We're going to Paris in a few weeks and again briefly in late December, and staying at the Residence Hotel Henri IV in the Latin Quarter. It's at 50 rue des Bernardins , right on the rue des Ecoles and not too far from Maurbert Mutalite Metro stop.

Can we take the RER to St. Michel and either walk from there, or switch over to the Metro? I'm not sure from my maps if the RER and Metro stops at St. Michel are in the same station. We once came in on the train to Les Halles and then switched to the Metro to Chatelet. Will this be somewhat the same?

If it's too complicated, we'll take a taxi - or if you have another idea, great.

Thanks!

Change to the regular old metro at St-Michel/Notre Dame RER station - change to metro ligne 10 - direction Austerlitz - M M should be the 2nd or 3rd stop - it is yes a short enough walk and at times changing in a sprawling station like St-Michel-Notre Dame can mean walking as much as if you walked right to your hotel.

Not sure if this is the case in the St-Michel/ND REr station but it could be with stairs up and down and all around.

Arriving at St Michel RER station, walk to the departure end of the platform and take the up escalator to passage way leading to Cluny on M10. In the direction you will be walking, there is a moving walkway. You will need to use your ticket again to at the end of the passageway to reach the M10 departure platform and there will be a short flight of descending stairs. It´s actually very easy.

If you wanted you could walk to the hotel from the Cluny métro exit, or you could take M10, direction Gare Austerlitz, one stop to Maubert/Mutualité. Cost is 9.75€ including any connection you might want to make.

It´s very straight forward but taxis are always available should you decide to take one. Cost would be 50€ to 55€.

http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orienter/f_plan.php

keep your RER/metro ticket until you are out of the system - your last exit as you may need it along the way to trip turnstiles, etc. - like after taking the pedestrian passageway from Saint-Michel/ND to ligne 10 - may need it to enter ligne 10 area and maybe not.

Thanks ! That's perfect!

To learn all about Paris transportation, www.ratp.fr

That hotel is closest to Maubert and it's on a bit of an incline from the river. I wouldn't want to walk from either Cluny or the RER stop unless I had hardly any luggage at all, maybe a small backpack.

The are no escalators at Maubert-Mutuality. I know, I have used this Metro Stop many times.

I have stay on Rue Sommerard.

You will have to drag your luggage up the steps of MM to Blvd. St. Germain.

I would walk along the Seine--Quai Montebello-- from St. Michel to Rue Bernardins. It really isn't much of a walk.

Thin

Paris metro stations are rife with pickpockets - carry nothing of value in a rear pocket or packon your back - that can be unzipped in a crowded line say to go thru the turnstiles.

OK, thanks for the further info, especially about the hill/incline. We've walked around there from the islands to one of our favorite restaurants, Itineraires, on rue Pontoise, but not further in from the river at that point. Looks like a bit of a schlep along the Quai, but I'll ask my travel partner, AKA husband, about it.

Would we be better off taking the Air France bus to Montparnasse and cab from there, or just take a cab from CDG? We are arriving at 11:00 from Los Angeles, to put it in perspective.

The AF bus stops at Gare de Lyon before it reaches Montparnasse and getting off at Gare de Lyon would make more sense as it is closer. Still, the AF bus is 17€ each, 34€ for two and with a minimum taxi fare of 6.86€ this plan will cost you at least 41€.

The small luggage charge (1€ per bag, after the first, placed into the trunk) will be the same from Gare de Lyon or from CDG. Taking a taxi from CDG will not cost that much more and avoid a lot of hassle.

I guess we'll decide when we land, depending on how tired we are, to walk from St Michel or take a cab. You're saying, I think, that there is an escalator at the St Michel RER, but stairs at Malbert Mutalite, Thin?

We had stayed at the Hotel Britannique once and took the RER to Les Halles, switched to the Metro for one stop to Chatelet, and popped up right next to the hotel, which was great. I don't remember if there were stairs or not. Seemed like we walked a bit underground to make the transportation switch, though.

Many thanks.

All of the RER stations have escalators at least to the métro level. Some of the métro stations have up escalators for a portion of the exit path. I can think of at least one métro station, Gaité in the 14th, which has an escalator from the arrival platform all the way to the street level. The stairs I have taken at Cluny descending to M10 are very short but except a flight or two at Maubert/Mutualité.

Personally, I find passing through the turnstiles with luggage occasionally more annoying that climbing a flight of stairs.