Getting there from Paris

Line 13 and its fork

This is the route everyone takes, and the mistake many make. North of La Fourche, Line 13 splits: one branch goes to Asnières–Gennevilliers Les Courtilles, the other to Saint-Denis–Université. Only the latter stops at Basilique de Saint-Denis station. The platform sign and the display at the front of the train show the final destination: read it before boarding, not after. Roughly one train in two does not go where you are going.

Once you exit at Basilique de Saint-Denis, there are about 100 metres to walk. The façade is in front of you, on the square, and La Fabrique de la Flèche is located on the parvis. You can’t go wrong: it’s the only building of this size.

The RER D and the tram

From Gare du Nord or Châtelet, the RER D goes down to Saint-Denis station. From there, tram T1 drops you at the basilica in five minutes. This is the route I recommend for those arriving at a major station with luggage: fewer underground transfers, more fresh air. It’s also the route that passes closest to the Stade de France, which is one tram stop or about fifteen minutes’ walk from the basilica.

The RER B and the bus

From the south of Paris or from Roissy, the RER B followed by bus 153 or 253 also works. This is the longest of the three options, and I only recommend it if your starting point naturally leads you there.

What to expect on site

No cloakroom. This is the practical detail that ruins the most visits: with a cabin bag or suitcase, you have to carry everything, and the transept is difficult to navigate this way. If you’re arriving from a station, drop off your luggage first. Photography is allowed without flash, everywhere. Questions about floors, steps and wheelchairs are covered on the accessibility page.

One thing I tell everyone who asks me for directions: Saint-Denis is not just a metro stop and a stadium. The market, one of the largest in Île-de-France, is held at Place Jean-Jaurès and in the covered market on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings, just a few minutes’ walk away. This is what I describe on the neighbourhood page.

From Paris's main stations

From Gare du Nord, two options : the RER D, which stops at Saint-Denis station and leaves a five-minute tram ride on the T1, or a transfer via line 13. From Saint-Lazare, line 13 is direct, provided you check the branch. From Châtelet, take the RER D or metro line 4 then 13. From Montmartre, where Saint Denis was beheaded around 250, allow a good half-hour : this is the symbolic journey of this entire story, and I recount it on the page about Saint Denis.

By car, I don’t recommend it. Parking around the forecourt is difficult, the area is dense, and you’d arrive stressed for a monument that the metro drops you off 100 metres from. On match days or events at the Stade de France, traffic and transport change completely: check the day before if your date falls on a big event night.

Plan your day

Basilique in the morning, market or lunch afterwards, stadium in the afternoon: that’s the full Dionysian day, and it works without a car. The monument’s opening hours are on the opening hours page, the duration on the visit duration page, and the other part of Saint Denis’s story, the Montmartre hill, on its page.

Book before you leave

Reminder: what you’re booking above is entry to the royal necropolis. The nave, however, remains open without a ticket, as in any church in the diocese.

Frequently asked questions