We will be arriving at 6:30 AM (Delta flight) in a few weeks and would appreciate it if you can let me know the best way to transfer to our apartment rental. We prefer to take the RER but if it's going to be too tedious, then we will consider the Roissy/Air France shuttle. I believe a taxi is not practical because we should hit the rush hour by then. If we take the RER to St.. Michel, is it easy to switch to Metro 4, getting off at Odeon (I believe it's the nearest stop to the apt.)? If we take the shuttlle to the city center, where is the nearest place to get off and take a taxi to the apt.? We can also take the private shuttle service, would you please recommend a reliable one. What terminal does Delta usually land? Thank you.

Sometimes you can walk underground to get to the connection to the metro line as much or more than if you just exit and walk the short distance. In my opinion, that is the situation in your case. We usually stay in this area and heavily use the St. Michel/Odeon/Mabillon stops. Perhaps someone who uses the RER/Line 4 connection all the time can say for sure.

Personally, I would just exit and walk "up" Saint Germain away from the Seine (it is a slight inclining grade but my husband is 67 and handles it with no problem at all); the sidewalks are excellent (wide, and not cobbled). Just continue the few blocks, past the Odeon metro exit, to the intersecting street of Grégoire de Tours. You will either turn left or right depending on the address (right would be towards the Buci Market) My guess is about a 15 min slow walk to the intersection. If that doesn't sound good, I would opt for the shared shuttle which will deliver you to your specific adress.

You can easily put in your route request at ratp.fr and they will show you the fastest route, or the one with the least connections, as you specify.

Have fun!

It will be rush hour in the metro, also, you know. Although it shouldn't be a problem on the RER because you'll be getting on early in its route. It's not particularly different to change from the RER to the metro at St Michel, it's just a ways to walk, that's all. The Air France bus gets off at Montparnasse tower, that isn't too far from your location. I'm a little confused with your choices, if you don't want to transfer from the RER to the metro, you can still take the RER into Paris and then a taxi from there, as well as a taxi from the AF bus stop. Although I wouldn't want to try a taxi from St Michel to Odeon area, it's not very far.

There is no AF bus stop near your apt, if that's what you want to know. The public Roissybus gets off at Opera Garnier across the river.

Thanks a lot Klondike and Cristina. Cristina, as I previously mentioned, we prefer the RER then Metro to Odeon stop but my concern was would it be too tedious considering that we have our luggage (just a reg. 21" rollerboard) + hand carry? Are there lots of steps when doing the transfer? Or, maybe as Klondike suggested maybe we can just walk from St. Michel to apartment? Anybody there who has done familiar with the St. Michel station? I am trying to determine whether to just walk or take the metro/bus during our Paris visit. Is there any website that would calculate the walking distance between two points? Thanks, again.

There was an escalator up to the street from the RER at the Luxembourg stop which is one beyond St. Michel. I would guess there's one at St. Michel's because it's a bigger station.

Nina, see if you can use this site:
http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index.php?langue=en

You choose whether to check a specific address or metro stop and whether you want to go the fastest time/least walking/fewest connections. The answer will also vary depending on time of day and if it is a weekday or weekend.

Playing around with those options some, I came up with surprising options i.e. taking the Roissy bus to Gare de l'Est and then Metro from there to Odeon (week-end). I hadn't thought of that option. Gare de l'est has escalators and is pretty user friendly (try to have metro tickets purchased already, though, because it's always kind of a zoo around the ticket vending machines with the arrival of passengers from the outlaying areas/countries who don't have tickets yet. Kerouac has a very nice exposée on the Gare de l'Est.

A couple options showed 38 minutes CDG on RER B then 6 minutes to get to Odeon...but a lot depends on WHERE on rue Gregoire de Tours you need to be. Hence, you need to put in the address to get your actual best options. The other thing to consider is how much luggage you'll be toting around.

I used to take the RER regularly between CDG and the 6th, as that's been my main neighborhood for some decades. However, I prefer the shuttle service as personally my days of schlepping luggage up and down stairs are over. Been there, done there a lot.

However, what I used to do was take the RER from CDG to St.Michel/Notre Dame and then get off and go left and there was a huge escalator a few steps away. Just pray that it's working as it's very steep . I have had to, more than a few times, drag the luggage up it as it was out of order.

Then when I got to the top, I walked a very short distance, through a little tunnel, and then went to the left at the first turnstile. I entered that turnstile and then I was at the Cluny station. Then I got on Line #10, Direction Boulogne Pont de St-Cloud, and went two stops to Mabillon.

For rue Gregoire de Tours, you can get off at either Odeon or Mabillon. I just find Odeon Station to be more congested along with the street area above it.

I know rue Gregoire des Tours very well and assume that your apartment will be south of Blvd. St.Germain. The part of the one block of it that's north of Blvd. St.Germain is a restaurant street and is between Blvd. St.Germain and rue de Buci. There are of course apartments there,too. But, I would figure that most people would want to rent on the other end of rue Gregoire de Tours, down near the Hotel Fleurie. The street is only either one block north of Blvd. St.Germain or one block south of it. So, it doesn't matter whether you get off at Odeon or Mabillon. It's a short street. Happy Travels!

Correction: "Been there, done that". The typing just gets worse. LOL! Happy Travels!

I just reread your post and you were asking for a reliable shuttle service. I use www.airport-connection.com. It was recommended by the Parisian apartment owner of an apartment that I rented in 2008. I've taken a lot of shuttles, in Paris, and for over a decade and have been fine with them.

I just used airport-connection again, a few months ago, and had no problems. I also had a friend book with them. He was joining me in Paris and his flight arrived a couple of hours after mine and he left to go back to CDG, a week later, and around 7 hours after I had left for the airport for my flight. He was also fine with them back to the airport, as was I.

I've used them several times. When I reserve the return back to the airport, I just click on either the 45-minute or 1-hour earlier pick up than what they have suggested. I usually need to get back to the airport early anyhow, in order to do my detaxe papers.

I've always ordered a shared van, but in 2008, I ended up the only person in the van back to the airport. And a few months ago, from the airport into town, there were only two other people, 2 New York women, and they were traveling together. It was the same last summer, back to the airport, and there were only two other people, 2 Australian women, who were traveling together. I was picked up last as I was staying at a friend's place, in the 10th, on that trip. Oh, and a few months ago on the way back to the airport, we were maybe 4 total, but there was one married couple in the count. And the other times, I don't remember.

I pay 52-54 euros, round trip, for the shuttle service , as opposed to around 60 euros, one-way if I were to take a taxi. And there's no running meter in a shuttle. So, traffic doesn't matter. Happy Travels!