Paris details

Guy Est- wasn't he a goalie for the Montreal Canadians?

Sorry for the error of Guy vs Gare. I was looking at tiny type on a bus map and must have dozed off for a second with my progressive lenses. We will be using 4 Paris train stations as we will be on the TGV for a few days and returning from another city.

Google maps is great because you can enter the addresses of where you are and want to go and select walking as the mode. You get a nice map with directions and an approximate distance and time to see if it is better to walk or take transit.

We plan to do a lot of walking and I think 20 tickets will cover 5 trips for 4 people nicely for our duration.

Thanks for the assistance.

Steve, what do you mean by the "public bus"? Can you give us the route number? The OP was referring to a bus he had heard of that goes from train station to train station, apparently as a convenience to travellers. If you know of it, it could be useful information. As for credit cards in the metro ticket machines, last year neither our Canadian Visa nor Mastercard worked, but maybe they will next time we go, since you say the US ones do.

I'll take a stab at some of your questions, but first, it is GARE de l'Est and GARE du Nord, not "Guy", Gare being the French word for "station". May as well get it right in case you have to ask someone there for directions.

Last time I was in Gare du Nord there was a kiosk on the main concourse for tourist info, museums passes, metro maps, etc. They will probably accept an American Credit Card for payment but there are plenty of ATMs around for you to get euros, should there be a problem.

At the metro station on the lower level there are manned booths where you can buy carnets of metro tickets with a credit card or euros.

I have never heard of a bus that tours the RR stations in Paris and my Paris bus route map yields no clues about this. Metro Line 4 would be faster for you anyway.

Near Gare de l'Est there are tons of cafes & small restaurants if you can''t find anywhere to eat in the station.

Have a good time.

Steve,

I used the travel book and just checked off the places on page 43 of the Paris book we want to see after reading about them. A 2 day pass works out cheaper and faster since we have a pretty good idea of what we wish to see in each museum or Church. Since my kids are 13 and 16, do they get in free with us and can use the same entrances or is there a child pass version? I plan to bring the kids ID with us, they are taller then I am now.

Paul,

If you're going to do a lot of walking, sharing tickets from carnets is definitely the way to go.

The only bus I know of that links train stations is Air France bus #4 that goes between Gare Montparnasse and CDG with one stop at Gare de Lyon.

According to the Journey Planner on the RATP site, going from Gare Montparnasse to Gare de l'Est by bus would require making one transfer. You'll be better off taking Metro line 4 directly between the stations.

Since they're both under 18, your kids will get in free at any museum that accepts the Paris Museum Pass and they can walk in with you.

Thank you, Tim, for confirming what I was already pretty certain of, and I figured that if the bus number (that is, one bus connecting the stations) was available at ratp.fr we'd all know of it by now.

Well, I didnt read all the posts in hear so I hope someone didnt already say this, but your Eurostar ticket (after use) gives you a 5 day deal of buy 2-get-one-free for museum tickets!!!! FYI

well let me clarify: I mean buy 2 tickets for the price of one

Just a thought, you can buy a carnet for the metro in the Eurostar station at St Pancras. It would be just one less thing to worry about when you get to Paris.

Thanks for all of the tips and advice.

Our hotel is near the Cadet Metro stop near the Opera District. Google maps has this being a short 15 minute walk from Gare du Nord.

We are packing light to make this trip easier and enjoy the local sites via foot.

Is this a relatively safe Parisian walk around noon or should we cab or take the Metro?

Yes, very safe.