Directions needed in Paris

http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ratp/recherche-avancee

be sure the time is set for daytime in Paris if you are doing this from the US or Australia so you aren't getting the night buses rather than the day time metro.

The Paris Est station is not Gare d'Austerlitz. Paris Est is Gare d'Est, which is in the northeastern part of the city and Gare d'Austerlitz is in the southeastern part of the city. From Gare d'Austerlitz, I would walk over to Gare de Lyon and take Metro Line 14 to Gare Saint-Lazare. From Gare de l'Est, I'd probably take Bus 32 instead of the Metro.

Wow, I was viewing the map and it showed Gare d'austerlitz, but the train tickets show Paris Est. Thank you for letting me know it's not the same. We have the Paris pass so we were hoping to use the metro or RER train as its included in our pass. Is there a metro line that goes straight to the Saint-Lazare metro? Our hotel is the Hilton Paris Opera, which is what we would be trying to go to. Thanks again for everyone's help!

If you use the site I gave you and put in your start and end point metro stations it will show you the best route to take; once you get to Paris get a free metro/RER map the first time you ride the train.

I would not recommend the Paris Pass. It's not really a "pass". It's just a bunch of stuff that costs way more than the sum of its parts.

Thank you all for the feedback! One more question relating to this.....is it ok to take your luggage on the busses with you? We're only going to have 2 carry ons and a tote bag with us. I didn't know if they frown upon that.

Yes, it's okay to take your luggage on the bus. Just don't put them on any seat or block the door. There is usually a space on the bus where you can stand with your luggage along with moms with their strollers and shoppers with their carts

you can also use Google map for directions .....