Rush hour in Paris
 

Travelling from London to Paris on the Eurostar in late August. We"re thinking of arriving around 4 pm. Would this time be considered rush hour or would it be better to arrive earlier?

You're arriving by train, rush hour traffic should't bother you unless you're planning on heading out of Paris by car.

Actually Robert, I was on the RER during peak hour along with 3 girlfriends and all with luggage. We weren't popular!

Should not be so tough at the end of August. It still remains the time when many Parisian families are gone on holiday.

"We weren't popular!"

Did you care? Did anyone else?

Rush hours are busy. Cities are busy. Even my microtown gets busy for about 4 seconds when the trains arrive.

To arrive in Paris any earlier than 1600 means getting from wherever you are in London to St Pancras during London's far, far, more congested morning rush several hours.

People in big cities, whatever tourists might think, really don't care whether someone on a metro's got a rucksack or not.

If you're averse to crowds of people, the world's stuffed with deserts and you really ought to avoid proper cities.

Yes, it will be rush hour, though only the beginning.

If you take a taxi to your destination it will have to contend with the traffic, and it will cost you more than at 8 PM. but consider it part of the cost of the trip.

We took the Eurostar 1330 from London to Paris about two weeks ago and had no significant traffic problems at either end.

>>People in big cities, whatever tourists might think, really don't care whether someone on a metro's got a rucksack or not. <<

They do if they insist on wearing it, and turning round in a hurry. But that's easily solved without re-booking the Eurostar.

Metro trains can be quite busy at almost any time, and even if one is rammed, there'll be another in a minute or two. Just make sure you can manage your luggage up and down a couple of dozen stairs without significant damage to yourselves. If that prospect daunts, take a taxi (Parisian buses, by the way, can be even more crowded than the metro).

PS: you do know you can save yourself a bit of hassle at the Gare du Nord by buying a carnet of metro tickets in the Eurostar lounge at St Pancras? There's an annoying mark-up (they charge £15 for the carnet), but I like to avoid the queues and scammers/hangers-on at the Gare du Nord.

Is it because of the luggage? 4 pm in August shouldn't pose a problem and there will be no school children. The last week of August, Parisians are usually around but not necessarily working.

You can buy a carnet at the buffet car on the train too.

>>People in big cities, whatever tourists might think, really don't care whether someone on a metro's got a rucksack or not. <<

Tell that to the people I saw on a Paris bus who got into a fight when a woman in a wheelchair wanted someone to move their suitcase for her. The bus driver ended up ordering everybody off the bus and the fight, which now involved eight or ten people, spilled out into the street.

>>Tell that to the people I saw on a Paris bus who got into a fight when a woman in a wheelchair wanted someone to move their suitcase for her. The bus driver ended up ordering everybody off the bus and the fight, which now involved eight or ten people, spilled out into the street.<<

Somehow, I would expect to see M Hulot in the middle of all that...

4pm is not quite rush hour on the metro. Where are you going from Gare du Nord?

Vaneau station will be my ultimate stop.

Even here in Boston are rude or unaware that their rucksack , back pack takes up so much room, backs into me. There shouid be signs, Remove your backback

Cigalechanta I agree re backpacks, they can be an absolute menace.

And flanneruk, yes I did mind that we were in the way and that our luggage was an obstacle.

cathies - at least you realised/felt bad! I have the impression that many don't. On the RER it's not so bad as there can be more space depending on the day, but the metro trains are actually quite tiny and suitcases/backpacks can really get in the way.

At 4pm though you should be OK, OP. Head for the front or rear carriage of the train for extra space.

I live in a big city and believe me, I care when people are on the metro with backpacks on, they take up extra space and hit people and very few of them pay any attention to that big thing on their back.

And it isn't just an issue of "do you care?" that you are annoying someone, the fact is that sometimes the cars are so crowded in rush hour that you literally could not get on with a lot of luggage and stuff on your back, same for buses.

But I don't think it will be a big problem in this case.

Flanner -

Wrong - so sorry. When I see people trying to get on the subway with luggage - or back packs - I am NOT pleased. They are taking the space of 2 or 3 people - and are often clueless as to how to keep their stuff out of everyone's way. And at rush hour it often simply isn't possible even to get on a train.

If it were me I would leave London earlier and make life more pleasant for myself - as well as everyone else..