Gare Du Nord - Eurostar to RER line - easy??

[Pinkelliecat]

Hi,

I have seen lots of great advice with regard to how to get to Marne La Vallee via the RER lines from Gare Du Nord . However, does anyone have any information/experience on negotiating this journey with a 1 year old and a buggy/luggage in tow?

My husband and I are taking our Son for a 4 day trip in November, to celebrate his 1st birthday. It will be our first visit to Disneyland Paris.
We had to choose the Eurostar King's Cross to Gare Du Nord route, due to the direct service being a really bad time for us. I was just wondering how easy it is to pick up the RER B line from Gare Du Nord? e.g. are there many stairs/escalators to negotiate? are there lifts you can get to avoid any stairs etc. I have read somewhere that the actual transfer at Chatalet les Halles from the B to A RER line is literally a matter of changing platforms. However, again are there any stairs etc. or is it literally a walk?

Finally, we arrive at Gare Du Nord at approx. 8pm in the evening on a weekday. Does anyone have any experience of traveling on the RER at this time? e.g. is it very busy (difficult to board with luggage and a buggy)? Did you feel safe? etc.

Lot's of questions I know, but just trying to work out if it would be less hassle to just get a car transfer to Disney.

Many thanks

xxx

 

[salandbri]

Have been through Gare du Nord a number of times both on trips to Disney and on other Paris visits. Whilst the transfer is quite easy it is quite a long walk from the Eurostar to RER B. Most of this is on the level but there are a couple of sets of stairs / escalators - firstly from the main station concourse down to the lower level and then down to the platform.

I have a list of Paris metro/RER stations with lifts for wheelchair access as we visited a couple of years a go when my wife had broken her ankle. Gare du Nord RER B is on that list so should have lifts available. We never used lift at this station but from experience at other stations they can be hidden a way with few signs and difficult to find.
Have never travelled at 8pm but have always found the RER B train very busy and at times so packed that you can hardly move and not just in the rush hour. RER A train, while busy, never seems as bad except in the rush hour.

The change at Chatalet les Halles is very easy just crossing to the adjoining platform literally a few feet (no steps etc)

 

[Pinkelliecat]

Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for.

Will have to decide how confident I am with my French with regard to locating the lifts etc.

Thanks so much for the info,

 

[sam_rogers]

i've only done this journey once and i think the worst bit was navigating my round gare de nord and the trains being fairly busy other than that the journey was very straight forward and the connection was easy to make. Its quite exciting too because as you're coming into marne la vallee you can see the big water tower by the studios

 

[ukstitch]

i've only done this journey once and i think the worst bit was navigating my round gare de nord and the trains being fairly busy other than that the journey was very straight forward and the connection was easy to make. Its quite exciting too because as you're coming into marne la vallee you can see the big water tower by the studios

That's a bit like coming into DLRP by Eurostar in the winter. Because there's very few leaves on the trees, you crawl through CdG station, then not long after you can usually make out space mountain on the right hand side of the train

I'm really looking forward to taking the Eurostar again this year