Am I reading this correct? Does the blue line that comes from CDG stop at Gare L'est or do I have to go to Gare du Nord, leave the station and walk/ taxi to L'est. If so, how much time do I need to make a 1409 train to Koblenz if I arrive from CDG at1125 am .Thanks Mark
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
It is correct that the RER line B does not stop at the Gare de l'Est station. According to the seat61.com website, it is a ten-minute walk between the two stations (Google maps suggests it is about half a mile). Alternatively, you could switch to the metro if you do not want to walk, as it is just a one-station ride on metro line 4.
According to the Paris Transport trip planner, the travel time from the airport to the Gare de l'Est is 44 minutes, including walking time.
Posted by
OP
Salt Lake City, Ut, USA
44 posts
So the best stop would be the Gare du Nord station?
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
That is correct. Just get off there and walk it as the time to walk is less than getting down into the metro, waiting for a train, and then heading out of the station.
Posted by
OP
Salt Lake City, Ut, USA
44 posts
Thanks, do you think I would need to order the tickets in advance or could I get them at a kiosk in the station?
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
I presume this is for the trip that goes from Paris to Luxembourg, and then Luxembourg to Koblenz? If so, the first trip is on a TGV (French high-speed train), which has mandatory reservations. TGVs can be popular, but since you need to reserve it anyways then I would suggest you do it now to be safe.
The second train is an IC (Intercity) and that one is a toss-up. You can reserve now if you want, but you likely will be able to have a seat so long as you do not travel on a holiday or anything like that.
What I would recommend is that you reserve the first trip on the TGV via the tgv-europe.com website. Other posters have pointed out that if you select your country as Great Britain then you can purchase through the website, and pick up your tickets at any France train station so long as you show your credit card. While you are at the station picking up your reserved ticket, you can also then buy your ticket (and reservation if you wish) for the next train from Luxembourg to Koblenz.
You can reserve the whole thing in advance if you wish to, but I am not sure how to reserve the Luxembourg-Koblenz portion. The TGV website will not let you as the train does not originate in France, and since it does not originate in Germany I could not seem to get the option to buy it on the Deutsche Bahn website either. The Luxembourg rail website is only available in French and German, and even if you did reserve through them I do not know if you could pick up your tickets at the train station. Thus, I think your only options for reserving the Luxembourg-Koblenz train in advance is to go through Rail Europe, but they charge a markup.
Posted by
OP
Salt Lake City, Ut, USA
44 posts
Thanks for all your help. The problem that I have run into now is that I have a magnetic strip and my credit card company doesn't have a "chip" and the automated machine only accepts chip card and not "magnetic strip" won't work. Any other ideas? I feel if I use rail Europe they will squeeze me like an orange( Valencia or Florida u pick ha ha)
Posted by
Ottawa, Ontario,, Canada
521 posts
You can use an old swipe card to pick up your tickets as long as you go to a ticket window - you cannot claim them at the automated machines.
I had heard that, in the US, the Amex Blue card has a chip, but I do not know for sure. Anyways, just use your existing card.