I've not used the Paris subway but have a one hour train connection between Est and Austerlitz.
Because I often think that I understand something and don't, would someone kindly confirm the following?
The subway line toward Place d'Italie will get me from Est to Austerlitz without a transfer in less than an hour.
Thank you very much.
For connections between station I tend to use a taxi - not that expensive and doesn't involve buying tickets, finding my way through the metro, etc., and with less than hour you have a small margin of error.
Metro Line 5 should do the trick. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_M%C3%A9tro_Line_5#Map Depending on the time of day, a taxi can take longer than the metro. This is a 15-minute trip on the train and assuming you read and follow the signs a 5-minute walk from the train to the Metro. If you have prior experience with mass transit, just not with the Paris system, you should be fine. It's just as easy to follow the signs for the metro as it is to follow the signs for the taxi stand but if you do not have tickets or know how to purchase them, it could make sense to take a taxi.
The No 5 Metro station at Gare d'Austerlitz is an elevated platform, so you'll be able to walk down the stairway to the train platform level.
Yes, Metro may well be quicker than taxi.
The stop at Gare d'Austerlitz is unusual because the metro viaduct runs right through the glass roof of the railway station.
Traffic can be hellish in this part of town; the metro is definitely quicker. Buy tickets for the metro on the train if possible but if not, you can get them quickly from machines that have an English setting and will take US chip/sig credit cards. You just wait when it asks for the pin and push next and it works -- at least we were able to charge our Navigos that way. I would nevertheless have change to buy tickets from machines; I think a single ticket is now 1.90 -- so have 4 Euros in change for the two of you and you will be good (if there are two) obviously more or less if there are more or fewer. The machines will give change.
The blog Paris by Train can be helpful since it contains photos of Paris stations. It's a little less disconcerting to approach an unfamiliar station if you can recognize some of its features. The Austerlitz station is small and so is the section on the blog http://parisbytrain.com/tag/austerlitz-station/
Gare de l'est is larger and so is this coverage
http://parisbytrain.com/gare-de-lest-train-station/
Here is a schematic map of the route on M5 train, direction Place d'Italie. It indicates eight stops, about 12 minutes. That's optimistic; the newcomer will need time to read the signs and get oriented. The RATP website can be sluggish so be patient.
http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ratp/recherche-avancee?start=Gare+De+L%27Est+%28Verdun%29+%28METRO%29%2C+Paris&end=Gare+D%27Austerlitz+%28METRO%29%2C+Paris&is_date_start=1&date=10%2F21%2F2016&time%5Bhour%5D=13&time%5Bminute%5D=50&mode=all&route_type=1&avoid=
I don't think you can "buy tickets on the train" if you're using the Metro.
You'll see the machines or a manned booth in the station, and you won't need a transfer unless you exit the station.
You can buy tickets from the conductor on a Bus, though.
Thank you all very much for your advise. With the information that you provided, I was fairly confident of successfully using the Metro for the first time but took the risk and used a taxi for the transfer. It worked out fine but only because we were lucky to get a taxi quickly at Est. Any way after coming back to Paris and navigating the very manageable Paris Metro for four days, I would definitely not use a taxi anywhere in central Paris again.
Also Southam, I would like to thank you for your assurance in an earlier post that the lower Bastille area was a good place to stay. It was.
Of course to buy tickets on the train referred to the train she is taking to Gare l'Est in the first place; long haul trains sell metro carnet in the bar cars. Of course you can't buy ticket on the metro itself.
