Getting Up and Down with a Stroller RER/Metro and other Paris, France Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The RER can be a great way to get around Paris. With a toddler and stroller you must take be prepared for anything. Some RER stations have elevators but as we encountered on our arrival to Paris, sometimes they are out of order. In that case, you might have to carry your stroller, baby, backpack, etc. up who knows how many flights of stairs. Escalators may be working one hour, but on your return, they're out of order. You will sure to see someone lugging a suitcase on wheels up and down the stairs. I only mention this to mentally prepare you for anything. My husband and I went to Paris with the belief that we would have to carry the stroller up and down everywhere. It certainly helps if you have an extra hand. We had a system going where I would carry the stroller from the handles and my husband would carry the stroller from the front. We took turns wearing the backpack and every morning, we made sure we didn't over pack!

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Website: http://www.ratp.fr/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: You will notice very quickly if you’re toting a stroller or luggage that it will be a challenge to get through the turnstiles. It is possible to push your way through the turnstiles with a Maclaren 2004 Techno Stroller. Just make sure your wheels are pointing straight and if you’re traveling with someone else, you push and they pull at the optimum time. Before trying this, you should look for a gate or door that swings open.

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Website: http://www.ratp.fr

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: This tip is for people that will have a stroller or large pieces of luggage. In some stations, you can stick in your ticket for validation and the door will unlock and you can get out. In cases where the door is near an unmanned ticket window, you can look around for the cameras and wake you arms pointing to you stroller. Usually an RER/Metro employee will show up out of nowhere and let you through. You usually will have to validate your tickets through the regular turnstile and then get the stroller through the gate. This is also the case when the ticket window is manned. We would point to the stroller and toddler and say, “Bebe” and at the same time my husband would validate the tickets in a turnstile. The person would buzz use through. If you come up to a bunch of turnstiles and that’s all you can see, usually a kind fellow passenger would indicate where to go or in most cases even show us and say, “Bebe…”

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Website: http://www.ratp.fr

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: My husband loves to take photos and the open bus tour offers terrific photo opps. The Open Bus Tour consists of 4 routes/buses that will take you around the sites in a distinct area for example, the “green” line takes you by the Eiffel Tower and the Arc Triomphe, etc. There is the Green: Paris grand Tour, Orange: Montparnasse-St. Germain, Yellow: Montmarte-Grand Boulevards, and Blue: Basille-Bercy. We were able to not only get on the bus with a sleeping toddler in the stroller, but up the stairs to the top of the bus. It sounds crazy but well worth it as seeing the sights from this perspective is truly “cool”. When our son woke up he enjoyed the view too and when we were inside, he loved pushing the buttons for the volume and trying to plug in the earphones. It’s fun for the entire family and there were lots of families with kids. During the high season we would not have been able to have so much fun and space! Just keep that in mind. Just a warning that when you transfer lines you may have to wait 15 to 30 minutes. The buses try to time it and wait to make it easier, but we found ourselves waiting a while. This was actually a good thing because it allowed our toddler to run around and wear himself out before getting on the bus again. What was cool was that there was a stop at the Catacombs/R. Daguerre - just 7 minutes from where our apartment was! 25E for one day, 28 for two days – unlimited rides. Kids age 4 to 11 12E. Under 4 FREE! You can get on and buy tickets from any stop. Credit cards accepted on the bus although the Montmarte circuit bus driver said his maching wasn't working

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Website: www.paris-opentour.com

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: If you really want to save a lot of money you can always take the RER into Paris. Our RER tickets were only $7.85E pp, one-way. Think about that versus a $40 E taxi ride with traffic? Here's how to do it: 1. When you get off the plane, go to the first restroom you'll see. A veteran traveler to CDG that helped me with the RER planning said to eat an energy bar. Yes, you will need it after such a long flight and you will be doing quite a lot! After dealing with luggage and customs, go to the elevator and go down to level ("niveau") 3, departures. The on-airport shuttle("navette") stop is near door ("porte") 22. Board a #2 (green route) shuttle bus and get off at the only stop, which is the CDG1 RER station. The shuttle is free and frequent. The buses we encountered on our arrival and return had stairs, so be prepared to lift up your stroller and luggage. 2. Go to the ticket counter inside the station - they accept credit cards. 3. If you have a stroller, go to the glass booth near to the turnstyles. Tell them you need to to use the gate because you have a stroller. They will tell you to Insert your ticket into the turnstyle, retrieve it, and then proceed to a gate to the right that they will have to unlock. Don't forget to keep your ticket!4. Go down to the appropriate platform. It will be marked. There were escalators. When I asked the gentleman that opened the gate about an elevator, he said escaltors. 5. When the train comes you should get in last as people will move to make room for you. They will be more mobile than you. You can sit on pull down seats near any doorway or if you can figure out where the end of the car is, there is lots of standing room there for you. 6. Enjoy the ride and when you get off look for the exit signs "Sortie" and "Ascenseur" (elevator). The elevator was out of service at Denfert Rochereau the morning we arrived. We were lucky it was only about a flight and a half up to the exit level!Read more about my packing tips to understand how we were able to carry everything.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Getting in to Paris was easy. Going back to CDG was a little more tricky for us. First, it's important to understand that trains may use the same main line in Paris, but branches off. If you find out that the train to the airport is on a particular platform, read the signs and make sure that the on-coming train goes to CDG. We couldn't see any signs on the train itself. We had to look at the overhead signs and see what was coming next. Don't forget that you'll have to lift up the stroller and luggage to get in. Once on the train you'll need to know which terminal you should go to. Our e-ticket papers had this information. When you arrive your correct terminal follow everyone and look for the exit. Everyone will be running for the shuttles. You won't miss them now. We had to wait 10 minutes before a shuttle came and although it was a long accordion style bus, we could tell that we might not get in if we waited. So we made sure we were one of the first ones to get in. People were wild and the just were so anxious to get to the planes...So be a little agressive and make sure you get on the bus!

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Website: http://www.ratp.fr/

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Taking the RER from CDG was a round trip journey. Exactly how we carried everything and managed a toddler in a stroller is what this tip is about. This is what we took: a stroller, a small carry-on tote bag, a backpack, a car seat (Britax Marathon - huge), a large rolling suitcase, and a check-on pack with internal frame. We devised this system for the two of us: My husband pulled the suitcase with the car seat attached to it. He also wore the day back pack. I pushed the stroller while wearing the large back pack with the internal frame and I hung the tote bag on the stroller handles. We did not need any coats on the way in to Paris because all of the movement and carrying kept us HOT! Don't forget to have some water and energy bars handy (we put ours in our tote bag for easy access!) Later on, after we checked the large pieces on our way back, I wore the car seat as a back pack as I pushed the stroller. It was much lighter than the back pack my husband was wearing!

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