Most back-packers remember the days when they could go to the left-luggage desk in any train-station, deposit their baggage and head out to explore the sites, safe in the knowledge their belongings were well-looked after. Left-luggage services offered counter-top service or automatic lockers of different sizes. As a result of heightened security (for example, Plan Vigipirate in France), following a number of terrorist attacks or the threat of such attacks, some railway operators temporarily curtailed or closed these services. This is no longer the case. Proactive measures have replaced the cautionary methods put in place during ‘orange’ periods (i.e. low terrorist threat) with new scanners to check baggage and passengers entering the left-luggage areas.
Travellers can therefore once again avail of these services particularly in main train stations in France. Left-luggage services are now available in the main stations in Paris – Paris Gare de Lyon (gateway to the south of France and Italy), Paris Montparnasse (gateway to the Loire Valley and the Atlantic coast), Paris Gare du Nord (gateway to the north of France and the international services to the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands), Paris Austerlitz (gateway to the south-west and Spain). Regional train stations include Angers, Avignon-Centre, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes and Toulouse. For passengers using Marne-la-Vallée Chessy returning to or from Eurodisney, left-luggage facilities are once again in operation.
• Opening hours for left-luggage services are generally from 06.30AM to 11.00PM.
• Costs for small automatic lockers are 3€50, 5€ for the medium-sized ones and 7€50 for the large sized lockers.
• Baggage can be left for 72h, with the exception of Paris Gare du Nord where it can be left for 48h.
In Switzerland, it is customary for train stations to offer left-luggage facilities, ranging in size from small,
medium and large sized lockers, ranging in price from 2 to 8 CHF.
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