ilana25841

I will be leaving from Paris to Berne by TGV. We (2 of us) are staying near Gare Montparnasse, with luggage for a 10 day trip. The TGV website seems to be saying that there is a TGV (via Basel) that leaves from Est and another one (7:14am) direct from Gare de Lyon.
Aside from the obvious journey time difference (Est via Basel is longer)-
1.what is the deal with the different train stations?
2. what is the best way for us to get to these train stations from Montparnasse- weekday, early morning departure?
thanks for your thoughts.

Christina

What do you mean, what is the deal with diff. train stations -- many large cities have more than one train station. They serve different rail line directions (ie, trains that go east will depart from one of the stations on the east side of town, usually). Both gare de Lyon and Est are on the east side, so I guess there are some trains to the same direction from either.

If you can easily manage your luggage yourself, the best way to get to gare de Lyon IMO would be to take the metro line 6 east from Montparnasse to Bercy, and then transfer and go a few stops to gare de Lyon. Or, you can take the metro line 4 over the Chatelet les Halles and transfer to the RER line to go to it. that would actually be shorter in terms of rail lines, I just don't like Chatelet les Halles (I'm not crazy about Montparnasse either).

You could just take a taxi, obviously, which is best in many ways, depends on your taste for taxis.

TimS

The trains serving Gare de l'Est are regional trains, not TGVs. Your fastest route would be to take TGV #9281 leaving Gare de Lyon at 07:44 and arriving in Berne at 12:34. If you take TGV #6751 leaving at 07:14, you'll change to TGV #9281 in Dole and arrive on the same train at the same time. To get from Gare Montparnasse to Gare de Lyon, take metro line 4 (direction Porte de Clignancourt) to Les Halles. Walk through the tunnel to the Chatelet Les Halles RER station and take either RER A or D to Gare de Lyon.

TimS

If you want to avoid the maze of tunnels at Chatelet Les Halles, then Christina's suggestion of taking metro line 6 to Bercy and transferring there to metro line 14 is a good one.

TimS

One more thing: Visit www.ratp.fr to download and print a metro/RER map. The routes will make more sense when you can visualize them. The site is viewable in English.

ilana25841

Thanks for the suggestions. Any idea how long it takes to get from Montparnasse to Gare de Lyon? I was considering springing for a cab because of the luggage- I'm picturing dragging luggage in the DC metro or similar, at rush hour and wondering how problematic that might be.

francophile03

I don't know how long the time takes to reach Gare de Lyon from Montparnasse. But if I were you I would take a taxi. It shouldn't cost that much.

TimS

It will take 25-30 minutes, whichever route you use. Another way to avoid the maze at Chatelet Les Halles would be to take metro line 4 only as far as Chatelet (rather than to Les Halles) and then transfer there to metro line 14. For the record, there are no intermediate stops between Bercy and Gare de Lyon on metro line 14 (should you choose to take metro line 6 to Bercy). That would be your slowest route because it has the most stops.

Robespierre

N° 91 bus, door to door. Here's the map:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...=91&fm=pdf

TimS

I'm glad Robespierre suggested taking the bus (no stairs, no changes). The RATP journey planner estimates a trip of 20 minutes. It looks like that is your best choice (other than a taxi).

ilana25841

thanks for all the info. ilana

Robespierre

BTW, if you leave your hotel about 6AM, you'll probably have the bus pretty much to yourself. Rush hour doesn't really get rolling until after 7. There are places where luggage can be stowed aboard.

PalQ

I would take the bus with luggage and at rush hour - there is probably a direct RATP bus between Montparnasse and Gare de Lyon - the only station TGVs to Switzerland leave from. Ask at a metro station for the Paris bus map that clearly outlines the routes.

ilana25841

Thanks. Would the carnet I was planning to buy cover busses as well as the Metro?

Robespierre

Yes, a <i>ticket 't'</i> is valid for one M&eacute;tro or bus ride. The bus map PalQ mentions, <i>Bus Paris (avec rues)</i>, is also here:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_plans_pdf.php

TimS

Yes, the tickets in your carnet include the bus. Since you won't need to transfer, you'll only need one ticket. (In Paris you can have unlimited free transfers on the metro and RER, but each transfer on the bus uses one ticket--unless you have a pass).