Gare du Nord, Paris

I have travelled to Gare de Nord twice now thanks to Eurostar. On arriving at the staion the exits are immediately obvious to you and there is a lot of signage both in English and French so don't worry if you're French is not great as you will be able to get to where you need to go quite easily. There is a massive arrivals / departures board so you can check train times etc which is clearly visible from the concourse. Gare de nord is not a massive station and therefore don't expect to see lots of shops etc. As it is slap bang in the middle of Paris you can probably find what you need within 100 yds of the entrances. Gare de Nord is also connected to the Paris metro. One bit of advice, if you are travelling on Eurostar it is advisable to buy some metro tickets on board to save you from queuing at the station. There is only a couple of booths to buy tickets from so the wait can sometimes be quite lengthy.On travelling back to the UK, the departure area for Eurostar at Gare de Nord can be located on the first floor infront of where the trains depart from. Just go up the escalator and walk straight on to the customs check. You will then walk through to a largish seating area where you can buy last minture gifts / aftershave or grab a coffee and pastry before boarding your train. As you are on the first floor and the walls are made of glass, you get a great view of the whole of the station.