The Cité du Train is the largest railway museum in France and one of the most comprehensive in Europe. The collection spans 150 years of French railway history across 15,000 square metres of former SNCF workshops, from the very earliest steam locomotives to modern TGV trains. Highlights include nineteenth-century imperial saloon coaches used by Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, a recreation of a 1950s station, and an extensive model railway layout.
The museum does an exceptional job of placing the trains in their social and industrial context — the role of the railways in connecting France, in war and peacetime, and in shaping its cities. Audio guides are available in English. It is located near the Cité de l'Automobile and both can be visited in a day; a combined ticket is available.