1st time in Paris and need to know if this is correct schedule.
CDG take RER/B to Gare du Nord Station
@/Nord follow connections signs and walk thru tunnel to Magenta RER Station. At Magenta,take RER/E to Hausman/St. Lazare. At Hausman, exit to street and walk 5 minutes to Gare St. Lazare for connection to Bayeux.
If above is correct, are there signs to St.Lazare when I exit @ Hausman?
I will be alone and French is poor.
Thanks for any other suggestions
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
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Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8950 posts
We don't speak French either and found ourselves getting a bit lost underground at the station, so glad that we left time for this. The above ground thing is easy. We went to Google Earth and looked at it there, even printed it up. (husband does this for every place we go, so we can see landmarks, etc, and so don't walk around looking so lost.
Other then getting turned around a bit, we made it to the train to Bayeux fine. Oh, you are going to have a wonderful trip there. Bayeux is sooo pretty.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Tony,
The route I'd probably use is:
RER "B" from CDG to Chatelet (Chatelet-Les Halles is a "super transfer station" - some walking will be required)
Metro Line 14 to Saint-Lazare (direction St. Lazare)
Travel time should be about 30 minutes. As I recall, one of the RER lines is an express line to Gare du Nord, while the other makes stops. You might want to have a look at www.parisbytrain.com for a look at some photos of the station.
One important point to mention is that when you arrive at CDG, it would be a good idea to have a "chip card" for the automated ticket machines. The queue at the ticket office can be horrendous at times, so buying your RER ticket at the machines is often a far better option.
I was there a few weeks ago, and found that the first ticket machine I tried (with a chip card) wouldn't work, however the second machine worked fine. The ticket is good for both the RER and the Metro for a specified time (as long as you don't exit the system).
I've only got "basic" French skills and manage fine, however you might want to pack along a copy of Rick's French Phrasebook. It's a good idea to at least use the basic polite words as much as possible.
When you arrive at Gare St.-Lazare, it's a bit of a walk up to the SNCF station from the Metro, but there are escalators. Just follow the crowd and you'll eventually find the tracks.
Bayeux is a wonderful town! Have fun!
Happy travels!