Cdg to Paris question
 

My spouse and I plan to take the rer B line from cdg to gare nord, transfer to metro line 4 with a station destination of Etienne Marcel. From there it is a short walk to our rented apartment at rue Marie Stuart.
My question is how far, how difficult is it to reach Metro line 4 from rer arrival at Gare Nord. I selected gare nord over Chatelet due to difficulties in reaching metro from rer at Chatelet. I am familar with rer and metro travel but not with Gare Nord

Thanks for any help

Getting from RER to Metro at Gare du Nord involves fewer steps than at Chatelet but still some schlepping is required. Have you thought about just going to Chatelet Les Halles on RER and walking from there? It is rather close to the Etienne Marcel stop and may not be much different I terms of actal distance to walk.

Yes I considered it until I read in forums about the size of the place and the difficulty in actually finding an exit! You are right in regards to the length of the walk from both stations to the destination

Thanks for the reply

I think if you are going to take the RER and transfer, you need to be prepared that you are going to walk some and use the stairs, it just happens.

Chatelet-Les halles is large, but I don't understand why it would be difficult to find an exit. I've been in there lots of times and never had any trouble finding one, it just may be a long walk. There are always signs all over the walls in all RER and metro stations, you just have to follow them and know where you are going and what street you want. They all have maps in them in various places, also, showing the various exits.

Thank you both for your responses. Greatly appreciated. You will most likely consider me foolish but I have decided to use rer b to Denferet station and then line 4 to Etienne Marcel. More time on train and metro but at least I am sitting. Reports on Denferet station sound like it would be easier to negotiate with luggage and less crowds. I will be traveling on Saturday morning which is a plus crowd wise.

The rue Rambuteau exit at Châtelet-Les Halles (which channels you out through the Les Halles metro station with escalators all the way to street level) is just about two blocks away from rue Marie Stuart -- or you could transfer for the one station ride to Etienne Marcel, which would put you a tad closer albeit with stairs to climb.

I must admit that I do not understand the Châtelet-Les Halles phobia that I see on many travel forums. Yes, it is a very busy station, but nobody is obliged to walk as fast as the commuters, and you are allowed to read the directional signs that are everywhere to orient yourself. Some people just seem to leave their brains behind when they are at Châtelet-Les Halles, from some of the things that I have read.

However, meg, if you want to go through Denfert-Rochereau, feel free to do so, but I guarantee that you will never make that mistake again.

Wait, you want to go all the way to Denfer-Rochereau just to avoid transferring at Chatelet??

If you were to be transferring from RER B to M1, yes you have to go through an extensive length of corridors to do so. But as you can see from a map, the Chatelet RER and Les Halles M4 stations are very close to each other. Not to mention very close to your destination!

Since you are familiar with Metro travel, you know that stations in the city center are very close one to the other. The distance between Les Halles and Etienne Marcel on the M4 is quite short, and the latter doesn't really place you much closer to rue Marie Stuart, since you'll have to "backtrack" along rue Etienne Marcel - you're not going to drag your luggage through the Passages du Grand Cerf.

Additionally, Forum des Halles which overlays the transit system there is designed to be a shopping destination. That means that there are plenty of escalators, wide corridors, and the entire area around Les Halles is a pedestrian zone. IMO, it's one of the easiest places in the city to exit the subway and reach ground level. At that point, you can just walk right up rue Montorgueil behind the cathedral of St. Eustache, cross rue Etienne Marcel and you're right where you need to be!

<i>"The rue Rambuteau exit at Châtelet-Les Halles (which channels you out through the Les Halles metro station with escalators all the way to street level) is just about two blocks away from rue Marie Stuart -- or you could transfer for the one station ride to Etienne Marcel, which would put you a tad closer albeit with stairs to climb."</i>

A most detailed and helpful response - says exactly which exit signs to follow and complete info on escalators vs. stairs at the germane exit and stops. Hope the OP comes back and sees it...

I actually DO understand the Châtelet-Les Halles phobia if it is someone who has never been in a big city, but the OP appears to be reasonably well traveled.

Suit yourself, this makes no sense to me and I really don't understand what the problem is that people have finding exits at Chatelet-Les Halles. And in any case, the goal wasn't to find an exit, but to transfer to line 4. Denfert-Rochereau is smaller, but you are still going to have to read signs and figure out how to get from the RER drop-off to the right line 4 platform.

If one really wanted to avoid Chatelet-Les Halles, then wouldn't it make more sense just to get out at Gare du Nord and transfer to line 4 there? I don't understand the point of crossing the entire city just to do the same thing you'd be doing at Gare du Nord. As I recall, the metro line 4 isn't that far from the RER stop at Gare du Nord.

I also would just get out at Chatelet-Les Halles and walk to rue Marie Stuart, you are going to be walking just as much as that by doing the transferring.

Sorry, this is not a reply, but a similar question. As a senior, I am new to this process, and am not sure if I should be starting a new topic or not.
My situation is that my spouse and I plan to take the rer B line from cdg into Paris on a Monday morning early, to reach our apt on Rue St Martin (Rambuteau is listed as nearest Metro). Where should we get off and perhaps take a taxi or walk to the apt. We will have one fairly large suitcase and one or two carry-ons, so metro steps are an issue. Any help is appreciated. Thanks