Susan

We will be arriving in Paris via train from Strasbourg. Is there a shuttle service similar to the airport shuttle for the train station? Or will we have to take a taxi? Don't really want to do the Metro w/luggage. Are there plenty of taxis at the station or would we need to call one? Thanks!

Larry

Susan, see the "shuttle" thread I brought to the top for you.

Miane

I guess your hotel is also in central Paris. Paris is a compact city and all train stations are within the ringroad, so journeys will be short and I would definitely recommend that you take a taxi--very affordable and much more comfortable.

Susan

Thanks for the quick reply. We will probably plan to take a taxi. Larry, thanks for the shuttle thread, but I had already seen it. Nothing in there about one from the train station.

elvira

A couple of additional details:
Taxis are small, and usually hold no more than 3 people - so if there's four or more of you, you'll need a van or several taxis, especially if you have lots of luggage.
Depending upon the time of day, you can wait in line for an hour or more for a cab (been there, done that, wanted to cry). If your hotel is on a direct metro line from the Gare de l'Est, and you're carrying light, it might be faster by metro.

Yellow

Also be aware that taxis will charge you a small additional amount for your bags, so the amount shown on the meter will not reflect the whole cost. Good to know this so you will not be embarrassed by questioning the amount when it is higher than what is shown. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip but it is nice to tip them a small amount anyway...

Susan

I appreciate this additional info. There will only be 2 of us and, although we don't plan to do 3 weeks with only a backpack, we won't have tons of luggage, so we will still try for a taxi. Elvira, we're staying at the Grand Hotel des Balcons, which has a very close Metro station where rue de l'Odeon meets rue Ecole de Medecine. In case the taxi line is a mile long, would this be on a direct line from the train station? Thanks so much for your help.

kathryn

Hi, Susan,

We stayed at the Grand Hotel des Balcons in November. The Odeon metro is about 2 blocks away towards the Seine, and the Luxembourg RER station is about 3 blocks away in the other direction. You could easily walk from the Luxembourg station to the Balcons(we did, however, find it more difficult to figure out the RER system than that of the Metro.) If you're interested in my trip notes regarding the Balcons, restaurants, etc., E-mail me and I will send them to you.

Kathryn

Deb

I took the metro with my luggage and had no trouble whatsoever. The Metro is easy to use once somebody explains the basics and I found people there more than willing to help.

elvira

Straight shot, baby. Take the #4 direction porte d'Orleans, get off at Odeon, 9 stops. In each car there's a map of the stops, and the stops are signed really well in each station. Check the map, and each station as it comes up. Watch people to see how they open the doors (sometimes it's a push button, sometimes it's a handle) then at St Michel (the stop just before Odeon), get yourself organized, stand up, and get off at your stop. Piece o' cake. Of course, the fun part is when you reach the top of the stairs "where the h**l are we?". If you can see a street sign and know for sure where you're going, no problem. If you don't, you can ask someone ("Excusez moi, s'il vous plait" goes a long way), or one stay with the bags while the other goes on a scouting trip. It's a matter of a minute or two, and you're off like a terd of hurtles. Sometimes there's a map of the area at the corner (my sister is very fond of "vous etes ici") so you can get your bearings.

Pat on the backs all around for successfully negotiating the metro!

Susan

Elvira, thanks so much! So nice to have such exact directions for your first foray into the Metro. I appreciate your help.