Taxi or Metro from Gare Du Nord?
 

In August I will arrive at Gare Du Nord but am staying at the Hotel Le Quartier Bastille 9, rue de Reuilly | 12th Arr., 75012. Would it be best to catch a taxi to the hotel or is it easy enough to catch the Metro. Also which line would we use. I am not sure if we would have to go to another station or catch it at Gare Du Nord. We will also have two smallish cases a little larger than cabin size.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Pharos

If you take the métro, you must either connect twice most likely via République or connect through Chatelet-les Halls walking to Chatelet to continue on M1 to Reuilly–Diderot and walk to the hotel from here.

With luggage and some uncertainty about where to go, I should take a taxi - about 10€ to 15€.

Train stations sit on top of huge metro stations for a reason. Since you have said that your luggage is manageable, I would take the metro.

One person with two cases = an argument for a taxi. Using the metro requires you to go up and down stairs, and it's helpful to have a free hand to put your ticket into the gates and to open doors.

Two people with one suitcase each = the metro is perfectly feasible. The way it works is that you look for the line number (signposts give each on a colour as well) and the ned point for the direction you want to travel. You'll see from the map there are number of options (though I have to say Chatelet is well out of your way as well as being a huge and confusing complex). I've done exactly this trip lots of times, and I'd advise taking line 5 (orange - direction Place d'Italie) and changing at République to line 8 (lilac - direction Créteil) to Reuilly-Diderot. Wherever you change you will have stairs and passages to navigate: this particular combination of lines also meets again at Bastille, but there there's a long hike between the two. You could also go slightly out of your way by taking line 4 at Gare du Nord (purple - direction Porte d'Orleans) and changing at Strasbourg St Denis to line 8, but if memory serves there are only stairs there, whereas at République there are at least some escalators, even if there's a bit of a hike between platforms. If you're coming into the Gare du Nord on Eurostar from London, remember you can get a carnet of metro tickets in the departure lounge at St Pancras, which avoids the queues and "helpful" strangers working the queues at the

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21902/maps/

pressed the wrong key - .. at the Gare du Nord.

Duh. Silly me. The station is Faidherbe Chaligny, not Reully Diderot, but the other guidance still fits. Indeed there's another option: at the Gare du Nord, go to the bus station past the suburban (Transilien) railway lines at one side, and take bus 46 to Faidherbe Chaligny. You will need a ticket from your carnet, and I'm not sure where on that side of the station you can buy one. The only time I've done it I've had a ticket to hand; I think you can pay the driver directly, but it's not usual.

PS - I like that area of Paris, BTW - it's a "regular" neighbourhood where ordinary people live and work.

To be really obsessive, here's a plan of the Gare du Nord layout. Eurostar trains arrive at the bottom, so to speak, and the bus station for route 46 is at the top, on the rue du Faubourg St Denis; access to the metro is very clearly signed.

http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap17/p1020028.htm

Thanks a lot Patrick, that is most helpful. I'm glad you like the area too, I was a little worried about it. Some of the hotel reviews were really good but there were a couple of negative ones. Good advice about the Carnet from St Pancrasalso, we will definitely do that.

Thanks Sarastro and Kerouac. I am not that clear on using the Metro, only had one experience and that was with my son (a few years ago)who knew it quite well so I just went with whatever he said to do. I know that there are different levels for RER and Metro but DH has no clue on how it all works and I am not much better.

Thanks again

If you do take a taxi, the line can sometimes be quite long. It does move quickly though. You should have to wait no more than 30 minutes, maximum. Just don't take a ride with anyone offering a taxi who is not part of the official taxi line.