mehboob

Hello,
I'm a student....and this is first time I'm out of my country...Just now I'm in strasbourg,France...I'll go to paris on 27th july and then in the morning (5 AM) of 28th july I'll go to Paris CDG by RER B...my flight is at 8 AM...I want to know that is it safe to go to Gare du Nord from Hotel Kuntz (near Gare de l'est) by foot?...is the roads and places to Gare du Nord are safe for travellers (like me) in such an early morning?Truly speaking I'm really in terror for going to Gare du Nord by foot in such an early morning....Please reply as soon as possible...

Thanks in advance

Mehboob

Suzanne2

I have never done this but I'm sure someone with more knowlege than I have will chime in.

The two stations are very near to each other. I really doubt you have anything to fear.

ThinGorjus

Yes, it is safe.

Your hotel is probably less than a 5-minute walk from the Gare du Nord.

What an absolutely unfortunate name for a hotel.

Thin

Christina

well, that is very early in the morning, I agree. And it can sometimes be dicey around there, but why don't you just take the metro if you are afraid to walk? The metro connects Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est. Although I do think the metro starts a bit later than the train, so maybe that is why you aren't doing it. I hope you know the first train from Gare du Nord doesn't run until 5:30 or so, I'm pretty sure.

kerouac

The Hôtel Kuntz is about 100 meters from Gare du Nord. It is a perfectly safe area and it will be full daylight when you leave the hotel.

The first train to the airport leaves at 4:53 am (from the surface suburban station, not the RER station). It arrives at CDG2 at 5:41 (stops everywhere!). Next train is at 5:11 arriving at 6:03 and the third one leaves at 5:30 arriving at 6:05.

Thin, you don't speak German, do you?

TimS

The first RER B train of the day actually originates at Gare du Nord. It departs at 04:56 and arrives at CDG at 05:30.

And yes, the metro doesn't start early enough. Take the quick walk from your hotel to Gare du Nord. Keep your hands on your luggage and use common sense and you'll be fine.

TimS

kerouac,

After I posted my note, I saw yours. I got my schedule by clicking on "Horaires" on the RATP site. After reading your note, I used the journey planner on that site and got slightly different times: Depart at 04:53, arriving at CDG 1 at 05:25 and at CDG 2 TGV at 05:27.

I'll defer to you to determine which schedule is correct.

mehboob

Thank you very much to all of you for such a quick reply...I've some more questions regarding this -
1) Is it possible to buy the RER ticket one day before...means i'll catch train on 28th july (morning 5.30AM's train) so can I buy the ticket for this on 27th july?
2) Can anyone tell me about the crowd on Gare du Nord in such an early morning..
3) I did not tell you all that I don't know french at all..I know only english..so I want to know whether the ticket vendor machines have english language as an option or not...
4) Please also tell me about the fare from Gare du Nord to Paris CDG 1
5) Tell me about the direction of platform (from where I'll get the RER B3 for CDG 1) after entering the Gare du Nord station...

Thanks in advance

Mehboob

kerouac

Mehboob, most of the people taking that train are airport workers. Yes, you can buy your ticket in advance. There are flag icons on the ticket machines for the language options. Before July 1st, the fare was 8.50€. It may have gone up a bit with the rate hike on July 1st -- but maybe not, because a lot of the destinations in zone 5 remained stable.

For the very first train, just walk into 'new' section of Gare du Nord, all built out of glass (that's the closest section to your hotel anyway. You will see the platform number on the video screens.

TimS, the first train indeed USED TO BE at 4:56. I found out about the change to 4:53 only by taking the train a few months ago. Thank god I am always there at least 5 minutes before departure.

TimS

The fare did go up on 1 July. It is now 8.70€.

mehboob

Thank you kerouac and TimS for your valuable information...I'm really now have confidence that I'll reach at the airport safely and catch my flight...I really miss my Mom Dad so much...I'm still a child....
That you to both of you...