Tuesday, March 27, 2012

RER from CDG to Paris- calling all experts

When I land at CDG this spring, I plan to take the RER to my apartment in the 6th. I checked the RATP website, but I would like to run the itinerary by anyone on this forum who could confirm it for me.



We land at Terminal 1 (USAir), then take the shuttle bus to Terminal 2, where we can get the RER-B, which can take us directly to Luxembourg Garden (Gare Luxembourg). From there, it is an 8 minute walk (according to the RATP site) to Le Senat, which is a half block from our apartment, on Rue de Tournon.



Does this sound right?



Thank you for any help or advice offered.




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That is correct. There are actually now 2 RER stations at CDG:



T-1 has an off-site station which requires a ride on a shuttle; alternatively, you can take a different shuttle over to T-2 to the RER station that is actually inside the terminal





You can create a pedestrian %26#39;itinerary%26#39; on www.mappy.com and enter %26quot;RER Luxembourg%26quot; as the start and your hotel address as the destination.





Actually, I just did it for you:



http://linktrim.com/4d5




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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;We land at Terminal 1 (USAir), then take the shuttle bus to Terminal 2, where we can get the RER-B, which can take us directly to Luxembourg Garden (Gare Luxembourg). From there, it is an 8 minute walk (according to the RATP site) to Le Senat, which is a half block from our apartment, on Rue de Tournon.



Does this sound right?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;





YUP....with perhaps this %26#39;trick%26#39; up your sleeve. When you get to the RER %26#39;B%26#39; station at CDG board a car at the REAR of the train. The reason for this is so that when you get to the LUXEMBOURG station, the EXIT you come out of up at street-level (there is an escalator up to street-level from the train platforms) will be close to Place Edmond Rostand...and a shorter stroll from the station exit to your apartment on rue de Tournon.





If you want a local street map of your apartment%26#39;s location on rue de Tournon (and perhaps a photo of the facade of the building so you know what to look for) that you may print out and carry with you as an aide memoire, try entering the address into the PAGES JAUNES mapping site--



http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en





For what it%26#39;s worth, rue de Tournon runs from Blvd. Saint Germain to rue de Vaugirard (at Jardin de Luxembourg, with address numbers running higher FROM #1 up at St. Germain to the #30%26#39;s (approx) at Vaugirard.




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And if you have time, as you work your way around the Place Edmond Rostand to the rue de Medicis.....stop at DALLOYAU%26#39;s at 2 Place Edmond Rostand...and pick up a bag of macaroons (and other little treats) to snack on as you go.




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When you land at CDG, walk outside and take the YELLOW shuttle bus marked %26quot;ADP%26quot; to the %26quot;Gare%26quot; (train station). The trip takes about 10 minutes.





Walk downstairs. Look for the line at the ticket office. Buy your tickets from the clerk at the office and ask any questions you like, they speak English. Credit cards are accepted.





Don%26#39;t even try to buy your tickets from one of the machines.





I would check with your hotel on which station to get off and how to proceed from there.





Also, I have lived in New York City for over 40 years and I have never SEEN anyone get pick-pocketed. I personally witnessed two people get their pockets picked on the RER/Metro. Be careful. These low-lifes target tired and disoriented travelers.




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There are a couple of other %26#39;tricks%26#39; for using the RER %26#39;B%26#39; ligne transfer. The FIRST is that once you have collected your baggage and passed through the French Customs controlled EXIT, all you will need from here on out is enough cash (8 €uro per person) or your credit card to purchase your RER tickets and any Paris streetmap you may be carrying (STREETWISE PARIS is great for general planning and touring purposes) in a convenient pocket. So...with this in mind, make certain that all of your possessions are secure on your person--snaps snapped, zippers zipped, flaps flapped. Have your %26#39;act together%26#39; BEFORE you take it %26#39;on the road%26#39; to the RER station. Once you purchase your RER tickets from the agent at the station, keep them readily at-hand in a convenient pocket. You will need this ticket to insert into the RER turnstile / gate to EXIT the station when you arrive at LUXEMBOURG. In this way, your ticket will be handy as you approach the EXIT turnstile/gate and you can watch others asd they pass through to see where the ticket goes and how the turnstile/gates work. Then pass through them as if you did this every day. The only time that you might need your wallet during the trip from CDG to your apartment will be as you pass Dalloyau%26#39;s for those macaroons.





For what it%26#39;s worth, there is the Marché Saint Germain in the immediate neighborhood of your apartment. There is also the daily street market across Blvd. Saint Germain along rue de Buci (Mon-thru-Sat--fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, the best roasted chickens in Paris)...and a CHAMPION supermarché located in the same neighborhood on rue de Seine (btwn Blvd. St. G %26amp; Carrefour de Buci).




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One more %26quot;tidbit%26quot; about the trains from CDG is that during the day, every other train (the KROL) is an express train. And although you won%26#39;t save time by waiting for one if the local train (the PEPE) is ready to leave, you will avoid the many stops where people will be getting on and off the train (often a benefit to those of us with luggage because it means fewer times of shifting, apologizing, etc). If there is a PEPE train ready to leave, and you opt to wait the 7-8 minutes for the KROL train, you will arrive only about 3 minutes later then the local (PEPE) train, had you taken it.




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Thank you one and all for not only confirming my itinerary, but offering me such helpful insider information, stuff that I just would never have known from the RATP website. I%26#39;m glad to know that at least I read the RATP route map properly, but where would I be without all of your little tips and tricks? That%26#39;s where a website like this is worth its weight in gold. I never even considered %26#39;where%26#39; I would buy my RER tickets, let alone how. And the turnstile advice is most helpful, too, as is boarding at the rear of the train - this really lightens my load in terms of simplification.



I have read about pickpockets on this site before, but I am hoping that I am a little streetsmart after being born and bred in Philadelphia, and taking public transportation for many years. But, good advice about the tiredness/disorientation factor - you can never underestimate that.



I think we%26#39;ll try to look for the KROL train, if possible, so we can avoid too many people tripping over us, and vice versa. Great suggestion.



Travelnutty, your link actually expired, but I went to mappy.com myself, entered my itinerary, and brought up a 7 minute walk to my apartment - lovely. I%26#39;ve been on the site before, but never knew you could do pedestrian routes - who knew? Great resource.



With these important details out of the way, I can concentrate on what%26#39;s really important -trying to decide which treats I will want to eat from Dalloyau%26#39;s!





Thank you again, all.




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Here%26#39;s another tip to protect against pickpockets that I learned from spending some time in Brooklyn: put a big fat rubberband around your wallet. Why? Well, try pulling that wallet out of your pants pocket with that rubber band around it - you%26#39;ll see why.




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Though the %26#39;K xxx%26#39; trains make a couple fewer stops between CDG and central Paris, the %26#39;P xxx%26#39; trains only take four(4) minutes longer--39 minutes vs, 42 minutes. So perhaps more important that whether the train is an %26#39;express%26#39; or not might be whether a train waiting at the station has seats near the door at a car toward the back of the train---this to make exiting the train with your bags easier and more straightforward when you arrive at your station---up and out when the doors open.




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KDKSAIL - I think you%26#39;re right, and I will follow that suggestion. TY

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