Every day, thousands of travelers pass through the Austerlitz station without necessarily realizing they are walking on one of the oldest railway sites in Paris. Yet, long before the arrival of the TGV and even before Haussmann’s iconic boulevards, this station was already part of the transport revolution that would reshape France.
Its history begins in the 1840s, at a time when the train was still a spectacular innovation. Locomotives fascinated as much as they worried people, and railway companies competed to connect Paris with the major cities across the country.
When the station first opens its doors in 1840, it isn’t yet called Gare d’Austerlitz. It is then known as the Gare d’Orléans, since it serves as the starting point for the line linking Paris to Orléans. The location is strategic. Situated on the banks of the Seine, in today’s 13ᵉ arrondissement, it enables the network to be gradually extended toward the center and the southwest of France. Traffic grows quickly: the railway’s success exceeds all forecasts, and the original facilities soon prove inadequate.
In 1865, the station officially adopts the name Austerlitz, in reference to the famous victory won by Napoleon I on December 2, 1805 at the Battle of Austerlitz, in what is now the Czech Republic. This choice is no accident. At that time, the Second Empire actively keeps alive the memory of the great Napoleonic victories. The proximity of the Pont d’Austerlitz, already bearing that name, also helps to anchor this new identity in the Parisian landscape.
At the end of the 19th century, the station underwent a major transformation. For the 1900 Universal Exposition, Paris sought to wow the world. The Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans modernized its Paris terminal and gave it an immense metal-and-glass canopy.
With its imposing dimensions, this structure ranks among the most remarkable railway achievements of its era. It spans the tracks for hundreds of meters and bathes the platforms in spectacular natural light. Even today, this glass roof remains one of the most striking architectural features of Parisian stations.
For much of the 20th century, Paris’s Austerlitz station was the gateway to the southwest of France. Generations of travelers boarded there for Tours, Orléans, Limoges, Brive, Toulouse, or even Spain. The night trains held a central place and fed the imagination of rail travel. At certain times, holiday departures created a distinctive atmosphere: suitcases piled up, families on the move, and long queues of passengers waiting beneath the glass roof.
The arrival of the TGV Atlantique in the late 1980s reshapes the station’s role in a fundamental way. A large portion of the fast services to the west is redirected to the Montparnasse station, specially adapted for high speed. Austerlitz then loses part of its prestigious traffic. Many observers fear its importance will permanently decline. Yet the station still plays a crucial role for Intercités lines, night trains, and regional connections.
Since the dawn of the 21st century, the Gare d’Austerlitz has undergone significant modernization works. Its neighborhood is also undergoing a profound transformation with the development of the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand, new offices, housing, and cultural facilities.
This transformation will allow the station to reclaim a central role in Paris's urban landscape while preserving its historic heritage. Today, the station presents a fascinating contrast between its 19th-century architecture and the surrounding contemporary developments.
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Location
Austerlitz station
85 Quai d'Austerlitz
75013 Paris 13
Route planner
Accessibility info
Access
Metro Gare d'austerlitz
Official website
www.garesetconnexions.sncf
The restaurants near Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris, our top picks for eating with a suitcase
