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TheRoute nationale 3 is a trunk road (nationale) inFrance connectingParis to the frontier ofGermany.[1]
For the majority of its route, the RN 3 runs parallel to theA4 autoroute. As a result, sections have been or are proposed to be de-classified. The road is now numbered theRD 3 through the Department ofMarne.
The road begins inParis at the Porte de Pantin becoming the Avenue Jean Lolive. It heads through the Eastern Paris suburbs including Bobigny where it crosses theA3 autoroute and then theA104 autoroute after which it passes through Clare-Souilly and into the Marne valley. After 15 km the RN 3 entersMeaux after which it crosses the Marne and heads through theForêt de Montceaux. TheA4 autoroute crosses the road which turns north 7 km further at laFerté sous Jouarre and crosses to the Marne again. The road crosses the Marne again atChâteau-Thierry and heads east through theBois de Condé. The road comes toÉpernay, to the North is theParc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims, the heart of theChampagne region. The road is then called the RD 3 toChâlons-en-Champagne where it leaves the Marne valley. TheA26 autoroute passes north–south betweenReims andTroyes.
The road crosses the plain and the RD994 an ancientRoman road and then theTGV Est (high-speed line). The road passes throughSainte-Menehould before passing over theForêt D'Argonne which rises to over 250 m. The road heads through undulating countryside before joining theVoie Sacrée and theVerdun passing several war memorials andFort de Regret. The road heads northeast out of Verdun and through theForêt de Verdun and the ruins of theFort de Tavannes.
At Etain, the road passes southeast and then through Jarny and then over a ridge of hills and theBois de Vaux intoMetz and the RiverMoselle.
After Metz, the road crosses theA31 autoroute parallel to theA4 autoroute. The road continues over the hills now over 300 m high before a steep incline down intoSaint-Avold now only 4 km south of the frontier with Germany. The RN3 passes through theForet de Steinberg and then northeast passing throughForbach and Stirling Wendel before reaching theGerman border. Thereafter it becomes the B 41 toSaarbrücken 8 km to the northwest.
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