Left-luggage facilities return to French train stations
As rail travel continues to grow in popularity, French rail operator SNCF has announced the return of left-luggage facilities at stations, to allow tourists to fully appreciate a town or city without having to lug suitcases or bags around.
Once a traditional feature of train stations across Europe, left-luggage offices have been gradually closing in recent years, largely for security reasons.
But as more and more holidaymakers opt for train travel over flight, French rail operator SNCF has announced the return of the service to 35 stations - many in partnership with a French start-up.
In total 13 stations have left-luggage lockers within the station itself - Bordeaux Saint-Jean, Lyon Part-Dieu, Marne-la-Vallée Chessy, Marseille Saint-Charles, Montpellier Saint-Roch, Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, Paris Gare de l'Est, Paris Gare de Lyon, Paris Gare Montparnasse, Paris Gare du Nord, Strasbourg, Lille-Europe and Dijon.
The other stations offer a left-luggage service in partnership with the Paris-based start-up Nannybag, in which hotels and shops located within a five-minute walk of the station offer left-luggage services for €6 per item. They must be booked in advance on the Nannybag app or website.
These stations are; Amiens, Arcachon, Avignon Centre, Beaune, Biarritz, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Clermont-Ferrand, Lourdes, Massy TGV, Nancy, Nantes, Nîmes, Paris Bercy, Pau, Rennes, Rouen Rive Droite, Saint-Étienne Châteaucreux, Saint-Jean-de-Luz Ciboure, Toulon, Toulouse Matabiau, Tours and Vichy.
If you're travelling to other stations, you can still use Nannybag or similar services for baggage consigne (left-luggage) but the facilities may be further than five minutes away from the station.
For a more expensive option - €38 per bag or €49 for skis - SNCF also offers a baggage delivery service from certain stations, in which your bags can be delivered to your home or hotel.
The left-luggage service is particularly useful if you're taking one of Europe's new night train routes, which tend to arrive in the early morning, before check-in time at hotels or holiday rentals.
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Once a traditional feature of train stations across Europe, left-luggage offices have been gradually closing in recent years, largely for security reasons.
But as more and more holidaymakers opt for train travel over flight, French rail operator SNCF has announced the return of the service to 35 stations - many in partnership with a French start-up.
In total 13 stations have left-luggage lockers within the station itself - Bordeaux Saint-Jean, Lyon Part-Dieu, Marne-la-Vallée Chessy, Marseille Saint-Charles, Montpellier Saint-Roch, Paris Gare d'Austerlitz, Paris Gare de l'Est, Paris Gare de Lyon, Paris Gare Montparnasse, Paris Gare du Nord, Strasbourg, Lille-Europe and Dijon.
The other stations offer a left-luggage service in partnership with the Paris-based start-up Nannybag, in which hotels and shops located within a five-minute walk of the station offer left-luggage services for €6 per item. They must be booked in advance on the Nannybag app or website.
These stations are; Amiens, Arcachon, Avignon Centre, Beaune, Biarritz, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Clermont-Ferrand, Lourdes, Massy TGV, Nancy, Nantes, Nîmes, Paris Bercy, Pau, Rennes, Rouen Rive Droite, Saint-Étienne Châteaucreux, Saint-Jean-de-Luz Ciboure, Toulon, Toulouse Matabiau, Tours and Vichy.
If you're travelling to other stations, you can still use Nannybag or similar services for baggage consigne (left-luggage) but the facilities may be further than five minutes away from the station.
For a more expensive option - €38 per bag or €49 for skis - SNCF also offers a baggage delivery service from certain stations, in which your bags can be delivered to your home or hotel.
The left-luggage service is particularly useful if you're taking one of Europe's new night train routes, which tend to arrive in the early morning, before check-in time at hotels or holiday rentals.
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