RER to CDG, 7AM....
 

....do you think it will be ungodly crowded on Line B from Luxembourg to CDG on a Monday at 7AM? I cannot fathom trying to cram myself and my luggage into an already packed train!

I am hesitant to book an airport van shuttle becuase i am not staying in a hotel but rather in an apt in a residential neighborhood on a tiny, narrow one way street. I can visualize several ways a shuttle connection can go awry: van cannot park and wait if i am not on the curb when he arrives because the street is too narrow for idling cars; when I leave the building I will be locked out forever and cannot go back in to call for a taxi if shuttle does not arrive; I cannot leave until the landord comes and if she is late and the shuttle arrives first then I will be screwed, etc etc etc....stuff like that.)

How much luggae do you have? If it's too much to cram onto an RER, I'd get a shuttle or taxi. I've read several postings about reliabel companies on this board so there should be someone to trust.

As the RER progresses, it will become more and more crowded, but you are getting on before some of the big stations, so I would certainly do it. I have often taken the RER and have always found a place to sit. Boots

Business starts later in Paris as it does in the French provinces or in the States: something like 9 / 9h30. So 7 AM is a relatively easy hour, especially if you are going outwards, whereas most people will be heading into town. If you want to be on an even safer side, make sure you take a direct RER to CDG (ie non stop from Gare du Nord to CDG): you'll get rid of all the banlieue (commuter) traffic

Following up, the "direct" train does not start from the Gare du Nord. It's just that its skips stops between there and the airport. If the Luxembourg RER station is like others, there will be electronic signs on the platform with the stops that will be made by the next train that comes lit up. I'd allow for an hour and a quarter of transit time, including the platform wait for the train.

The non-stop trains from Gare du Nord to CDG don't operate during the peak hours, so that's not an option. However, the train is unlikely to be crowed at 7am, and certainly not crowded between Gare du Nord and CDG (as most commuters are headed into Paris, not out of it).

You can get the RER schedule from the RATP web site, www.ratp.fr. Click on "horaires" (schedule), choose line B and "Tous les horaires de la ligne," and click "Valider." When the next screen appears, use the drop-down arrows to choose Aeroport CDG as "direction" and lundi a vendredi as "jour d'application," then click "Rechercher."

Thanks for the replies. I had a successful trip to CDG on the RER yesterday. I was able to get a seat, the train did not start filling up til we got to Chatelet. I am glad I read the electronic signs as the first 2 trains did not go to CDG.