Gare de Saint-Nazaire. When I arrived, it was my first time…read moreso far west in France and compared to Gare Montparnasse, it is much smaller. This is obviously because Gare Montparnasse services the huge metropolitan of Paris, which there are less people and travelers in general coming to Saint-Nazaire. The station is pretty self-explanatory, with some self-service kiosks for you to buy tickets but should be in doubt, do yourself the favor of going into the office with the glass wall to talk to someone. I am unsure if there are many English-speaking representatives to help out any of you who may be lacking in French fluency so hopefully you have friends or family to help you out. When I came back to this train station to leave Brittany and head back to Charles de Gaulle, it was the coldest morning of my entire trip there and while this is no fault of the train station itself, it was quite cold waiting for the train on the platform. Before that, we waited inside and even grabbed some pastries from the bakery that is on the left side when you walk in the station. I got a pain aux raisins for the second time in France while AT got the pain au chocolat again. It seems maybe the universe is realigning... I am quite sure they weren't made on-site because of the size of the space (it looked to be only a storefront), but regardless, our pastries were of excellent quality.

It takes around two to two and a half hours on high speed train to get from Paris to Nantes, and…read morewell, that's exactly what we did. The train ride was pleasant. The seats were spacious and they even announced the stops in both English and French. Oddly enough, though, when we arrived to Nantes, the signs were in English, French, and German. All that said, unlike the train station in Paris, the one in Nantes had a parking garage nearby, plus many shops around. That turned out to be great for us as we got picked up quickly and went off to our next destination. Not a bad trip if I do say so myself.

Reviewing a train station feels like a preposterous task, it really does... however... Nantes train…read morestation (or Malakoff/Saint-Donatien de Nantes or whatever you might call it) left a very good impression on an English idiot bumbling around a place where they no doubt speak English better than I, but gracefully put up with my attempts to speak in French. It's a big ol' station and gloriously industrial. It reminded me of a regenerated Northern town train station - incredibly modern but with loads of old character. Buying tickets was an absolute doddle and the staff were incredibly helpful. Just outside the station, should you have to hang around whilst waiting for a train or catching a bus to the nearby airport, is a bunch of painfully great looking surroundings, with a cool little church, a river to sit beside and a great little park straddling it to idle away some minutes. Nantes is a really great city and this train station sits in the hub of it and does it justice. Maqnifique.

Great train station! Clean, easy to get around, lots of…read morecafes. Can't go wrong! Use Google Translate app if need be.

Today is the return to Paris, HS Train…read more We got the reserved seats a week ago. Same day is always too late. Good station, food and coffee and some where to sit.