public transportation in Paris

Here's a nice easy way, and dead cheap, too. Buy some metro/bus tickets in the Gare du Nord. There is an information kiosk on the main concourse where you can get them. Go out the front doors of the station, turn left and walk up the laneway at the side of the station. This will take you to a bus terminal at the back of the station.. Look for the Bus No. 42 stop. It is the beginning of the route so you will get seats and room for your luggage. Get off at Champs de Mars (the stops are noted on an electronic board on the bus) and you can walk to your hotel. It is very, very close. Please have a Paris map handy so you walk in the right direction.

Michele - You don't mention what time of year you will be traveling. These directions will work if you are traveling before August 9. From Gare du Nord take Metro Line 5 direction Place d'Italie to Republique. Change at Republique to Métro Line 8 direction Balard to Ecole Militaire station. If you are traveling after August 9 these directions will work. From Gare du Nord take Mettro line 4 direction Porte d'Orleans to Strasbourg-Saint-Denis. Change at Strasbourg-Saint-Denis to Métro Line 8 direction Balard to Ecole Militaire station. From Ecole Militaire station it is about a 5-10 minute walk to your hotel. The following information was on the RATP website:From Monday, May 16, 2011 every day because of work, the station Strasbourg-Saint-Denis is closed on line 8 Subway until Tuesday, August 9, 2011. (The station is served by lines 4 and 9)

It's about a fourty-five minute walk; three miles or so. The metro will make it in about twenty-five minutes plus another five minutes walk to the hotel. That'd stiff you about two and a half bucks. Flip a coin. If you've got a lot of stuff, a wild guess on a taxi is about twenty bucks.

You can find recommended public transportation routes between any two points in Paris at this website: http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/tourists/ The Eurostar train station in Paris is the Gare Du Nord.

If you have previously used the Paris metro then you know what you are facing carrying your luggage. If it is your first time I would take a taxi which will drop you off at the front door. Even with a walking map you can have trouble reading the map and going in the proper direction. The metro can be hard if you have more than one suitcase as I learned several years ago. I now use the AF bus if the stop is close to my hotel. Next week will be landing at CDG for the weekend and the AF bus stops right across the street from my hotel. They even have a worker who loads your suitcases for you.

I'm kinda liking the Bus 42 plan...! http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/cartebus.php (click on the little blue square that says '42' on it; Line 42 will 'light up') Unless something has changed, you can also purchase Paris metro tickets (works on buses, too) in London before you board; that's one less thing to deal with when you arrive in Paris.

Will you have a carry on or a larger suitcase? If you just have a carry on then by all means use the metro. If you have a large suitcase (or two) then spring for the taxi esp if you're have a travel mate. You can be faced with multiple staircases with the metro plus getting your suitcase thru the turnstile is not much fun.

Will you have a carry on or a larger suitcase? If you just have a carry on then by all means use the metro. If you have a large suitcase (or two) then spring for the taxi esp if you're have a travel mate. You can be faced with multiple staircases with the metro plus getting your suitcase thru the turnstile is not much fun.