Hotel Recommendation between Montparnasse and CDG

December 3, 2015 8:09 AM

I'm traveling through Paris on Saturday and need some hotel recommendations.

Sadly, my Parisian coworkers have offered me zero insights :(

I'll be coming into Paris Saturday evening or late afternoon via Gare Montparnasse. My flight leaves Charles de Gaulle in the morning. I would like something with easy access to the metro between the two as my bag is super heavy. Any recommendations?

Ideally it would be in the city somewhere (but not crazy expensive?) so that I could enjoy a dinner or something and not be in airport hotel land.

posted by theRussian to Travel & Transportation around Paris, France (6 answers total)

Best answer: CDG is on the RER B line rather than a metro line. Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame is on this line and in a nice area, lots of restaurants, and not the most crazy expensive part of Paris.
posted by ellieBOA at 8:50 AM on December 3, 2015

You'll be transferring, as above, so could could really pick anywhere along the way. Last year I stayed at the Hotel des Mines. I hesitate to recommend it, exactly, as it's quite basic and small (just over 6 feet wide in one direction) but it's well located 350m from an RER B stop (the CDG line) in a safe, residential area next to the lovely Jardin Luxembourg. It's also quite cheap by Parisian standards and was perfectly suitable for purpose, which was to spend not one minute in the room that could not be spent roaming the streets of Paris. The staff were friendly and helpful. It's Paris, so there are a hundred decent restaurants within a 15 minute walk. If you really want convenience and nice sheets, there are a half dozen hotels on the same block as the Montparnasse station itself, which is a very scenic and bustling area, especially toward Boulebard Edgar Quinet. There are also a number of AirBnB rentals in the Tour Montparnasse, the only skyscraper in Paris proper, which is immediately adjacent to the station.
posted by wnissen at 9:55 AM on December 3, 2015

I love staying in the Montparnasse distict, my favorite hotel there is Le Littré.

It's about a 10 minute walk from Gare Montparnasse, and the M4 Bienvenüe station sits in-between the two. You can take the M4 to Les Halles for the RER.

There are a number of nice local bistros within walking distance of the whole thing on Boulevard Montparnasse. La Coupole if you want to splurge.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:30 PM on December 3, 2015

Wait, I realized there is a hotel a like that is real close (three blocks, depending how you count) to the Gare Montparnasse.
It's Hotel Delambre; not super cheap but also good value. The neighborhood is lovely, just a block away is the crepe district (Rue du Montparnasse and Boulevard du Montparnasse) and in the other direction the Cimitiere du Montparnasse, not as famous as some of the others but absolutely worth a look.

If you are a huge seafood fan, try Le Bar a Huitres and a half bottle of Muscadet. Heaven on earth. Also, if your bag is really that heavy, it will cost you about 10 euros to take an UberX to the RER station, at most. Unlike the US, UberX in Paris is professional livery drivers. Highly recommended over cabs.
posted by wnissen at 2:57 PM on December 3, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks, y'all! This has been helpful. Especially the part about how to get to the RER line. It looks like the Saint-Michel area has some hotels through my company's travel agency that are completely reasonable.

Also, after a botched Airbnb reservation (I had expected to check out on Saturday but turns out I gotta be out tomorrow morning :( ), I have packed my bag and it is not as heavy as it was on my trip here. So, yay that will make Saturday easier for me.
posted by theRussian at 3:02 PM on December 3, 2015

The Pullman next to Gare Montparnass. The Les Cars Airfrance shuttle to CDG stops directly across from it. EU 17.50 gets you to CDG in about an hour or less.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 6:22 PM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]