10

On Friday I'm going to Angers from Brussels. The train from Brussels, which is a Thalys, arrives in Paris Nord.

55 minutes later, the train to Anger, which is a TGV, departs from Gare Montparnasse.

How can I travel the fastest way from Garde du Nord to Gare Montparnasse? Should I take the metro or a taxi? And if I take the metro, are the railways close to the metro or is it a long walk?

Improve this question
  • It's doable by metro. Taxi might actually be slower depending on the time of day. There are metro stations close or inside the railways stations... but it does not mean you won't have to walk! – Relaxed Sep 14 '16 at 19:22
  • 1
    Possibly related to travel.stackexchange.com/questions/886/… – audionuma Sep 14 '16 at 19:48
  • Metro. To speed up things you can buy a metro ticket in the Thalys bar. – Some wandering yeti Sep 14 '16 at 20:12
  • 1
    This looks rather tight to me, if you are have never made this trip before. Is there any possibiity of changing your ticket? – TonyK Sep 15 '16 at 0:26
  • Another risky way is RER + taxi. – orique Sep 15 '16 at 13:25
14

There is a direct metro line between Gare du Nord and Gare Montparnasse.

Line 4: You get in at metro station "Gare du Nord" You get out at metro station "Montparnasse-Bienvenüe"

According to Google, it should take about 25(ish) minutes including walking: https://goo.gl/maps/pxEotcgq1mR2

There will be walking between the actual train station and the metro entry at both metro stations. A metro ticket costs 1,90 euro.

By car, it is more than 30 minutes or twice that depending on the time of day (remember you are crossing Paris center, not going around).

Improve this answer
8

The Man In Seat 61 recommends allowing 70 minutes for this connection:

How long should you allow to change trains in Paris? [from Gare du Nord]

...

(3) If your onward train leaves from Paris Montparnasse TGV station I'd also allow longer, perhaps 70 minutes or more, as there's quite a walk from Montparnasse metro station to the Montparnasse TGV station.

And more details (my emphasis):

Gare du Nord ▶ Gare Montparnasse

[...] follow the signs for Metro line M4.

Take metro line M4 direct to Montparnasse Bienvenue (follow signs 'M4 direction Mairie de Montrouge').

In contrast to other Paris mainline stations, where the metro platforms are more or less directly underneath the mainline platforms, at Montparnasse it's a 700 metre (750 yard) underground walk from the metro station to the mainline TGV platforms through broad well-lit well-signed subways, with moving walkways for the long bits. Allow plenty of time for the transfer, and if you're not good with longish walks with luggage (even with the moving walkways), consider taking a taxi from Paris Nord to the Gare Montparnasse.

Improve this answer
6

So I did it. I arrived at Gare du Nord and arrived 50 minutes later at Gare Montparnasse. So it certainly is possible, but it helps to know the stations.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Improve this answer
  • I'm sorry. I was thinking that this was kind of an answer as well and just added a thank you for everyone that helped. Thanks for the tip though. – Casper Vranken Sep 18 '16 at 19:24

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.