The infernal Paris/shuttle/RER issue
 

So I've done careful research (hopefully), and I've finally gauged how much I need for our trip. We leave tomorrow, and we have 2 huge suitcases, a medium duffle bag carryon, 2 backpacks and a 4 yr old kid with stroller. We're gone for 3 weeks that includes city living and skiing for the 3 of us. So for me, I did great on the packing (last year, we had 5 suitcases!)

Our apartment in Paris is on RER B Luxembourg stop, 1 block away. So RER is very tempting. Taxis are very tempting for the 3 of us who will be tired and jetlagged. We arrive at 8:30 a.m. - estimating that we get on a taxi at 9:30, I'm afraid of traffic into city. Finally, shuttles' fixed prices are tempting, but by the time you factor in the 3 of us, it's almost a taxi...assuming about a 50 E fare.

A factor that I must consider is that my son is a TERROR when we land on international trips. He needs 10-11 hours a night, but by the time we settle him into the plane, he usually gets no more than 4-5, if we're lucky. So the less jostling for him, the better. He sleeps well when I hold him, and he can sleep in the stroller but he cannot sleep in taxis/shuttles.

SO...we decided: mom and son will take one backpack and the stroller and take the RER to the apartment. That will cost us about 13 E. Husband will take the shuttle at about 18E (still need to research and contact) with all the luggage (factoring in extras on luggage -- 20-21E. So for a total of about 35Eu max, we will get there, albeit separately. The hassle of the luggage on RER will be avoided (I'm not crazy about stroller and climbs, but will live--I'm a strong girl and it's an easy stroller) and the cost will be manageable. Plus my son will get a stretch of sleep on the stroller in the RER.

What does everyone else think? Just HOW MANY STAIRS are there in CDG/Luxembourg?

merci en avance pour votre aide!

The RER Luxembourg station has relatively few stairs, but given your luggage and child, I would not take the RER on the way in, especially if you need to take the shuttle bus to the RER station. You might feel comfortable enough to take it on the way out.

Hi g,

>...mom and son will take one backpack and the stroller and take the RER to the apartment....Husband will take the shuttle .... with all the luggage ..<

Not something I would recommend. Neither of you will have anyone to help in case of unforseen difficulty - baby throws up, duffle bag gets snagged.

I suggest that you all take a cab and spend less on ski lifts.

((I))
((I))

I would generally agree that taking the RER to Luxembourg is a great idea if you have a place within a block.

However, since you have a child who is a terror, quite a bit of luggage to handle because of that and plan to split up, you are going through all of that -- separate trips, one person having to handle all the luggage, assuming your son is going to sleep in a stroller on the RER, getting to the RER with child and stroller in the airport, making separate arrangements with a van and shuttle, etc. -- in order to save about 15 euro? I've never spent more than 50 euro on a taxi, but I know that you cannot predict and something could happen. I don't think anyone has ever reported a fare higher than 60-70 euro, though, on here, and that was really rare.

It wouldn't be worth it to me, but if you value that amount of money enough to do that, it sounds okay. The Luxembourg RER stop is definitely one of the easiest, smaller ones. They even have escalators there.

No doubt in my mind, I'd take a cab!

I agree. Take a taxi!

We used the RER in Sept. It is very economical but not designed for the weary, carrying extra baggage and a child.

Please take a taxi... it may cost 15€ more but that is peanuts for what you will avoid by taking it. You can make up 15€ somewhere else.

Okay, Taxi it is. Part of me wanted to be like a local "going into town" with my son. We've been to Paris many times, but never by RER and it sounded like an experience.

BUT -- when is rush hour? If we leave CDG at around 9:30, won't be be reaching Paris around 10 a.m.? Is that still rush hour? I wanted to avoid sitting in traffic for a long time because I get really car sick. The RER wouldn't have that.

Thanks!

I'd say the carsickness possibility trumps all other considerations (that and the Taxi Terror). Mom will have to take the train, because the travel time by any nausea-inducing surface method may become protracted.

Rush hour won't be a consideration on the RER, because you'll be embarking at the end of the line where the seats will be plentiful. It's all but over by 9h30 anyway.

But if dad can handle the luggage on the shuttle, why wouldn't he be able to take it on the train, too? Each parent wears a backpack, mom carries the duffle and pushes the stroller, and DH carries two suitcases. Luxembourg shouldn't be a problem for a strong girl.

I think you have WAY too much stuff to be taking the train. Yikes. Take a cab, you'll be into town before you know it.

By the way, if you do take the train, don't forget to take off your backpack and put it throught he gate first or you could get very stuck.

You're trying to save a few euros, but get your tip off to a hectic start. Why?

Sounds like a real nightmare in the making. I've never gone to Paris with anywhere near that much luggage, and have done it alone with two small kids in tow, and the one time we took the RER I thought I was about to expire by the time we got out of the métro station. Never again for me!

At 9:30 in the morning it should take you about 40 minutes to get to your hotel. Too bad you get carsick - Parisian cab drivers fly like the wind! I'd take a taxi and pop a half a dramamine after you land.

Bonne chance!

I totally agree with St Cirq..for about 10 Euro more , you all arrive together, door to door , no need toschlepp luggage and no stairs!

I've taken taxis into the city many times and don't remember ever getting stuck in traffic. I think I'd be more likey to get motion sickness on the RER zooming along underground than above ground where I can see where I'm going.

Your plan for the RER sounds like a nightmare in the making. There are too many variables, especially with a tired, unpredictable four year old. Take the taxi, make up the money somewhere else, and then check out the situation at your RER stop when you're in the city and consider it for the return trip.

Have a great trip.

Divide the cost of a taxi by the total cost of your trip, and you'll see how pointless it is to fret over the cost of getting to and from the airport.

We took the cab at about 8:00am and it was stop and go into the city. It was fine though.

Okay, I'm convinced. Cab it is!! Hope I can get one big enough to fit the luggage...Thanks all!! I can't wait!

Please take a taxi..It is worth the price..

this may be too late for the OP, but I'd take something with ginger in it for the car-sickness.

Up to the point that OP said she gets carsick, I would have agreed that springing for a taxi was the best solution.

It's not a question of money, but one of comfort. If OP doesn't feel any discomfort riding the train (" I get really car sick. The RER wouldn't have that.") then I don't see the advantage of getting doped up on one's first day in Paris just for the sake of taking a taxi, when the transport problem can be solved by other means.

Take a cab and take some bonine.

When riding in the taxi, keep your eyes closed. After a couple of blocks, most people do)

Why are you taking loads of luggage anyway? That in and of itself is going to make for a difficult, frustrating trip.

Carsick from sitting in traffic....interesting.

The RER is the LAST place you need to be IMO.

If getting car sick is a major issue, and I understand it as my daughter gets sick in a car while she can read in the subway or train, help your husband and 4 year old get into the taxi with all the luggage and you take the RER. They should have little trouble going from the curb to the hotel lobby at the other end of the ride.

But that ignores the consideration that the tyke can sleep in trains but not so in taxis/shuttles.

<i>Tous les trois en voiture!</i> - All (3) aboard!

I sometimes get carsick with taxis myself, but I had no problem with the RER. Also taxis don't have carseats for kids, so the RER would be a safer form of transport. Would it be possible to send your luggage ahead to the hotel(or store it somewhere) and then take the RER somewhat luggage free?

I don't know what this problem is that people have with luggage on the Regional Express.

Many travelers carrying large amounts of luggage routinely move from city to city on trains. There's no significant difference between taking a train from CDG to Luxembourg station and riding one from Gare de Lyon to Lausanne. Yes, there are gates and escalators. These require a few minutes to negotiate and you're at street level.

I wouldn't say it took my cousin, her husband, and toddler with their car seat, stroller, backpacks, and luggage a few minutes to board the RER from CDG. The elevator was busted. And again from the RER stop to the street didn't take just a few minutes.

I wouldn't say your anecdotal experience is relevant. Just an outlying data point, that's all.

For a jetlagged family carrying toddler, stroller and luggage, I would say YOUR estimate of just a few minutes (3 minutes?) to manage everything and everybody is the outlying data point.
The anecdotal experience of one Fodorite is every bit as relevant as the insistence of another.

Stand at the exit from any RER station for a few minutes and you will see dozens of travelers laden with all manner of encumbrance somehow accomplishing the impossible.

Robespierre:

Have you used the RER with a bunch of suitcases, carseat, stroller, and toddlers? I'll bet not. I already stated this but my own anecdotal experience is that the RER is a nightmare under such circumstances.

The one and only time I did that I could barely keep track of my kids and my luggage because it was so crowded, we nearly missed our St-Michel m&eacute;tro stop because there were so many people exiting and entering there, and the schlep once we got out of the RER car through the m&eacute;tro was well nigh a killer - and we had remarkably little luggage compared to this poster.

What's this board all about, anyway, other than anecdotal experience?

The OP is one of a couple who will each have one thing in each hand. If the two of them can pick up everything and move it without having to make more than one trip, the RER is feasible.

<i>&quot;The one and only time I did that I could barely keep track of my kids and my luggage because it was so crowded, we nearly missed our St-Michel m&eacute;tro stop because there were so many people exiting and entering there, and the schlep once we got out of the RER car through the m&eacute;tro was well nigh a killer - and we had remarkably little luggage compared to this poster.&quot;</i>

<b>And I only am escaped alone to tell thee.</b>

Do you have kids, Robespierre? If you do have kids, have you travelled by RER with small children, stroller, car seat, and baggages?? I think you should realize that these other posters have been through what you are suggesting the o.p. should do. It didn't work well for them. Who knows if those families who you saw 'accomplishing the impossible' were thinking they made the wrong decision by taking the RER? At that point they had no other choice but to go through with it.

The OP said &quot;...2 huge suitcases, a medium duffle bag carryon, 2 backpacks and a 4 yr old kid with stroller.&quot; A car seat was not mentioned.

Him: 2 huge suitcases (one in each hand) and a backpack.

Her: Medium duffle bag in one hand, stroller with kid in other hand, and a backpack.

I still don't see what the problem is.

Mme. Robespierre and I have traveled with small children and all four hands full without difficulty.

You may be correct, but Ishmael got on the wrong ship.

LOL! But all he had left to deal with was the coffin.

No, I'm the one who mentioned a 'car seat' because I was referring to other people who do have to take car seats. My cousin's child was only 16 mos. old so they needed to take a car seat. I'm glad it all worked out for you and Mme. Robespierre, but it doesn't work for everybody. Therefore, the taxi option is a good one in my opinion.

I thought we were trying to figure out a way for OP to do this. They <i>don't</i> have a car seat, so the inability of anyone else to carry one is irrelevant.

The lady <i>does</i> experience carsickness, therefore the taxi has been eliminated.

They have four hands and four things to manage. What could be simpler?

I think one other consideration is whether, after getting themselves, their child, and their luggage onto the RER, they will be able to secure adequately their belongings. There is an awful lot that will require their attention and, while I think reports of pickpocketing and theft in Paris are exaggerated, I do think it's a relevant concern, especially when they may not be able to devote their attention to keeping luggage and backpacks secure and whatever attention they do have will be tired and jetlagged. It won't be terribly crowded when they get on the train, but it will start to fill up as they get closer to the city.

My vote is for the taxi or shuttle. I find the whole RER experience to be rather stressful. During my last stay in Paris this past September, I had trouble getting a ticket for the train in Terminal 2. The lines were incredibly backed up and people were having trouble with the automated machines. I ended up taking the Air France bus instead, after wasting considerable time and energy. Nevertheless, on my return trip to CDG, I took the RER. After lugging my bags down the street and down the stairs (why do they have an up escalator but not a down?), I couldn't buy a ticket. I didn't have enough change and my credit cards wouldn't work. I ended up asking a very kind man to buy the ticket for me on his credit card, and I gave him cash. Granted, I may have have been doing something wrong, but the point is that I found it needlessly rather stressful. Cost isn't everything.

My two cents. . . .

Kate