VBulletin is a paid service, costing about 100£/year if you keep up with all the updates.  PHPBB is free which lends itself to the try-before-buy methodology, which I did. The Paris by Train forums are active enough that I felt it was time to upgrade to a “commercial” forum software, which has more refinement, features, and especially SPAM protection.

Stop by and post a question that you have on traveling Paris by Train and I’ll try my best to answer it within 48 hours.

Apologies for the site outage between March 4th and 7th.  There was another site (of mine) on this web server that went haywire and swallowed up all the memory and most of the CPU processing power, rending my dear ParisByTrain site unavailable.

Rest assured, I’m still here and the site will stay up as long as it stays a useful resource for travelers coming to Paris.

The new job and new and soon-to-be-furnished apartment are taking up all my time currently, but I hope to get back to answering questions and adding articles in a couple of weeks.  The new apartment won’t even have Internet for at least two weeks, so that’s a major issue.

Anyways, I’ll try to keep a closer eye on ParisByTrain and make sure things are running smoothly.

Take care all,

Ben

It’s quite an interesting, if not inspirational, talk in itself and I recommend it for a watch to anyone who has to deal with the creative process in their work (hopefully all of us).

For me personally, Paris by Train draws its inspiration from the belief in spreading knowledge and having a positive impact on people’s lives.  One of the biggest effects I hope this site has is to reduce anxiety.  It can be a tough thing to set foot in a country where there may be serious barriers to communication.  The idea of not being able to get to shelter or to feed yourself due to an inability to simply communicate is a scary thought. And to some it is enough to stop cold any ideas or dreams of visiting far off places to experience different cultures and perspectives.  So, Paris by Train is my small stab at helping make this leap of faith by travelers a little bit less scary, allowing them to focus on the beauty of discovery & learning different places & people.  To help people look forward to such an experience with anticipation instead of anxiety, I think is something well worth the effort.

Find a route from CDG to Paris Metro Station

Here is a step by step example of finding a route from CDG Airport Terminal 1 to St. Sulpice Metro station in Paris.

Step One - Route Planner

First, open up the Paris Metro Route Planner in a web browser. You’ll see a page similar to the one shown here.

Step Two - Departure Metro Station

First decision to make: Address or Station?  If you know the name of the Metro station closest to your final destination, click on the radio button next to Station

In this example, we’re leaving from CDG Airport Terminal 1.  To enter your departure station enter: Aeroport CDG 1

If you’re arriving at CDG Terminal 2 enter: Aeroport CDG 2. To find a route from CDG Terminal 3, use Aeroport CDG 1 as this is the closest station to Terminal 3.

Step Three - Destination Metro Station

Next, we’ll select a Destination station.  In this example we’re going to St. Sulpice Metro station.  Select the Station radio button and type St Sulpice in the text box below.

Step Four - Options

By default the route planner will search for the fastest route between the departure and destination stations.  At times this can result in several connections between several Metro or RER train lines. If you’re traveling with heavy luggage or suffer from mobility issues, choosing fewest connections or shortest walking distance options may result in a better route.

Step Five - Departure Time & Date

There is an option near the bottom of the Route Planner that allows you to enter the Date and Time that you plan on making this journey.

It’s important to specify the same day of the week and approximate time of day (in 24 hour clock) that you will be making this trip to get accurate results.  You do not have to specify the exact date & time of travel if this information is not available.  If you’re not sure of when you’re traveling, simply choose a time and day that makes sense, i.e. don’t use a time in the middle of the night. Somewhere between 8am to 9pm (21 hours) will give you good results.

Step Six - Being Precise

Click the Search button (bottom right corner) to start the Route Planner.

99% of the time the Paris Metro Route Planner will not show you a route, but will instead ask you to specify more precisely the departure and destination stations

The Paris Metro Route Planner will ask you to select from station names that closely matched your search criteria (Aeroport CDG 1 and St Sulpice).

Most of the time the suggested stations are correct, but you can click on the selected items to see the other suggestions.  Above are the exact station names that the Paris Metro Route Planner needs to use.

Finally, click again the Search button.

Important! The Paris Metro Route Planner will open a new browser window to show you the route results. This is considered a “Pop-Up Ad” by most browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer and their Pop-Up Blockers will not show the route planner results window.  You need to allow your web browser to show this Pop-Up Window, either permanently or just for this session.  To permanently allow the Route Planner to show Pop-Up Window route results, see the Purdue University page on allowing Pop-Ups from certain websites.  For the “address of Web site to allow” use: ratp.info.  The RATP uses several Web servers to provide the Route Planner results, so it is important to specify only “ratp.info” rather than www7.ratp.info or something similar since that number “7″ will change from time to time as the website spreads out the server traffic load to several different Web servers.

Step Seven - Review Route Planner Results

The Pop-Up Paris Metro Route Planner results page will show something similar to this:

Examining Route Planner Results

Looking closer at the results we see that the Paris Metro Route Planner gives total Travel Time for the journey (51 minutes).

Each part of the journey is broken down into steps specified along the left hand side column (1 & 2):

Each step shows details on which line you must take, in which direction, and which station you need to descend or stop at.

This first step specifies the type of train: RER, the line: B, the direction: Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, from the departure station: Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 1, and the destination station which is either your final destination or the station where you’ll need to transfer to another line: Chatelet Les Halles. At the airport train stations, on the train platforms, you can verify the direction of the RER train by looking at the overhead television screens which show the direction and departure time of the train.

Note: the direction for trains leaving CDG is not important if you’re destination is within city centre Paris, since the RER B train stops at all RER B stations within Paris itself: Gare du Nord, Chatelet Les Halles, St Michel Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert Rochereau, and Cité Universitaire.  Thus, if you see a different direction name listed on the overhead television information screens than the one you received from the Route Planner, don’t panic, the train will stop at all the downtown Paris RER stations.

See the following photo guide articles for more information on catching the RER B train from Paris CDG Airport to Paris city center: CDG Airport Terminal 1 to Paris and CDG Airport Terminal 2 to Paris.

In this example, the second leg of the journey is completed on a different type of train: the Paris Metro, Line 4.  In this step, direction is very important.  Every Paris Metro line will have two (or more) directions which are specified by the name of the last station on the line (the terminus station) at that end of the line.  In this case, the direction is Porte d’Orleans.

When you are transferring from the RER B train line to Metro Line 4 at station Chatelet Les Halles, you’ll have to follow signs within Chatelet Les Halles that show Metro Line 4 and the direction Porte d’Orleans, if the sign you’re reading denotes directions.  Not all signs within Metro stations show line directions (to save space) and some signs show both directions, since you’re so far away from the actual Metro train plaforms that the path you’re on leads to both sides (and directions) of the Metro line.  Only when you get close enough to the two train platforms, each heading in opposite directions, will the Metro signs start specifying a single direction/terminus station.  For this particular trip, the opposite direction for Metro Line 4 is Porte de Clignacourt, but we’re after Porte d’Orleans.

On the right hand side of the Route Planner results is a column specifying the time each part of the journey will take, including walking time (in green) to the train platforms themselves.

The final piece of information on the Route Planner results is the Paris Fare Zones you’ll be crossing during your journey.  This tells you the approximative cost of the trip and the type of ticket required for the journey.

In this case, CDG Airport to Paris (any Metro station) is a special fare and is priced as such: 8,40€.  For journeys purely within the Paris Metro system, the Fare Zones are 1-2, and will require only a single Ticket t+ at a current cost of 1,60€ (as of Feb. 2009).  Any journeys beyond zones 1-2 will require additional Ticket t+ tickets good for the Metro and Bus, or special station to station priced tickets called Billet Ile-de-France.  Tip: Billet Ile-de-France tickets, when arriving or departing in central Paris, such as on this trip from CDG Airport to Paris, are good for both the Paris RER and the Paris Metro; you’ll use this single ticket on both types of trains to complete your journey.

Ready to try this for yourself?  Here is a pre-saved version of the above journey: Aeroport CDG 1 to St. Sulpice Paris Metro Route Planner search.

If you’re looking to get to know the local food scene in either Paris or the Provence region of southern France, you need to get in touch with Rosa at either Edible-Paris.com or PetitsFarcis.com.

Read about a typical cooking class with Rosa at Gourmet magazine.

First misconception: Pro tickets are first class train tickets.  This is not true.  Pro tickets can be bought for seats in either the first class or second class train cars on TGV trains

The main difference between Pro (Business) and Loisir (Leisure or Economy or other types of) tickets is their refund/exchange policy.

Exchange and Refund Conditions for TGV Pro tickets:

• TGV Pro tickets are exchangeable for another TGV ticket on any other TGV train route, without exchange fee, up until your train leaves. You must pay any differences in fares, if applicable.
• TGV Pro ticket holders, from one hour before your scheduled departure to one hour after your scheduled departure, may take trains on the same route, without exchanging your ticket.  This does not guarantee you a seat!  If you have time, you should visit a automated ticket vending/exchange machine (Yellow for any type of TGV ticket, Purple for Pro TGV tickets) to officially exchange your ticket and reserve a seat.
• TGV Pro tickets are fully refundable up until the time of departure of your scheduled train, free of cancellation fees.
• After your scheduled train departs and up until 60 days afterwards, you will lose 50% of your ticket value for any refund or exchange of the ticket.  After 60 days, an unused TGV Pro ticket is worthless.
• Exchanging/Refunding tickets using automated machines or ticket counters in any major train station is free of charge.
• You may cancel/refund a TGV Pro ticket by telephone at any time up until 60 days after scheduled departure. To speak to a SNCF travel agent by phone to exchange/refund tickets call 08 92 35 35 01 when in France (0,34€/min).

If you are unsure of your travel plans in terms of schedule, it may make sense to purchase TGV Pro train tickets. Loisir tickets are exchangeable, free of service charge, up until the night before the day of travel.  On the day of travel, Loisir TGV tickets are subject to a 10€ exchange/refund fee (plus difference in fares if applicable).  After the departure of your scheduled train, Loisir tickets are worthless.

Luggage storage at CDG Terminal 1 is located at Gate 14, Depatures level
Luggage storage at CDG Terminal 2A - Gate 3 Departures level
Baggage storage at CDG Terminal 2F - Gate 4 Arrivals level (one level down from Departures, ground level).

There is no baggage storage at the CDG RER/TGV Train station itself.

Below is a photo of the luggage storage service counter at Paris Airport Charles de Gaulle (Terminal 2F Arrivals level, third kiosk on the right). The name of the baggage storage company is Bagages du Monde.

Please keep in mind that the baggage storage company at CDG is not open 24 hours a day. Be sure to check that it will be manned when you need to collect your luggage.

Bonjour Monsieur,

Je vous confirme que les comptoirs Bagages du Monde dans les terminaux 1, 2A et 2F sont toujours en ouverts.

Vous trouverez les localisations, les horaires et les contacts de ces comptoirs en suivant les liens ci-dessous:

Terminal 1: http://www.bagagesdumonde.com/agences.php?s=rencontrer&id=5

Terminal 2A: http://www.bagagesdumonde.com/agences.php?s=rencontrer&id=6

Terminal 2F: http://www.bagagesdumonde.com/agences.php?s=rencontrer&id=7

Merci d’avoir visité notre site.

Cordialement,

Marie – Service Information Clientèle

Aéroports de Paris

Service disponible 7 jours sur 7 de 06h30 à 23h30

Have a great week everyone.

• TGV high speed train from CDG to Disneyland, or
• RER B city train from CDG to Paris, then RER A train from Paris to Disneyland Paris

TGV trains from CDG to Disneyland take only 12 minutes to complete the journey. Ticket prices for CDG to Disneyland vary from 15€ to 30€ for first class tickets (more legroom, wider seats).  Tickets can be purchased ahead of time: see Buying TGV Tickets for more information.  CDG to Disneyland tickets can also be purchased upon arrival at the Terminal 2 train station.  A related article, CDG Terminal 2 to Paris, has some photos of CDG Terminal 2 that should help you get your bearings in this station.

RER trains from CDG to Disneyland always connect at Chatelet Les Halles underground station in central Paris.  Ticket prices for RER train travel from CDG to Paris, then Paris to Disneyland at Marne La Vallée station cost 14,85€ as of January 2009, requiring two tickets to complete the journey. Travel time is roughly 80 minutes, station to station.

See the articles Paris to CDG and Paris to Disneyland for more information on taking RER trains from CDG to Disneyland.

High speed TGV trains from CDG to DisneyLand Paris take just 11 minutes to travel between Charles de Gaulle Airport TGV station and the DisneyLand Paris park gates. TGV train ticket prices vary from 15€ to 24€ each and can be purchased ahead of time from:

• RailEurope.com for USA residents
• RailEurope.co.uk for UK residents
• RailEurope.ca for residents of Canada
• and TGV-Europe.com for other travelers

CDG to DisneyLand Paris trains leave from a train station located inside of Terminal 2 at CDG Airport. For instructions on getting to the CDG Terminal 2 train station see the article CDG Terminal 2 to Paris photo guide. (Note that the TGV train station is located opposite of the RER train station, which is described in the previously mentioned article. The picture above is the CDG Terminal 2 TGV train station.)

Ticket purchases for the TGV train from CDG to DisneyLand Paris can also be made directly at the airport train station from the Grandes Lignes section of the ticket office. CDG to DisneyLand Paris train tickets can also be purchased from yellow ticket vending machines available throughout the station. But, keep in mind that most North American credit cards without embedded smart chips nor PIN number protection will not work with these machines. These TGV ticket vending machines will appear similar to the ones shown in the photo below.

CDG to DisneyLand Paris Schedule

Trains from CDG to DisneyLand Paris leave the airport with a frequency anywhere between 15 to 60 minutes apart. The first TGV train leaves CDG at 06:54 and arrives at DisneyLand Paris 12 minutes later. The last TGV train from CDG to DisneyLand Paris departs at 21:55 in the evening, seven days a week.

Search for exact TGV train times CDG to DisneyLand Paris at RailEurope.com or RailEurope.co.uk depending on your location.

Useful Links

Save 15% by booking online - Disneyland Paris