Rush Hour on Metro

Pam, I couldn't figure out what your question was until I realized that by "Charles de Gaulle" you did not mean the airport but the metro stop known as Charles de Gaulle-Etoile and usually referred to as just Etoile. Okay. It would be easier to take RER line B or D to Chatelet and then transfer to Line A to la Defense. It will be very crowded no matter which way you go as, yes, it will be the rush hour and you will have luggage and all the lines will be busy. If it were me, I would go somewhere and have a couple of drinks and a snack and let some time pass. Or you could just say to heck with it and take an expensive cab ride.

What are rush hour times in Paris?

I would guess 4:30 or 5:00pm to about 7:00pm. Are you arriving on the Eurostar from London and if so, can you change to a later departure from London?

Pam,

There's an easier route on the metro. Walk through the connecting tunnels from Gare du Nord to the La Chapelle metro station. Take metro line 2 directly to Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. If you don't want to take that long a walk, then take metro line 4 one stop to Barbes-Rouchechouart, transfer to metro line 2, and take it to Charles de Gaulle-Etoile. Avoid the Chatelet-Les Halles RER station and the Chatelet metro station at that time of day. Together they are a huge complex and they will be packed with people.

Thanks all responders. We are coming from Brussels via Thalys. I like the walk to La Chapelle and onto the metro we need.

Pam, if you are going in the direction of Grande Arche de la Defense, I wonder how bad it will be...not ideal, but probably not as bad as the opposite direction. I can say that rush hour in the morning lasts well through 9:30.