Gare Montparnasse
 

Is it correct that the Metro station is separate from the SNCF station at Montparnasse?

If we take the Metro to Montparnasse and then need to catch an SNCF train out of the Gare, are there underground tunnels that connect the 2? Or is it better to walk on the street level?

How much time should I consider it'll take to get between the 2? The Ratp website suggests it's a 4-minute walk. Our SNCF train departs at 10am, so I'm trying to figure out when we'll need to leave our hotel.

Yes, it is all connnected. However, it is good to know that metro lines 6 and 13 are very close to the train station, while lines 4 and 12 require an extremely long walk and the use of a moving walkway. If you are using line 4 or line 12, add 10 minutes to your travel time.

We'll be arriving on Line 13.

I forgot to ask in my first post... Can anyone comment on <b>Tour Montparnasse</b>? We will be staying nearby one night, and I'm considering going up to the observation level in the evening for night views.

Tour Montparnasse provides a fantastic 360* view of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower. There is an entrance fee and a specific elevator you take to the 56 fl, then you walk up a couple flights of stairs to reach the outside deck.

there are 3 sections to Gare Montparnasse and some TGVs even i think leave from 3, which i think is closer perhaps to a different metro station? not sure.

To get to 3 from 1 and 2 is a fairly long walk inside the station

Our SNCF tickets say Montparnasse 1 et 2.

Tour Montparnasse has the best view in Paris. It's the only panaromic view of Paris from which you don't have to look at . . . Tour Montparnasse!

The distance between metro line 4 and the train station is quite long and the route has several staircases that need to be climbed.

Line 13 is no problem for the train station, and it is definitely worth going to the top of the Tour Montparnasse.

There is also a shopping mall at the base of the tower, including a (not very big) Galeries Lafayette.

The main attraction of the neighborhood has always been the Inno store across from the tower, but I think it finally changed its name to Monoprix, since they are owned by the same company (which also owns Galeries Lafayette, by the way).

I've only been up the Tour Montparnasse by day. It's great to see Paris laid out before you and it helps to get your bearings on the various landmarks. I'm sure the major landmarks are lit up at night but I think I'd try to see the view in daylight if you can or go at dusk and wait for dark. There's a cafe just below the roof observation deck with a small gift shop.

We will need to store our luggage at Gare Montparnasse for a few hours. Is it safe to assume that the storage facility is located in the SNCF station but not the Metro station?

Yes, there are lockers, after X-ray screening.

bookmarking

Luggage storage should be in the SNCF station.

I remember finding something confusing about Montparnasse. I think that there's some sort of &quot;1/2 level&quot; (like a mezzanine) and some escalators skip this level. Or was that my own stupidity? My point is that it appeared to me that not all escalators went to all levels. This might be relevant for finding the place to store your bags.

Since we'll be in/out of Gare Montparnasse a couple of time on our trip, I'll try to scope out the location of the luggage lockers beforehand.

On the day we actually need the lockers, we also need to catch a 8:15am train. It'll be better if we know the location already so we won't spend time looking for it and miss our train.

I guess it's a bit like NYC's Penn Station with Amtrak, NJ Transit, LIRR all in different parts of the massive building. It's easy for a New Yorker to find his way, but for a newcomer, it's like a maze.

Just to report back:

Gare Montparnasse is huge. We had some extra time there before our train, so I spent time investigating the station plan.

Anyway, the trains we needed depart from Level +2 of the main station (Gare Montparnasse 1).

Level +1 is where the luggage storage facility is; but we didn't end up using it as we decided to leave our luggage at our hotel to save some &euro;.

Level 0 (street level) is where the Transilien ticket office located. We bought our Forfait Loisirs pass to Versailles from there.

I believe the car rental offices are located in Gare Montparnasse 2, which is in the back of G Montparnasse 1.

ttt