CDG to Paris 5th Question
 

Yet another question about getting from CDG to Paris. We have always just taken a taxi in the past. However, trying to save a little money - thus have read all the posts on this subject. Leaving tomorrow and still can't decide! We each have a 22" rollerbag and a carryon - so not a huge amount of luggage. However, we don't really want to have to lug them up stairs at the Metro.

The question is regarding taxi stands at the Metro stations - specifically, St Michelle or Luxembourg - are their taxi stands at these stations? Our apartment is on rue Rollin and would not be too far from these stations. I know we could change at Chatalet and get off at Monge which would put us close to the apartment. But I don't think we want to do this after the long day of traveling.

Thanks!

There is a taxi stand along the quai right outside of the St Michel station. There are escalators to the main floor then a short flight of stairs to street level.

The elevators are almost never working at St Michel and once you drag your bags up those infernal stairs your apt will feel like a hop, skip and a jump away!

There is a taxi stand at Luxembourg, I think it's on the north side of rue Soufflot (at bd St Michel). HOwever, I don't recall any taxis waiting in line there the last few times I was by there in the middle of the day (and I was staying around there, so went by there a lot).

BTW, you are going to have to lug them up some stairs at the RER stop. I think there is an escalator on one exit of the Luxembourg RER but not the southern one. In any case, even within before you get to the street, you are going to have some stairs. It's really not that bad, though, I wouldn't worry about a 22" bag unless you have bricks in it. I would worry about Chatelet, however, that is really a place I avoid at all costs. A few weeks ago I was going to a hotel right near Luxembourg, arriving at Gare de Lyon, and I took the metro from Gare de Lyon to Denfert Rochereau to transfer to the RER B line in order to avoid Chatelet even though I had one more transfer (at Bercy, which isn't bad).

If I were you, I'd take a taxi from the airport, you are more likely to get one, and there are obviously more than one of you so the cost per person isn't that bad.

I stayed in an apartment on Rollin ("My Little Home in Paris") with my wife in February. We had a big backpack and a 22" roller and had no problem negotiating Chatalet to Monge. You will have to walk some portion of it as Rollin is closed to traffic.

This is a great place to stay. You are near so much on Moufftard, but Rue Monge itself is completely non-touristy. Have fun and let me know if you have any questions.

Place Monge M&eacute;tro is on Ligne 7. This line is accessible only from Gare de l'Est or by transferring from another line. Anyone who's done it can tell you that <i>correspondances</i> are not fun.

I would get off RER B at Luxembourg (simple station, escalators) and ride the N&deg; 89 bus to the Lyc&eacute;e Henri IV (2nd stop). Walk two blocks to the hotel.

I would not walk from Luxembourg - it's uphill from Blvd St Michel to Panth&eacute;on.

Enter [your hotel address 75005] at www.ratp.fr and hit &quot;Plan de quartier&quot; to get oriented.

Thanks so much everyone! We will have all the information and make the decision (taxi or RER) when we arrive in Paris after many hours in the airport and on the plane. Will see if we are up to trying the RER - if not, we'll just get a taxi!

DanM - that's where we're staying! &quot;My Little Home in Paris&quot;. Glad to hear you all liked it! If you think of anything we need to know - I'd be glad to hear it! We leave in the morning!

It is a great apartment that I reviewed over on SlowTrav.com. Sandy and Philipe are wonderful people - I even emailed them this morning so please give her a bisou for me.

The apartment is small, but well done and it will have everything you need. There will be a welcome basket waiting for you that you could actually use as a lunch. When you walk out of the building, take a right, walk down the steps, and take a right on Rue Monge. You will find stores selling anything you could want. Place Monge has a market twice a week. It is small, but there is pleanty to see and buy.

Here is an email I wrote about it:

Good morning, ________. We did have a great time and enjoyed the apartment.

Sandy and Philippe met us the day we arrived and greeted us with a basket that included fresh croissants, a fresh small baguette, candy, and wine. The refrigerator was stocked with water, orange juice, and some cheese. They demonstrated how things in the apartment worked, and left us after about fifteen minutes.

The apartment is small. The door opens into the living room/bedroom, which is probably 12'x12'. It contains the fold out couch, the small table and chairs in the pics on the website, a small cabinet that holds glasses, and a small set of drawers that holds electrical converters/adapters. The small flat panel TV is on the wall opposite the couch and has four English language news channels and numerous other channels. We did not really use the TV other than to keep up with Clinton and Obama.

The kitchen is very small, the size of a small closet. It includes a microwave/roaster/steamer, two gas burners, a small refrigerator, and small sink. It is well stocked with the basics. We did not cook there one time, but I think we would have been fine cooking a small, uncomplicated meal there.

The bathroom is large by European standards. The bathtub is deep, but not long. The shower works well. The water pressure and temperature were perfect and easily adjustable. The bathroom was stocked with soaps, lotions, shampoos, etc. There were even slippers to guard against the cold floor (which was cold due to no downstairs neighbor and thus no heat coming from below).

The dressing room includes an armoir with plenty of space to hang clothes and shelves to tee shirts, socks, etc. There is also a small desk for the laptop (works very well, but very slow) and two bookshelves with a number of guidebooks, maps, etc.

The apartment includes a drying rack for clothes, baskets for going to the market (open until 7:30 on Friday), and any number of little things that will make the stay easier. I really liked the location. Being near Moufftard, it is near numerous schools which keep the area alive. At the same time, there were many times we would be walking to and from the apartment and we would not hear or see another tourist. Rue Monge is full of shops. You should be able to find anything you need within a three or four minute walk in either direction on Rue Monge.

There are too many restaurants to count nearby thanks to Moufftard. You should not have a hard time finding anything you want to eat. From Asian to Italian, it is all within a two or three minute walk.

Overall, it was a good apartment and someplace I would recommend to any couple or group of three. There are some negatives. First, when you unfold the couch, the entrance to the bathroom is slightly obstructed. The result is that you trip over the couch going in and out of the bathroom if you are not paying attention. Similarly, when the second bed is folded out, I do not think you will be able to access the armoire. For the three of you, no one will have any privacy. Finally, depending on the temperature of your house, you may be a little cold in the apartment. Like most older buildings, the insulation is not the best. I think it was about 19 degrees or so most of the time.




Again, please tell Sandy and Philipe hello for us. My wife, Shannon, and I enjoyed them as much as the apartment. It was February when we were there, and we had a blast. I am sure you will enjoy it. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you need anything at all.

Thanks, Dan. It's always nice to have a little &quot;preview&quot; before arriving at a place. Sounds like we will be happy with the apartment. We knew it was small, but thought it would still be nicer than a small hotel room. There are just the two of us, so can use the small room for luggage. We won't do any cooking - just a pot of coffee in the morning and probably some cheese and wine in the evening. Sometimes is just nice to have a small kitchen to keep a few snacks, etc.

We are excited to go - will be happy when we arrive - dread the trip over always. But it's always worth it - so just have to keep remembering that!