Gare du Nord — Local services in Paris

Staff is extremely rude and not willing to help. I made a mistake and bought a train ticket for one day later when I needed to go on the train one day earlier. I got there September 4th but my train ticket was for September 5th. I spent 30 minutes running around like a chicken with my head cut off because of all the incompetent workers not knowing who I should talk to or what I should do to exchange my ticket for the correct day. By the time I figured out someone who cared enough to help I had 4 minutes to catch the train. I quite literally sprinted back to the train entry area to scan my ticket but the station employees wouldn’t let me through because the train doors close 2 minutes before departure. Well the crazy thing was they were letting other people (French people) go through the gates and board the exact same train I wanted to board but not me. I literally fell to my knees begging them to let me board since the next train to Zurich wasn’t until the next day. They smugly told me there was nothing they could do as other locals walked by onto the same train so I missed the train and had to figure out other means of travel by myself. If you need to use this train station as a foreigner make sure you do not leave anything up to the employees to help you as they could not give less of a damn about you....

We took the 15.09 train back to London yesterday 6th November. It was absolutely chaotic. Dangerously overcrowded. Insufficient space for passport checks and security. The staff were doing their best. We found them helpful and courteous. The only reason for 2s not 1. We were assisted to change our tickets to an earlier train. There is nowhere to wait safely upstairs. There were very long queues. This whole area is not fit for purpose. It needs to be twice the size at least. The security machines need updating so that already stressed passengers herded together are not asked to empty pockets, separate electronics, remove belts and watches etc in a confined space. Appalling. Outside the station is a building site. Our lovely taxi driver was in despair. Eurostar need to do better as their section is a disgrace. A lot of drug addicts and pickpockets outside make you feel uneasy. This is a beautiful historic building which is currently a mess. A real shame. We have already booked for next year but are now thinking of cancelling. After a long journey through Italy and France the stress of going through Eurostar check in at the end...

I had to take a train from Paris to Brussels, but the train station was not in a great condition. As soon as I entered the station, I noticed a lot of suspicious characters lurking around, looking for opportunities to steal luggage. It made me quite nervous, so I had to be extra cautious while waiting for the train.

Unfortunately, the crew of Thalys, the train operator, did not do much to help either. They created unnecessary chaos by checking tickets at the entrance of the train, even though there was already a dedicated ticket checker in front of each carriage. This resulted in a huge crowd in front of the train, making it more difficult for passengers to board. I'm not sure why they felt the need to check tickets twice and create...