the lady has a point, you see little from RER and even less from Metro (often nothing but subterranean stations)

OTOH if there's traffic snarl the buses will be affected while RER/Metro are not, so you put yourself more at risk time-wise on the bus

I see another benefit to the bus: getting out into the light helps deal with jet lag. being on a plane all night and then going into the underground network for Metro and RER dulls my mind further. others undoubtedly have a different point of view, though.

I'll go a step further and say that after an overnight flight, I'm so bumfuzzled I stick to taxis and limo services if I don't already know my way.

not much fun boarding a train in that condition only to find out that it's not going where you meant to go! :eek:

happened to me twice, right platform, right time, wrong train. :confused: fortunately was able to connect in correct direction soon after figuring out the blunder. sometimes the mistakes add to the trip, but I still don't like being in that situation.

Since we found taxis in Paris to be rare birds - we spent plenty of time both on the Metro and on buses. Each has its advantages/disadvantages. Apart from the obvious (under the ground versus out in the sun) - I would say it is easy to navigate the Metro if you know how to read a map - but it's good to have specific advice about bus routes in advance if you plan to use them (we got our information about them from the hotel concierge). Robyn

I agree. The bus map posted on Paris bus shelters (at least where it hasn't been vandalized) is great--but they don't (as far as I could ever figure out) make it in a format they can give out. The only bus maps that you can get in a brochure format are not useful except as general guides, since they're not detailed enough.

I think the OP is in a bit of a hurry to get from CDG to GdeL, and I would guess that RER B to RER A is probably the fastest (by far) way to do so.

That is true, but the conversation I was referring to was about getting around Paris in general. I had seen here and elsewhere how convenient the metro is, many stops covering most of the city, one fare takes you anywhere and so forth. I hadn't thought much about the bus until I heard that suggestion.

In terms of getting to Gare de Lyon, I think the tricky bit will be getting on the RER ASAP: getting through customs, buying tickets, then buying scfn tickets and finding the right platform at GdeL.

All of the detailed information is available on the RATP site. When I was less familiar with the bus system, I used to go there and use the trip planner for my bus trips and also use the "plan du quartier" (neighborhood map) to look in detail at a specific area and see which buses ran there and where the bus stops were. It can even give you the actual street addresses of the stops. Otherwise, I agree that the available bus map brochures and even the bus guides can you buy aren't very useful.

Assuming they're not on strike, of course, as they will be tomorrow... Time-wise the RER and AF bus are probably about the same, but the AF bus is IMHO a lot more convenient for a transfer from CDG to Gare de Lyon, particularly if one has luggage. Either way will get you there, though, so it's just a matter of preference.

When you get on a bus - it has a great map of the route the bus takes. It would be nice to be able to get those maps before you get onto a particular bus! Robyn

I agree. Although they don't have paper copies to give you, you can see and print the same maps at the RATP site under the heading "Plans de lignes" (only available on the French version of the site, not the stripped-down English one). Choose "bus" and then the bus number, and a .pdf of the route map will pop up.

I'm not sure if there's a bus route map book with those particular maps or not; I'll try to remember to look next time I'm near a bookstore. I have a old blue one by l'Indispensable (Le Bus: Répertoire des 80 lignes) which is better than nothing, but the print is tiny so it's hard to see where the stops are.

I love that book but, you're right, the print is tiny. Before I go to Paris I always print out the lines of the buses that stop in the area where I'm staying. They really come in handy especially if you're staying near an area where a lot of buses stop, like Rond Point, L'Etoile, Concorde, etc.

Bobette

We did the Segway tour in Madrid last year and will be doing the Segway tour in May in Paris, I highly recommend them. It only took about 5 minutes to become a pro, and you cover so much more ground than you ever would on foot. Which is a huge plus if you have any kind of mobility issues, my partner has had 2 knee replacements and doesn't move real fast anymore.

We started taking the bus on our last couple of visits, and I can agree with all of the above posts about the availability of bus maps, info, etc. One other advantage to the bus besides a nice above-ground tour of Paris is that if you have a lot of bags, especially suitcases (or in our case, strollers) that you're rolling, the bus is infinitely easier than navigating the metro stairs.

Having been on a Segway - I don't think 5 minutes makes you a pro. In terms of doing things like hovering in place for a couple of minutes behind a group of people. And in Paris - how do you handle crowded frequently narrow sidewalks - especially when they have high curbs? Segways have been banned in similar places. Like Manhattan - and Disney World (and I think the bans there are still in effect). For the safety of other pedestrians. Keep in mind that if you hurt someone driving on a Segway - you are probably SOL when it comes to any kind of insurance coverage.

FWIW - slowing down and enjoying is one of the charms of Paris. Robyn

My experience differs from yours, it was very simple to learn the controls and feel very comfortable navigating the sidewalks of Madrid. I will admit it was a little scary at first but once you understand how maneuverable and responsive the Segway is you don't worry about conflicts with pedestrians on sidewalks.

Segways are such a positive experience for people with mobility issues I would hate for anyone not to give them a try. As far as slowing down and enjoying Paris, well I guess that's a subjective thing and left up to the individual traveler to decide what pace is best for him or her.

The reason that I originally asked about the Segway tours is that I thought, compared to a bus tour, a Segway would be a slower, more intimate look at the city but still move fast enough to get oriented to it and many of the landmarks.

As I originally said, it was very highly reviewed on tripadvisor. If traffic or curbs were a big issue, I am sure they would have been mentioned. Remember that these are guided tours, they don't just give you the Segway and say "bonne chance." I am sure the guides must use Segway friendly routes.

Of course, like just about anything else when you travel, a Segway is not going to be everybody's cup of tea. I think it is the kind of thing my wife and I would enjoy, although the suggestions to take a cruise also sound great so we will probably do one and not the other, and the cruises cost less and are probably more romantic even if you see less of the city.

Incidentally, Segway tours are officially banned in Manhattan (although police officers use them) but are popular in London, San Francisco and many cites. Disney provides Segway tours of Epcot.