Paris: Metro or Taxi?

June 22, 2009 9:55 AM

Which is more reliable when moving a family of 5 across from Paris Gare du Nord, to Montparnasse station -with 1 hr 20 available. Taxi or Metro?
posted by wildatheart to Travel & Transportation around Paris, France (12 answers total)

That should be plenty of time for the Metro, even with transfers. The only caveat I'd have is make sure there isn't a metro strike (even a partial one).
posted by oinopaponton at 10:09 AM on June 22, 2009

Make sure it's not the height of rush hour - if you have small children, the press of people might be confounding. Echoing oinopaponton, definitely check to see if there's a strike (or "grève") the morning before you leave, and check again when you arrive at the station. I didn't know this before recently (maybe everyone else knows already), but often a grève will affect just one or two metro lines.

Otherwise, good news! I just got back from Paris, and my metro map shows that there's a direct line from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse - line 4. You'll want to for direction "4 - Porte d'Orleans" (the other direction for line 4 is "Porte de Cligancourt", which is in the opposite direction). It looks like there are about 14 stops along the way, but it's probably better than changing trains.
posted by amtho at 10:23 AM on June 22, 2009

No contest: I did this a few times already and the metro is the way to go. You should be able to do it in about twenty or thirty minutes, so plenty of time. The only downside is the long hallways (make sure your luggage has wheels), and the inconvenient, annyoing little stairs that seem to pop up randomly in the Paris metro.
posted by NekulturnY at 10:56 AM on June 22, 2009

Oh, and here's the map. Click on the pink line and you can see the itinerary nicely (n° 4, as amtho said).
posted by NekulturnY at 10:57 AM on June 22, 2009

Are you also hauling luggage as well?

Be advised that the staircases in some Metro stations are looooooong, so factor that in.
posted by DandyRandy at 11:41 AM on June 22, 2009

I'm not 100% sure, but it seemed as though one usually had to take stairs going down, and there was often an elevator going up. I never visited the Montparnasse station, though.
posted by amtho at 12:09 PM on June 22, 2009

****I meant escalator, not elevator.***

Elevators were very rare. Moving staircases, more common, especially in the larger stations.
posted by amtho at 12:09 PM on June 22, 2009

My memory of the Gare du Nord station is that it's a bit of a zigzagy, winding maze because of all the lines that go through there, and all the extra people as it's such a major transport hub. So I think the hardest part would just be finding your way to the right line platform. And even then it's just a matter of paying close attention to signs.
posted by dnash at 12:36 PM on June 22, 2009

Metro is the way to go but avoid rush hour if you can, will make it less confusing if you're new to the metro system.
posted by arcticseal at 6:43 PM on June 22, 2009

My family of four ended up hoofing it across Paris in the middle of the night, with luggage, because we arrived after the Metro closed and the taxis would only take three people at a time. They were seriously strict about this.
posted by charmcityblues at 8:39 PM on June 22, 2009

I did this a few weeks ago, around 7am one day and the metro was fine albeit a bit slower than expected.

Gare du Nord is easy to get around and there are maps of the station readily available.

I'd print out a map of both stations in advance though. When I hopped off the metro at Gare Montparnasse, the entrance to the SNCF was closed and on street things were a bit confusing. I missed my connecting train so that sucked a bit.

Do you need to pick up tickets or anything at Gare Montparnasse? Everything seemed easier at Gare du Nord so I'd do it there if that's the case.
posted by kaydo at 8:56 PM on June 22, 2009

The smartest dude in trains - seat61.com - also directly answers your query
posted by kaydo at 8:57 PM on June 22, 2009