Hi,

The Republic metro station is huge. There are escalators, but you can be in for a long walk up and down hallways/stairs depending on the metro line you are connecting with. Oberkampf is smaller, but again I think you'll be on your feet navigating the stairs. The buses are your best bet.

For help finding bus routes (if you'll have access to a computer), check out the RATP (French rail) site in English:

http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php

Type in your address, your destination, travel method (bus), and preference (fastest route or least amount of walking). A printable map will appear showing directions to the bus stops, your destination, and the bus schedule. I found this site very helpful when I lived in Paris.

Good luck and post a trip report when you return,

Cheryl

Robespierre: A million thanks!

I leave for Paris tomorrow. I had no idea Metro now included Paris buses.

I could not be more grateful for that information today...

Most stations have escalators, but you may not be able to entirely negotiate a station by escalators alone. Often at some point you must take stairs. Frequently you'll find escalators that go up, but none that go down.

Elevators are quite rare; only a few lines are adequately equipped with them, and only Line 14 is fully equipped.

Many buses require no steps, others require only one or two, so buses may be a better bet than the Métro, although they are much slower. They are also more scenic and more likely to be carrying pickpockets in some cases.

Taxis are very expensive and very hard to find quickly, and they are useful only for groups of three people or less. They have the same problem of being stuck in traffic that buses have (yes, there are bus and taxi lanes, but traffic still gets in the way).

I am trying to find the best way to go from Charles de Gaulle aeroport to my hotel. If the address of the hotel is 22, rue du Grand Prieure, Paris 75011, then should I take take RER B to Gare du Nord and then a taxi or should I take the Roissy bus to Opera and then taxi?

I think it's better to take the RER B and then a taxi. Gard du Nord is closer to your hotel than the Opera is. And if you can, please write back to tell us a bit about the hotel. That's the Mondia, right? I'd be interested to hear about it.
The bolangerie/patisserie on the corner of rue de Malte and boulevard Voltaire is fabulous and so close to your hotel, less than 5 minutes walk. And the lovely Popincourt market is right next door too, every Tuesday and Friday. A restaurant I read was recommended in the vicinity is au Trou Normand, 9 rue Jean Pierre Timbaud. There is another place in the neighbourhood, which serves good Alsatian food and was mentioned here a few times, but I can't rememeber the name.

As Anthony said there may be escalators but not to every place you need, and rarely near the train platforms. Also they, and the elevators, may or may not be working. We love using the buses. All the Metro stations have large bus maps showing the routes, and there are excellent guide books that show them. We have often been able to get closer to our destination site with buses, and some routes are absolutely "sightseeing" routes.

The OP is advised to get a plan du quartier for Bastille, because several bus lines are available and the right stops can be hard to find. The handiest of these is the 69, which passes several points of interest on the way to the Eiffel Tower. The 87 goes there also.

http://www.ratp.info/picts/plans/pdf...s/bastille.pdf

And Robespierre, thanks for posting that link. Ratp has different plans du quartiers on the web site.

I should point out that "Le Bus" shows correspondances at a particular stop--e.g., the Bastille stop is shared by the 20, 29, 65, 69, 76, 86, 91 and the Balabus. The Balabus runs on Sundays and has a very senic route.

This will pinpoint the hotel:

http://tinyurl.com/zgp4n

Since your RER question suggests an interest in economy, I offer the following: The cheapest route with the least climbing would be to take the Roissybus to Opéra, then the N° 20 bus (Direction Gare de Lyon) to Place de la République. At that point, the hotel is a two-minute walk down Avenue de la République.

How about directions for getting to the Place d'Italie by RER, then taxi?

Just another opinion that I really wouldn't recommend the metro for anyone with mobility problems. RATP doesn't have information on their website as to which stations have escalators or not. They have some disability section, but I think that only lists ones with elevators. All metro stations definitely do not have escalators, I've been in lots that don't. Besides, even some that do will involve lots of walking around the system or some areas without then within the same station.

It seems to me that all the buses I've taken have had steps, and they are fairly steep IMO (about 2).

I haven't had any trouble getting a large map with the bus lines from a metro/RER clerk window. It's actually too large for me, I don't like to carry it around, and it doesn't have the best detail for exactly the street name and location for the routes. It's just kind of a general map showing the lines, similar to the simple bus route maps you have in many small Paris mapbooks.

Good luck with that one! France hasn't caught up to the whole wheelchair-accesible trend that we have here in the US. It was a complete nightmare when we had my little sister in a stroller when she was a baby. I would suggest you look into getting a car and driver or look for a centrally-located hotel so you don't have to use the metro.

You might also considering using the Batobus, the boat bus along the Seine. This does, however, require going down and up stairs to the riverside, although some stops are not as steep as others.

FYI - train stations having elevators (<i>acenseurs</i>) are listed here:

http://www.ratp.info/informer/reseau_ferre.php
http://www.ratp.info/informer/reseau_ferre_2.php
http://www.ratp.info/informer/reseau_ferre_3.php

<i>Libre service</i> means help yourself, and <i>Avec agent</i> means an employee has to operate it.

underhill, do you want to go to somewhere near Place d'Italie from CDG?

Take the RER to Luxembourg, then a N&deg; 27 bus (Direction Porte de Vitry-Claude). You can probably ride another (or the same) bus from there to your destination. What is the address?

Opera plan du quartier for the Roissy bus and bus stops:

http://www.ratp.info/picts/plans/pdf...iers/opera.pdf

We'll be going from CDG to Au Petit Marguery, in the 13th; 9, bd Port-Royal.

Thanks for the link, Ron.

In that case, ride the RER B to Port-Royal and take bus N&deg; 91 (Direction Bastille) and alight at the Les Gobelins stop. Your hotel will be on the south side of the street across from the westbound 91 stop.

http://www.ratp.info/picts/plans/pdf...port_royal.pdf
http://www.ratp.info/picts/plans/pdf...s_gobelins.pdf

Your RER ticket is not valid on a bus. If you want to take a taxi, get off at Denfert-Rochereau. It's a major connection point and must have a taxi stand.

That's excellent to know; thanks.

Are there stairs at Donfert-Rochereau?