Bonjour, All! I am in Paris right now and planning to catch a very early train to Strasbourg next Monday. I want to give myself enough time to get to the train station from the area around the Palais Royale, but am wondering if the metro starts as early at 5 a.m.?

Want to report that Paris is as glorious as ever!

The first metro runs from Palais Royal at 05:40 AM. If you want to check metro timetables, the website is www.ratp.fr and the timetables are on the left hand site, where it says Horaires. Hope this helps. Enjoy Paris. Tilda

Thank you, Tilda. I does not look like I will have enough time to get there by metro, does it? Any ideas?

Leburta

A taxi??????

I'd gladly spring for a taxi if I thought I could hail one that early in the morning. I'm just up the street from St. Honore, which appeared pretty busy today, so maybe there will be taxis. I also saw buses running just down the street (there a stop right in front of my building -- #48 -- but I don't know where it goes. Maybe the bus is another good alternative, if I can figure out the routes.

Leburta,

is it possible to call and order a taxi in advance?

I realize in Paris that ordered taxis generally drop the flag the minute they start moving but wouldn't that be a lot simpler?

Just a suggestion.

I realize everyone doesn't have the same money priorities as I do and whatever happens I am sure it will work out for you.

You know, Dukey, at that hour of the morning, I may just have to do that. I logged onto the ratp site and checked the bus routes. I can pick up a bus a few blocks away near the Comedie Francaise, but it looks like the route, though quick, does not start early enough. Sometimes one just has to bite the bullet I guess!

Thanks for your encouragement!

Leburta -

Paris buses don't start that early either, but there is an all-night bus service called Noctilien. It is considerably more sparse both in routes and frequency than the day buses, but you might be able to manage it.

The maps and schedules can be seen at http://www.ratp.info/informer/noctilien.php - let me know if I can be of assistance interpreting the information there.

I was in Paris two weeks ago and needed to get to CDG very early to meet my mother and ordered a taxi the night before from Taxi Bleu. They were really prompt.

Thank you all. A taxi it is. I will try Taxi Bleu.

ROBESPIERRE: I do need your help with a bus question. Perhaps I should post a separate message, but will hope you get this. I'm going on a St. Martin Canal trip that ends in Parc de la Villette. I've gone to the RATP site and gotten a bus route back, but when I tried to get times for a later itinerary, it wouldn't give me anything past 12:20 p.m. We arrive at Parc de lat Villette at 5 p.m. and plan to return right away by bus if the #75 is running. It requires that we transfer to a #29, which makes me nervous. I'm not a French speaker, so I'm afraid that I'll miss the stop and the trip will turn out to be fiasco of two lost souls! I could take a metro if one goes out there, but thought the bus ride would be more interesting. How do I find out if the bus runs after 12:20?

Thanks again for all your help!

Leburta

Sorry to butt in, but it's a quiet day:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/cartebus.php

Click on the arrow at the top to move up the map. Find Route 75 at Porte de la Villette, click on that, and then "horaires" and then "horaires de ligne". Last departure from La Villette is 2030.

Jiggle around on Porte de la Villette and it opens another window with the option "plan de quartier": shows the bus stops for the 75.

Zoom in on the map where bus route 75 crosses bus route 29 - it's where rue des Archives crosses rue des Francs-Bourgeois/Rue M le Comte in the Marais. I wouldn't have thought there'd be much difficulty in locating the appropriate bus stop, but if you miss the junction, you'll be passing plenty of metro stations.

The stops will be displayed in the bus, either on an overhead alphanumeric display, or (if the newest equipment is installed) on an illuminated map that lights each stop as it comes up.

You might want to carry along a printout of the N° 75 route from here:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...&nompdf=75

and the 26 from here:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...&nompdf=26

Note the stop on both maps called <b>Mathurin Moreau-Simon Bolivar</b>. This is where you will change from the 75 to the 26.

In this view, tinyurl.com/2ytbjk, you can see the detail for each stop by hovering your mouse over the BUS icons.

There are two stops for each of your lines, centered around the intersection of Mathurin Moreau and Simon Bolivar (the latter is marked by the red target). The N&deg; 75 will stop just west of the intersection, and the 26 is just north of it.

Thank you all again. You're the best!

Leburta

For those people not yet in Paris, don't forget that, as of July 1st, you will be able to connect to different buses with the same ticket for a 90 minute period.