Need help in booking the correct train connection:Munich-Paris
 

PLEASE, I don't want to make the same mistake as I did last year with booking seats on DBhan. I booked the change-over from the TGV to the ICE at Stuttgart with only about 12min to spare but the platforms were too far apart and we only just made it!

Our plane lands at Munich at 7.20am. If I booked the 9.24am from the Flughaven terminal with 3 changes (S, ICE, TGV, RER) to Paris Lyon - Is that enough time to check our luggage and customs, AND does that mean the train does not go into Munich for the ICE ?
Should I be looking at perhaps the 10.24 departure? I hope not as that is a whole 9.23hrs instead of 7.43hrs.

Would flying be a better option but a lot more expensive?

I really need to get some guidance here. We have to make a return journey at the end of our holiday to get our flight home from Munich departing 21.55 in the evening.

On the Deutsche Bahn website, you need to look at the details of the journey. That tells you exactly where and when you change and, usually, the platform numbers.
From München airport, local S-Bahn trains run every ten minutes to the Hauptbahnhof, taking about 40 minutes.
From there to Paris, the most direct route is via Stuttgart to Paris Est. If you need to get to Paris Lyon, you need to get the RER (or the metro or a taxi) from Paris Est to Paris Lyon.

Thanks Geoff - That clears up one thing I was curious about:
why they gave so many station options into paris to begin with.
No, we dont have to get to Paris-Lyon station when we arrive -
only find a metro that takes us to Esplanade La Defense - this I can see from my metro map can be done at Bastille (from Gare d'Est).
Lastly, where do we find the details of the journey other than the train time-table?

On the website www.bahn.de click on "show details for all" when you get a summary of your journey. That shows where and when you change trains. Within the details, click on the train number in the "Products" column to get full details of the train.

Thanks a ton - you have been a wonderful help!

I would consider a later departure.
You have to get off a large plane, pass immigration, wait for luggage, pass customs, walk to station and purchase tickets.
That cuts it pretty close, then you have to consider what to do if your flight is late.

Luckily we will have purchased tickets online - which is what I am able to do next week when the 92days ahead booking opens.
I see it is 12 min change over on all trains if we go through Stuttgart. Going through Manheim (hope I spelled that right) seems a larger gap and also the platforms seem next to each other. In Stuttgart we have to run from platform 6 to 15! I can promise you 12 minutes is NOT enough time!!

For each of the last two years, I did Munich-Paris changing at Stuttgart......I caught a 1020 ICE from the main Munich station which arrived in Stuttgart about 12:35 on the adjacent track to the TGV train Stuttgart-Paris...just walked across the platform...no problem although admitedly the connection is tight and I've wondered what happens if the ICE train is late...this is the connection booked on DB web site (they've had very limited cheap fares, as little as €49 no changes permitted and both times the ICE train was right on time...now I know Germany is a very punctual country but I can't believe the ICE is NEVER late for this connection...I would have preferred giving a long connection time but again whern I put in Munich-Paris Est on the DB web site, this is what they gave me...as noted did it two summers ago and last summer and both times, trains were on time to the minute!

Thanks xyz123 - I am going to study the timetable at length this week as we will be able to make our booking - especially the 10.20am Munich-Paris. That would suit us down to the ground. I do hope the platforms are still near each other!
You mention the 'on time factor' - Well the ICE from Stuttgart to Munich last year sometime in May was definitely not on time unless the driver sped it up a bit along the way, because when the hooter went for the train to pull out of the station we jammmed the doors open with a babystroller. It belonged to a Chinese or maybe Japanese lady and her baby who were trying to get on board. The elderley mother with her could not help so my husband jammed the doors until he pushed them inside the carriage and then we got on by him preventing the doors closing. I never want to experience that again!