AtelierLe journal · French, understood
English

Language

The course

Updated

Picture scene

Gare, station or arrêt: explore French transport stops

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Explore a station square and learn gare, station de métro, arrêt de bus and gare routière. Practise asking where to catch a train, bus, metro or coach.

In short

For a train, ask for la gare. For the metro, ask for une station de métro. For a bus stop, use un arrêt de bus. A coach or bus station is une gare routière: keep the full phrase together.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A French railway station square with a plain city bus waiting beside a simple shelter, a distant train visible beneath the station roof, absolutely no writing numbers signs or destination displays.
The square brings la gare and un arrêt de bus together. Illustration: Atelier

Find your connection on the station square

A clear oblique cutaway illustration of one French transport square. On the left a railway station building has its front wall cut away to reveal one staffed ti

What is the difference between gare, station and arrêt?

Une correspondance sur la place
  1. Voyageuse

    Excusez-moi, où est l’arrêt du bus pour le musée ?

    Excuse me, where is the bus stop for the museum?

  2. Passant

    Il est devant la gare, près du poteau.

    It’s in front of the station, near the pole.

  3. Voyageuse

    Et la station de métro ?

    And the metro station?

  4. Passant

    Elle est au fond de la place. Vous voyez les escaliers ?

    It’s at the back of the square. Can you see the stairs?

  5. Voyageuse

    Oui, merci. Je vais d’abord vérifier la direction du bus.

    Yes, thank you. I’ll check the bus’s direction first.

Keep the article with the noun
FrenchGenderUseful question
la garefeminineOù est la gare ?
la stationfeminineÀ quelle station dois-je descendre ?
l’arrêtmasculineC’est le prochain arrêt ?
la gare routièrefeminineCe car part de la gare routière ?

For a tram, both un arrêt de tram and une station de tramway are used. Le prochain arrêt can also announce the next stop during a journey. Keep the transport word when asking a stranger: Où est la station de métro la plus proche ?

Question 1No account needed
You need a long-distance coach. Which place do you ask for?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la gare routière. La gare routière serves road transport, including coaches.

Question 2No account needed
Choose the full phrase for a bus stop.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

un arrêt de bus. Un arrêt de bus names the street stop where you wait for a bus.

Question 3No account needed
Which question asks where to get off the metro?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

À quelle station dois-je descendre ?. Descendre à une station means getting off at a station during the journey.

Keep going