The Route nationale 3 is a trunk road ( nationale) in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

connecting

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

to the frontier of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Reclassification

For the majority of its route the RN 3 runs parallel to the

A4 autoroute The A4 Autoroute, also known as autoroute de l'Est (), is a French '' autoroute'' that travels between the cities of Paris and Strasbourg. It forms parts of European routes E25 and E50. It is France's second longest after the A10 autorout ...

. As a result, sections have been or are proposed to be de-classified. The road is now numbered the RD 3 through the Department of Marne.

Route

Paris to Châlons-en-Champagne (0 km to 162 km)

The road begins in

at the Porte de Pantin becoming the Avenue Jean Lolive. It heads through the Eastern Paris suburbs including Bobigny where it crosses the

A3 autoroute The A3 Autoroute is a French autoroute located entirely within the départment of Seine-Saint-Denis, serving Montreuil-sous-Bois, Rosny-sous-Bois, and Bondy. Its southern terminus is an interchange with the Boulevard Périphérique at the Port ...

and then the

A104 autoroute The A104 Autoroute is a French autoroute linking Gonesse (Val-d'Oise) and Collégien (Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region ...

after which it passes through Clare-Souilly and into the Marne valley. After 15 km the RN 3 enters

Meaux Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...

after which it crosses the Marne and heads through the ''Forêt de Montceaux''. The

crosses the road which turns north 7 km further at la Ferté sous Jouarre and crosses to the Marne again. The road crosses the Marne again at

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition att ...

and heads east through the ''Bois de Condé''. The road comes to

Épernay Épernay () is a commune in the Marne department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne at the extremity of the Cubry valley which crosses it. Ép ...

, to the North is the ''Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims'', the heart of the

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

region. The road is then called the RD 3 to

Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renam ...

where it leaves the Marne valley. The

A26 autoroute The A26 is a long French motorway connecting Calais and Troyes. It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais (''Motorway of the English'') as its length forms the first part of the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the Channel Tunnel ...

passes North-South between

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded b ...

and

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

Châlons-en-Champagne to Metz (162 km to 298 km)

The road crosses the plain and the RD994 an ancient

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

and then the TGV Est (high-speed line). The road passes through

Sainte-Menehould Sainte-Menehould (; german: Sankt Mathilde) is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. The 18th-century French playwright Charles-Georges Fenouillot de Falbaire de Quingey (1727–1800) died in Sainte-Ménéhould. It was the ...

before passing over the ''Forêt D'Argonne'' which rises to over 250 m. The road heads through undulating countryside before joining the

Voie Sacrée The Voie Sacrée ("Sacred Way") is a road that connects Bar-le-Duc to Verdun (Meuse), France. It was given its name because of the vital role it played during the Battle of Verdun in World War I. Use during WWI After March 1916, along the of ...

and the

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

passing several war memorials and ''Fort de Regret''. The road heads North East out of Verdun and through the ''Forêt de Verdun'' and the ruins of the ''Fort de Tavannes''. At Etain the road passes south east and then through Jarny and then over a ridge of hills and the ''Bois de Vaux'' into

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

and the River

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A ...

Metz to German Frontier (298 km to 374 km)

After Metz the road crosses the

A31 autoroute The A31 autoroute, also known as ''l'Autoroute de Lorraine-Bourgogne'', is a French motorway. The road runs from the Franco-Luxembourg border to Beaune where it joins the A6. The northern part of the autoroute is free, as far as the town of To ...

parallel to the

. The road continues over the hills now over 300 m high before a steep incline down into Saint-Avold now only 4 km south of the frontier with Germany. The RN3 passes through the ''Foret de Steinberg'' and then north east passing through

Forbach Forbach ( , , ; gsw, Fuerboch) is a commune in the French department of Moselle, northeastern French region of Grand Est. It is located on the German border approximately 15 minutes from the center of Saarbrücken, Germany, with which it const ...

and Stirling Wendel before reaching the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

border. Thereafter it becomes the B 41 to

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

8 km to the north west. {{DEFAULTSORT:Route Nationale 3 003