RER/Metro with luggage?
 

I've never carried luggage on the RER or Metro in Paris. How difficult is it to manage a 22" rollaboard with a small tote on top?
DH has a slightly larger rolling hanging bag with tote. Is this do-able?

Yes - but I wouldn't even think of trying it during commuting hours.

Depending on the route, the RER cars may have two seating decks, one above and one below the platform level, where there is luggage space.

Métro and the other RER cars have space adjacent to the doors where you can sit on a jump seat and hold your suitcases in front of you on the floor.

People do it every day, including during rush hour.

It all depends on your exact route inside the city.

It's pretty easy, don't sweat it.

kerouac, you of all people should know that there very often isn't room to stuff one more <i>person</i> in a car, much less one with luggage.

crckwc1, this is not a piece of cake if the system is running at or near capacity.

Also be prepared for lots of stairs.

<i>kerouac, you of all people should know that there very often isn't room to stuff one more person in a car, much less one with luggage</i>

I'm not saying it is desirable to do this during rush hour. However, if somebody were doing a straight shot to Gare du Nord or Saint Michel on the RER, there is absolutely no reason to worry about it.

<i>Also be prepared for lots of stairs.</i>

One should always be prepared, but the RATP has made quite a bit of progress in that department, whenever it is possible. The RER is totally equipped with escalators and elevators. The metro is more hit &amp; miss.

No, not during commuting hours. It's a royal PITA.

Are you saying that even though every other person does it -- French tourists, European tourists, Asian tourists, South American tourists, etc. -- and I see them do it every day since my metro goes through several major train stations at rush hour -- Americans are supposed to abstain?

I'm also interested in using the RER/Metro since I am arriving alone with a 19&quot; or 22&quot; luggage (we've always used shuttle service). Sorry for my ignorance but what time are the commuting hours? 8am-10am?? I arrive CDG at 7:30am barring no delays. Thanks.

On weekdays, coming in from the suburbs, I'd say 7:30 to 9:30. Inside the city, it would be slightly later.

I just used the RER/Metro combo a few weeks back. I am a NY'er who has used the subeay all my life and I use the subway/airtrain to get to JFK on mnay occasions and I am not a kid.

The RER train I rode, was a crowded commuter line with narrow aisles and little legroom for passenegers where the seats face one another. No matter how polite I tried to be my medium sized suitcase was a problem. It was however during the morning rush.

The Metro, as noted, has many stairacses. And like the NYC subway is very unfriendly for the disabled which is relevant to the travler with luggage in that escalators were few and far between and the stairs are many.

The RER/Metro combo, however, is much, much cheaper than a cab.

I did this when my DS and I arrived at CDG in June. The RER part was not bad, and I think we avoided the worst of the morning crush (we were taking the train at around 10). It would have been harder at 8:30! The train was still pretty crowded. What was difficult was the Metro part -- two stops, neither with elevators, both with lots of stairs. I was worn out by the time we arrived at our hotel. So I think you would want to take a look at the stops involved and how much walking you might have to do within the RER/Metro journey. Having said that, it was a huge cost savings. On the way back we took a taxi to the Gare du Nord and the RER from there -- much easier.

We did that, while traveling with three kids...never again! The problem was that one of the long escalators from the metro was out of order, and the youngest two couldn't carry their bags all the way up themselves. Just make sure you can easily carry your own luggage up a long flight of stairs, and you'll be fine.

Also, if you do the same thing when you return to the airport (assuming that is where you are going), make sure you know which terminal you want. It wasn't written anywhere and we were running around the train car, asking folks where we should stop for American Airlines.

crckwc1,

Doable? Yes. Advisable? Not so much so.

We tried it out to Orly last year. The stairs are definitely a PITA and it isn't something I'd do again nor recommend unless there isn't an alternative

How about my situation?

We will arrive at CDG at 7:30am on a Friday. Our hotel is next to the Voltaire stop on Line 9.

My plan is to take RER to Gare du Nord, then change for Metro Line 5 to Republique, then change for Line 9 to Voltaire.

Should I reconsider, instead of taking the Metro from Gare du Nord, we should take a bus instead (I think there is at least 1 or 2 bus lines that run between G du Nord and Voltaire).

If we take the bus, we'll have to pay for the bus ride, right? Whereas if we take the Metro, that is covered by the RER ticket.

I don't think an extra 1.40&euro; would break your budget for the bus ride.

I know, kerouac. Do you think the bus option is better than the Metro? We will only have a 20&quot; carryon each.

I know I'm a broken record on this topic, but I hate taking the city bus with luggage.

I am not fond of taking the RER / Metro combo even with hand luggage only.
If it works for your destination,
I prefer AF or Roissy bus from or to CDG, and taxi to or from my hotel.
The cost is higher , of course.

Sure you can. But I would not, personally speaking, because of the obvious reasons (it's a hassle).

A lot of train-averse people take the <b>Roissybus to Op&eacute;ra</b> and then a <b>taxi to the hotel</b>.

Or do the same thing you would if your ultimate destination were someplace with no air service: train, then taxi. The RER B line goes right down through the middle of Paris, on the border between the 5th and 6th <i>arrondissements</i>. The Luxembourg station is especially easy to negotiate, since there are no interchanges with other lines there.

Check my <u>Bus Primer</u> to see how close you can get to your hotel with a city bus ride.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p?tid=34987572

I've done it but some metro stations have LOOOOOOOOOONG flight of steps that can make the trip unbearable. It's only a couple of minutes' exercise though.

Sounds like the OP's hotel is right next to the metro stop, but for anyone else reading this thread, consider how far your hotel or flat is from the metro stop. We had to walk about 6 blocks pulling our luggage, which is no big deal, except there were lots of cobblestones involved, which the wheels of the luggage didn't like.

There are a lot more bus stops than M&eacute;tro stations, which makes the distance one has to schlep luggage that much shorter. I don't believe any of them have stairs.

With a little planning, it's often possible to alight from a bus in the same block as one's hotel, which is rarely the case with the M&eacute;tro. That's why I designed my bus guide (see above) to be hotel-centric.

If you have a PDA or Smartphone, nanika.net/metro will do much of the plotting for you.

Unless you already have a feel for the bus system, I don't think the commercial bus maps are much good. They're more like references for the seasoned rider.

Having only done taxis over and over again between central Paris and CDG, last summer in a bit of &quot;cheapness&quot; we decided to take the RER to CDG. It was pretty much commuter hours. Our route was simple starting at St. Michel (actually we entered at Cluny which was easier due to escalator and almost no steps). We had a large rolling duffle, a fairly large rolling suitcase, and two carryons., one fitting on top of each of the other two upright pieces. The car was not that filled so we got a place at the narrow end of the car and our luggage was pretty much out of the way. As the train progressed it got more crowded, and then less crowded on our way to the airport. We had no problems at all. And in the end we had gotten from the 5th to CDG in far less time than we ever have in a taxi, and at a tiny fraction of the cost. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat!

It depends on your luggage, the time you'll be traveling, your stamina, you tolerance of inconvenience - and if you value saving a few dollars over dragging your luggage all over hell and gone.

It is certainly doable. It is often quite inconvenient.

I, personally am allergic to luggage on city public transit. (I have reached the stage where I am not interested in being pack mule woman to save $40.)

And - I'm a New Yorker who rides the subway (much more crowded than Paris metro) all the time. Just not with luggage.

Yeah, we took the advice of folks and in Venice took the VERY CROWDED vaporetti from the train station to a location kinda sorta near our hotel. No where to sit, so here we were, standing on a boat with a lot of luggage. (Then, of course, we had to carry it up and down the stairs of the bridges until we got to our hotel.) On the way to the airport, yes I was willing to pay $100 for a water taxi!

Several such trips teach you how many things you don't really need in your baggage, and it changes the way you travel for the rest of your life. :)

We're planning on taking the Roissy bus to Opera and then a taxi to our apartment in the Marais. But is it easy to catch a taxi at Opera?

There are always taxis waiting for the buses to arrive. You should be out of the bus and in the taxi in less than three minutes.

To train or not to train ----
Thanks to all of you for your comments and recommendations. Everything considered, I think we'll take the Roissy bus to the Opera and a taxi to our hotel, although the hotel isn't very far away -- maybe 10 blocks -- too far to roll luggage but maybe too close for a taxi? Any comments on this? I don't want a repeat of a previous experience with an irate taxi driver who didn't want a short fare.

I have never considered myself to be traveling for the convenience of taxi drivers. Tell him to drive you to your hotel or you will report him for breaking the rules (by law, taxi drivers are prohibited from refusing short rides). Mention his name and badge number from the credentials in the cab.

When pushed, I push back.

Missiepie...Yes, it's horrible if the long escalator is out of order. I've been going to Paris almost annually since the mid 70s and most of the time have taken the RER. And more than a few times, the long escalator has been out of order.

And as far as packing light...as Kurouac inferred, many times I did pack light...one medium suitcase and it was a pain to have to lug it up the very long escalator. Then came the metro stairs and at my destination more metro stairs. Maybe it's fine for guys, but it was strenuous for me.

Now, that I'm in my early 50s, I've decided to spend the extra money and take a more convenient form of transportation like many other people do. There are people from all parts of the world on not only the RER. Happy Travels!

The key to using public transportation (if you want to do so) is to choose a hotel for its proximity to a station whereby you do not have to change to additional conveyances. In Paris, we use the RER-B only and walk 400 meters (5 minutes' walk). In Venice, our hotel was 60 meters from the Ca'Rezzonica vaporetto stop. In Rome, we booked a taxi but it was 15&euro; per person, so not bad (and made up for that by using the public bus for sightseeing, since we were 2 blocks from a 'terminal' of several lines).

Robespierre, Thanks for the heads-up about the taxi drivers. I wish I had known to note his name/number and report him. He was quite vile when he realized that we wanted only to go to the Air France bus terminal, not Air France at the airport.

Do I, Thingorjus, take the RER B from CDG to St. Michel in the 5th? My hotel is near the Cluny Musee.

Thin

Absolutely perfect route for the RER, with a Cluny exit to come out.

Absolutely. When you get off the RER at St. Michel, do some searching for the signs to the Cluny metro and exit -- I didn't think it was terribly well marked. But it is infinitely better and easier than exiting from St. Michel and fighting the crowds. You will only have something like 10 steps from the Cluny station up to the street. The rest is escalator and long flat almost empty corridor.

&quot;exiting from St. Michel and fighting the crowds&quot;.....

I am no sure, but I think St. M. exist/ entrance is closed for a while .
?????