aklewis

Hi -
First off let me thank everyone who has been kind enough to respond to my posts with advice and tips. Your help has been invaluable!

Now for my question...
I will be taking the Eurostar to Paris and am staying at a hotel in the 14th District. After consulting the Metro Map, it seems like it might be a bit of a hassle to get to my hotel - luggage in tow - so I'm wondering if it might be worth the splurge to use a taxi. Any comments or suggestions?
Thanks,
Diana

Robespierre

How much luggage are you towing? It's a straight shot on Métro line 4 through the heart of Montparnasse (no connections), so a walk wouldn't be too rigorous if you have a pullaround and a shoulder bag. If you're planning to get a RATP pass anyway, your trip to the hotel will be basically free.

bob_brown

I find the Paris Metro to be very user unfriendly. No elevators or escalators that I have seen. I don't think a cab would be that much of an expense. When compared to the total cost of the whole trip, the percentage is very small.

I learned long ago that dragging luggage around on the Metro was not for me.

I am much happier when I take a taxi to the hotel. It is not all that far from Gare du Nord to the 14th Arr, so the fee would not be all that much. As I recall the taxi trip from my hotel to Gare de Lyon was about €12. Gare de Nord might be a little farther and take a little longer. You pay by time and distance, so if traffic is heavy, you end up paying for sitting time as well.

But I find that using a taxi gets my trips off to a good start, takes the hassel out of it, and puts me in a better frame of mind to check in to my hotel and then head out to see the sights of Paris. With my hands free, I enjoy it much more.

Besides, once I have stored my luggage in my room, I am more ready to take the bus, which I prefer to the Metro. With the bus you can see where you are, and I find people on the buses to be more helpful. I have had several people ask if they could help me find something. I usually had my map out and was tracing my route.

Robespierre

Your question was: would a taxi be "worth it" - so evidently your travel plans are sensitive to cost. Let me put it this way: if you were going to take a 10-minute subway ride from Gare du Nord to Gare Montparnasse, and someone told you they would give you $15 to take along their suitcase, would you do it?

<i>p.s.</i> There are escalators at the larger stations all over the system. I'd guess Gare Montparnasse has them. But even if your stop doesn't have any, do you think not having to lift your suitcase up a flight of stairs is worth $15? Your call. Besides, the exercise is good for you.

Travelnut

Hi.. you are staying at the Kyriad Montparnasse on rue de Plaisance, according to an earlier post.

You could a) ride metro line 4 to Montparnasse, go up top and take a cab to your hotel, b)take metro to Montparnasse, then walk to your hotel (1.3km) or c)take metro to stop Mouton Duvernet, then walk to hotel (0.9km).

The line 4 metro is within the Gare du Nord. Do not let anyone &quot;help&quot; you buy your ticket, just go to the window and buy a carnet or the Carte Orange pass.

We have taken the metro line 4 from Gare du Nord several times - it's easy.

Christina

yes, it is worth it. It is not a ten minute metro ride.

Robespierre

Okay, you made me look it up. It's a 27 minute ride to Mouton Duvernet. If I were in a hurry, I might take RER B to Denfert-Rochereau, change to the M&eacute;tro, and get there in 16 minutes. To me, this is not enough saving in effort to justify a taxi (which will probably take 30 minutes). I have taken a car from Gare du Nord to Rue du Texel in the XIV, and it took almost an hour at 8PM.

aklewis

Hi -
I should have clarified what fare I thought was reasonable. Less than $30 US. I have a small bag on wheels which isn't too much trouble on stairs/escalators but was unsure of the time I would save - taxi versus Metro and the hassle. If it's a relatively short trip then it's doable. Anything more than 30 minutes and I'll treat myself to a cab.

I live in Anchorage, Alaska and the six mile ride from my home to the airport averages $30. If we had bus service that ran to the airport then I would utilize it!

Travelnut: Good eye! I'm familiar with the Metro but have never traveled it with luggage. I will watch out for those who may want to help me buy tickets. Hopefully I won't stick out that much...

Thanks again for the input.

Vincent

Your hotel is a LONG way from Mouton-Duvernet metro (actually, it's just opposite Pern&eacute;ty metro, but this line doesn't go to Gare du Nord). So, don't sweat it and just take a cab, it'll set you back 15 to 20 euros, and Bob's your uncle.

lotje

depends what time of the day it is, and which day it is you arrive, a cab may do it...
we took a cab ride from gare du nord to gare montparnasse (because we wanted to show the children a bit of paris) in april; it took us 10 mins by cab because there was no traffic, but when we came back from our traintrip to bordeaux, there were demonstrations and we opted for the metro... it might have cost us 2-3 times the 11&euro; we paid for that first trip !

Raya

You will save both time and money by taking the metro as everyone queues up for taxis outside the station after the eurostar arrives and you will likely have to wait quite a while. Plus, you will have to pay a surcharge for your luggage. Although you will have to navigate stairs, etc. as well as a really fun, high-speed moving sidewalk at Montparnasse, you will probably save time and money for something more interesting.