We will be arriving at CDG on a Saturday morning, and hopefully the subway strike will be over in another few weeks when we get in. I am debating whether or not to use the RER B to get into Paris. Certainly taxis would be the easiest option, but the price of the RER is very attractive. It looks like the RER St.Michel-Notre Dame subway stop is but a few steps away from our hotel on Rue St. Jacques (Henri IV Rive Gauche). I am just wondering if anyone knows if elevators or escalators are available at this station stop. We will have suitcases, and I wouldn%26#39;t want to lug them up a set of stairs, but if elevators or escalators are available I think it would be doable.
Thank you.
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I%26#39;ve been up escalators in this station but I don%26#39;t know what exit I was heading for. Not all exits have an escalator and it%26#39;s a rather large underground station.
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There is an elevator at this station, but last time I was there (3 weeks ago) it was under repair. Hope it will work well when you%26#39;ll arrive.
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I%26#39;d never rely on escalators in Paris if I were you. Even in CDG RER station they don%26#39;t always work...
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If I understand this right, the two of you are going to get off a mid-morning flight from somewhere with a full load of luggage-let%26#39;s say 10:30 by the time you clear customs. You are in terminal 2 and have to take the shuttle to terminal 1 and the RER station. You wait outside and wrestle your luggage on and off the bus. Then you negotiate the worst designed terminal in Europe to the train. Once there you go into Paris where the elevator and escalators may or may not be working and finally fetch up at your hotel after a 1-2 hour ordeal. You can%26#39;t check in yet but you have used your energy.
Do yourself a favor and check on this site for postings about the various mini-van shuttles. It is more expensive but much easier to your system-delivers you to the hotel. Park your luggage in their storage--probably at no charge- and unwind at a nearby restaurant over some good food and wine.
Your body will thank you and your significant other will approve--unless you are schlepping all the luggage.
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Ok! Thanks for the reality check! It doesn%26#39;t sound like I really want to do the RER after all! I didn%26#39;t realize that you couldn%26#39;t get the RER directly from Terminal 2. The shuttle services seem to get mixed reviews on this site - the other possibility might be to use the Air France buses to Gare de Lyon and get a cab to the hotel from there. Of course, this may end up costing close to what a cab would cost directly from CDG, so it might be better just to get the cab in the first place..... Hopefully the strike will be over in the next couple of weeks, because it sounds like if you get a cab from CDG in the traffic mess that the strike has created, it will cost a small fortune.
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****** of COURSE you can get to the RER from Terminal 2 as the RER is IN Terminal 2, between Halls C/D and E/F.
If you want to go to the other RER station, you take the CDGVAL lightrail, NOT a shuttle.
If you have traveled overseas before and are accustomed to public transportation and trains, then the RER isn%26#39;t that difficult. But if this is your first trip over, you will have to learn to manage your jet lag, and it might be best to take a more direct transportation method.
I haven%26#39;t read any bad remarks about
www.parishuttle.com
www.beeshuttle.com
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%26gt;%26gt;You are in terminal 2 and have to take the shuttle to terminal 1 and the RER station. You wait outside and wrestle your luggage on and off the bus. Then you negotiate the worst designed terminal in Europe to the train.
Wow, this is so not true! As travelnutty said, the RER station is IN terminal 2 itself. I find it extremely easy to walk to the RER station even from the furthest reaches of Terminal 2, and there are plenty of free luggage carts to use. Or, you can take a free intra-terminal bus that loops around Terminal 2, but I like the walk, as it feels good to stretch my legs after a long flight. And, I find the signage in Terminal 2 excellent.
If you are unused to public transit, perhaps taking the RER after a long flight might not be the best idea. But otherwise, I think it%26#39;s super easy and efficient. And, you won%26#39;t face rush-hour crowding on a Saturday.
Be aware that even if you spring for a private shuttle, it%26#39;s no guarantee of smooth sailing. A friend whom I was meeting in Paris last month booked a private transfer with Parishuttle, and her driver was late. He finally showed up, but when they emerged from the terminal, he found his van being towed away (for illegal parking). He started arguing with the tow truck driver and then abandoned my friend at the curb, while he jumped into the tow truck as it was moving away! My friend had to call Parishuttle 3 times, and they finally sent another van over an hour later. This might have been an aberration, but it%26#39;s one that she paid 80 euros for; Parishuttle denied her any compensation, saying %26quot;These things happen%26quot;. I had a much faster trip and totally stress-free experience on the RER.
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Thank you, travelnutty and travelbug for the additional input. Maybe we shouldn%26#39;t write off the RER B after all. We arrive on a Saturday morning at Terminal 2A. So it sounds like that might be %26quot;the far reaches%26quot; of Terminal 2? I think that given there are free luggage carts, the walk might be alright after the long flight. We%26#39;ve done lots of travelling so we are used to big airports and all the variables that go into making these kinds of arrangements.
I have read so many stories about problems with the shuttles, and I don%26#39;t want our experience to be the aberration. It sounds like we have three options: RER B, Air France buses, or a taxi. I am hoping to hear more about the functionality of elevators/escalators at the St. Michel/NotreDame stop as the trip gets closer. Perhaps I can e-mail our hotel and see if they know anything.
We sounds like we can make up our minds upon arrival, depending on how jet-lagged we are. And, if it is pouring rain, we just might opt for a taxi----
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%26gt;%26gt;We arrive on a Saturday morning at Terminal 2A. So it sounds like that might be %26quot;the far reaches%26quot; of Terminal 2?
Yes, 2A is one of the halls furthest away from the RER station, but it%26#39;s still quite an easy walk, I find. Here%26#39;s a web page that you may find helpful:
easycdg.com/pages/cdg_airport_access_by_metr…
Go to the section that says %26quot;From Terminal 2%26quot; and click on the %26quot;by walk%26quot; link to see a map of the Terminal 2 layout.
Perhaps KDKSAIL will weigh in on the escalators at St Michel-Notre Dame. His encyclopedic knowledge of the RER stations was most helpful to me when I had a question about the escalators at the Luxembourg station.
After hearing about various %26quot;aberrant%26quot; experiences people have had with shuttles, both shared and private, I do agree thatt I%26#39;d choose a taxi if I were to splurge on door-to-door transportation.
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Thanks travelbug for the link to easy cdg. It looks like a 10 minute walk to the RER station, so alot will depend on how much sleep we get on the plane. It%26#39;s also not clear to me that I want to give up on using the shuttle - maybe that%26#39;s still a possibility, especially if we keep our promise to ourselves to try to pack lighter.
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