Travel from CDG to Paris Montparnasse Train Station

I don’t have the info you are looking for, but I have seen it posted in numerous places that that bus is no longer running.

There is a website that walks you thru with text and images, how to use the RER out of CDG. I found it very helpful for my pre-trip peace of mind (we leave in 12 days). It’s ParisByTrain dot com. Has lots of info — scroll down a ways to get the specific info related to CDG

Also, you can use the Transilien website to put in your travel info (departure and arrival station, day and time) and it will tell you all of the options. I’ve found it to be very helpful to plan our train trips while in Paris.

Oh, and on Transilien, it needs you to put in the exact station, so you may need to review the map to see which metro or RER station is closest or best for your needs. Some very well known tourist places will come up just with the name, but generally I had to play around with station names to get the best routes.

I'm really surprised a RS consultant pointed you to Le Bus Direct, since they haven't been running in at least a year.

Besides the RER+Metro combination you know about, you could take a taxi straight from CDG to Gare Montparnasse. There's a flat fare, I believe now 58 euros (someone else may be sure). That would be considerably more than RER+Metro, but if there are more than a couple of you the difference isn't that great and the convenience might be worth it. At the CDG terminal follow signs to taxis, there will be a line of them with a dispatcher right outside. Don't go with anyone who approaches you in the airport offering a ride, they'll rip you off.

Another option would be to take RER to Denfert Rochereau and then a taxi to Gare Montparnasse, an additional fare but much less than all the way from CDG. The fare will be based on distance + time, with a meter. My map shows a taxi stand on Boulevard Raspail just north of Denfert Rochereau.

There's no need to tip taxi drivers unless you get exceptional service.

Hi Braswell- another vote with Dick to

"... take RER Line B from CDG to Denfort Rochereau station and then take a taxi to Gare Montparnasse".
I would not " take Metro Line 6 from Denfort Rochereau ..or maybe walking because it appears to just be 1.5 Kilometers, to Gare Montparnasse". The connections in the Denfort Rochereau station usually require a loooong walk and a 1.5 Km walk outside of the Denfort Rochereau station to Gare Montparnasse is almost a mile. Walking a mile with luggage is a non-starter for me...
Have a great trip!!!

RER+métro costs about €21 for 2. Taxi is €58. The extra €37 would be very well spent in my opinion...

the route from CDG to Denfert Rocherou and then the 6 to Montparnasse is quite straightforward and can be done on one 10.30 ticket. There are a lot of stairs in the transfer at Denfert-R and you must be pickpocket proof. If you can easily handle your luggage on stairs and you have a way to stow all valubles under your clothes it is fine. We had an apartment near Edgar Quinet stop on that line years ago and this is the route we used. But if possible taking a cab from CDG for 58 Euro is by far the best way. When we did this 15 years ago my husband who was carrying our two larger suitcases, while I carried the messenger bags was surrounded by 3 thugs who frisked him for his wallet -- this is ot the usual pickpocketing by skilled artisans, -- usually you don't even notice it happening -- these were just 3 big jerks who thought they could make an easy score. Since I had our valuables in a money belt under my clothes, they got nothing. They were chased away by an irate local. I think this was a rare event but it highlights the need to always be pickpcket proof on public transport.

Yeah that is not good of the consultant. Le Bus Direct closed down in early 2020.

If you arrive CDG sometime in the morning, traffic into Paris can sometimes be such that it will take 90 minutes by taxi to reach Montparnasse. If time is an issue, the RER B to Denfort Rochereau, typically takes around 45 minutes. If you wanted to take a taxi from the RER B to Montparnasse, disembarking at Port Royale would be much faster than going on to Denfort Rochereau. From the Port Royal exit, the taxi ranks are to the west, just across blvd St Michel.

I deeply appreciate all of these extremely helpful posts that lay out our choices, as well as the cost of the choices, very nicely. And I appreciate the extra warning to get serious about valuables in our money belts, too! Merci beaucoup!

There is one other possibility for this - Take the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau . Just across the street is Bus # 88 . a 5 minute ride will drop you a half block from Montparnasse Station . I'll be doing it this way when I arrive in late August . here is the routing - https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Denfert-Rochereau+-+Froidevaux,+75014+Paris,+France/Place+de+Catalogne/@48.8366972,2.3211065,16.5z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e671b82719e4ef:0xe15cd4e88cb7ebdd!2m2!1d2.331564!2d48.834681!1m5!1m1!1s0x47e6703543244bd5:0xf3921bf255cd269b!2m2!1d2.319168!2d48.8372504!3e3

Hi Braswell,
I am leaving for Paris soon and face the same dilemma you asked about.....getting from CDG to Gare Montparnasse.
What did you end up using as transportation?
Researching it has given me a headache.
Many thanks for your input.
And thanks to all who contributed answers to this question.

https://parisbytrain.com/

This blog has been around for years and supplies lots of information about getting around to the trains as well as riding them. Some of the major terminals contain illustrated advice. Seeing pictures of where you are navigating can help build confidence.

Dear Funrunner10K,
We decided since we would arrive sleep deprived and very rusty with our French, we would just take a taxi to Gare Montparnasse. We were very glad we simplified this part of our journey, and over the course of our 3 week trip in France we become more adept with using the bus and trains. Have a lovely trip!
l_braswell

Glad it worked well for you with the cab from the airport -- that is IMHO usually the best way.

Re suggestions of taking train to Denfert Rocereau and then cab -- cabs cross town are the worst -- you can really get hung up in traffic. Cabs from the airport use the peripherique and then dip into the city near the destination and are usually fairly speedy -- but cabs cross town can be incredibly slow. We have made that mistake, literally from Montparnasse to an apartment not far from Denfert Rochereau and it took well over an hour. The 6 train would have been there in a fraction of that time. We try to avoid cabs in the city especially on long cross town trips; the metro is always faster.

Thank you Braswell and all for the extra notes.
I may just pay for the taxi...less complications though I don't normally use taxis.
Chris