Does anyone have any experience taking public transportation from Gare De Lyon in Paris to the Latin Quarter? We are actually staying in Hotel Les Bulles de Paris near the Pantheon. It doesn't look like a terribly long walk but too far to pull a suitcase.
Call/email your hotel and ask what they recommend
Great suggestion! Thanks so much! Why didn't I think of that?
Bus #63 is direct from the rue de Bercy exit at Gare de Lyon to rue des Écoles, at the bottom of Pantheon hill. There might be other bus lines on the same route but not sure.
However, a taxi is likely to be faster and typically won't cost more than 15€. The metro is not very convenient for that journey.
In Google maps, enter your hotel name. Click “Directions”. In Choose your starting point box, enter Gare de Lyon. Various options will appear.
Click on the symbols at the top. Walking will take 30 minutes. Click on the train symbol (thus includes all public transportation). The bus involves 3 minutes of walking, plus the bus ride. The metro involves 13 minutes of walking. Plus the metro ride, which may involve lots of stairs.
I would take a taxi.
Thanks a bunch! Sounds like a taxi would be the best option here for two adventurous mid-70 year olds with their luggage. Do we tip taxi drivers? And how much?
You do not have to tip taxi drivers. If you pay cash, round up to the nearest €. If you pay by card, you can do the same but would have to tell the driver before they type the amount on the reader (you can't add tips on French card readers) so you might as well pay whatever is on the meter to avoid communication issues.