We arrive in Paris via Eurostar, on a Thursday in June, around 7 p.m. Our hotel is in the 7th, across from Les Invalides. How do we get there? Cab or train? Approximate price? Thanks!

Hi M,

The metro costs about 1E pp.

Directions from Gare du Nord to anywhere in Paris are at
http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php

and the taxi will be about 10-12€, give or take a euro or two (BTW, they charge per bag, it isn't a 'rip off')...

Thank you, Ira and Travelnut. I've printed the directions from that amazingly precise website, Ira. But we might be too lazy to deal with another hour in transit and two transfers.
Travelnut, when you estimate 10- 12 EU, then we add a per bag charge?

The metro would only take about 15 minutes, maybe less.

A taxi can be more expensive than 12 euros, depending on traffic, etc. I took a taxi from the Gare du Nord to the Hotel du Cadran and happened to hit a lot of traffic (it wasn't rush hour, there were manifestations and other problems en route) and it cost me 30 euros. I doubt your taxi ride would cost that much, but I would be prepared to pay up to 20 euros for the ride itself, just in case, plus baggage charges.

I had misread the transit map. Correct directions are: walk approx. 4 minutes to Station Bus RATP Magenta- Maubeuge; take bus to RAPP- La Bourdonnais, approx 34 minutes; walk to hotel approx. 6 minutes.
Sounds simple enough! Unless we're too lazy and burdened with too many bags... in which case, we might take a cab. Hopefully we won't be in rush hour. I guess we'll play it by ear. Thanks for the great info.

I based my estimate on my one/only taxi from Gare du Nord to Hotel St Christophe, by des Arenes in the 5th. Was 9Euro + 2 bags = 11Euro. With taxies and traffic, anything can happen.

You don't have to walk to Magenta-Maubeuge. Bus #42 begins just outside the back door on the east side of Gare du Nord. See map at

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_plans_terminus.php</b>

The route crosses several other lines, one of which will probably get you closer than Rapp-La Bourdonnais. What's the address of the hotel?

I tend to overthink everything...
The directions above are for the Bus to the hotel.
When I put in Ecole Militaire as the destination, I get: walk 3 minutes to Station Metro; take Metro to Strasbourg-Saint-Denis; walk one minute, take Metro to Ecole Militaire. Approx. 23 minutes total, vs. 44 minutes above. So faster, but with a transfer.
Is Metro a train? And Bus a bus, just as it says, like in the states? I confuse myself.

Yes, the M&eacute;tro is the Paris subway train network.

But I wouldn't take it from Gare du Nord to Ecole Militaire. You have to change trains, which involves schlepping luggage through long tunnels. The bus is a much less strenuous and more scenic route.

Newcomers to the Paris transit system should download and print out this booklet, and carry it for reference:

<b>http://www.atkielski.com/PDF/data/ParMetro.pdf</b>

Thank you, Robespierre, for the recommendation re: bus vs. metro. Good to know.
(Even though you don't &quot;get iPods&quot;, I still value your advice! Just kidding...)

Again, thank you, Robespierre for the brochure pdf. I've downloaded it already. But it's 37 pages-- if only I could figure out how to convert it to audio and then load it on my son's iPod... (still kidding, almost!)

HAH!

It's a Portable Document Format file, which can be downloaded to a wide variety of palmtop devices that can also be used for hundreds of other things.

That iPods can't.

I've taken the bus from that area to the Gare du Nord a couple of times and vice versa. It's not a bad way to go, but the last time I did it, the trip took over an hour and the bus can get very crowded at times...hopefully you don't have much luggage. But it's a fairly nice ride.
On the metro, getting off at the Ecole Militaire stop is easy. You take the escalator up...it will put you on the sidewalk close to the La Terrasse cafe. Cross the street to Ave de La Bourdonnais and from there, it's a VERY short walk to the hotel. When we stayed at the Bourdonnais, it took us all of three minutes to walk from the Ecole Militaire stop to the hotel.
The metro ride from Gare du Nord to Ecole Militaire takes half an hour all told...sometimes longer if you've justed missed the metro when you get there. I am often in that neighborhood before I have to get back to the Gare du Nord for the Thalys back to Brussels or the Eurostar back to London. I always give myself 45 minutes for the trip.

BTilke, did you like the Hotel la Bourdonnais?

Did we like it? Yes and no. We loved the direct view of the Eiffel Tower from our room (303). Every night we stayed there, we made a point of watching the lights of the ET turn off. We liked the street very much; it's a lovely upscale residential avenue. Quiet but not isolated.
The room was so-so. It was pretty large for the price and had a real closet and plenty of storage space. But the decor was drab and tired...lots of dark green and faded brown. Supposedly, the rooms have been freshened up.
It has great potential. With the right makeover, it could easily become a 4 star boutique hotel. I'm guessing that such a hotel would do very well in that neighborhood. I will be in Paris in mid-April; if I'm in the neighborhood, I will take a peek and see how it looks.
Nowadays, we spend most of our time in the 16th, specifically in the Place Victor Hugo area, our favorite neighborhood in Paris. We tend to stay at one of the Sofitels there, usually Sofitel Le Parc.

BTilke, thank you so much. That's the one negative I've heard about La Bourdonnais, that it's a bit frayed around the edges. But its location sounds perfect for us, and with decent-sized rooms, hopefully that will make up for it. I've requested a view of the ET, but they won't guarantee it, so I'll cross my fingers. If you get the chance to take a peek in April, would you please post your findings-- maybe in a separate thread? Along with other Paris notes? Thanks again!