rhettski

WE arrive CDG [1] on Singapore Air @0650 on a Thursday and check in to our Hotel which is a short walk from the Bastille Metro @1300hrs.
Jet-lagged after a 14hrs flight and with time on our hands , one carry on bag each and one checked suite case with wheels and not much inside, our options are as follows.
Taxi...too expensive,light luggage,travel time not important.
Shuttle bus...above ground,views of Paris folk on a normal day,door to door, leaving the large case at the hotel,then coffee near by till check in .
OR ...take the RER to Gare du Nord ..Metro to Bastille ,walk to the Hotel,drop bags ,find a cafe ,chill,and return to check in......could be stressful first time navigating the system after a long flight.,lots of upstairs downstairs and WHICH EXIT stuff!
OR...Say Bonjour..smile..breeze through customs/immigration,purchase [10] Carnet metro tickets ,RER to Les Halles or Gare de Leon [no changing trains I believe?],find a cafe in the station...chill...the taxi [short ride]to Hotel for 1300hrs check in....Our first day in Paris 10 to go! replies and suggestions,thank you in advance.

kat12

I chose the RER and metro connection for the trip to Paris. It wasn't bad. The walk to the RER is well marked, and the only time I couldn't use the escalator or elevator was when I had to walk down a set of stairs to the trains. I stayed in the Marais, near the Bastille, and took the St. Paul stop on the metro. There was even an escalator at my metro stop for exiting the metro.

But for the return trip to CDG, I took a taxi. It was not quite dawn when I left my apartment, stairs going down to the metro, and I wasn't sure where I would need to go for check in when I got to CDG, and I would have that long walk back through the airport with not much time to make mistakes. It was an easy way to begin a long journey home, and I am glad I didn't take the RER then. I might try a shuttle another time.

Robert2533

You're better off using a private service (time and money). We use Victor Cabs in Paris ([email protected] ). It's a private service.

dreamon

I've used both RER and Roissy Bus. Both were painless although I think the bus might be easier during peak hour as the trains can get crowded. Metro from there is also easy if your luggage is not too heavy. The Paris metro has some long subways and stairs to negotiate. However, we've never really found that a real problem. You could also catch a bus - download bus maps from online.

We've also arrived at that time and by the time you get through immigration, etc, and travelled to central Paris you may not have as much time on your hands as you think. Because you've been sitting for hours, I'd go for a walk (after dropping off your luggage) or find a cafe. It's recommended to stay awake until evening to avoid jetlag anyway so you may as well make the most of the day.

greg

In another thread, you mention you are also going to Provence. You did not want use these idle time to continue traveling to the Provence first and visit Paris afterwards?

I don't know the total picture, but

Paris-Provence-Paris: adds one hotel check-in cycle as well as having to contend with the idle time until you can check-in.

Paris-Provence-CDG: adds complexity by needing to get to CDG on the departure day from Provence.

Provence-Paris: eliminates one check-in cycle, converts need-to-kill time into traveling time you have to consume later anyway.

rhettski

Thank you for all replies.
Greg,after nine sleeps in Paris we have booked the TGV to AIX.. for a stay of six nights where we visit the surrounding area and hire a car if/when necessary,returning to Paris staying in the same hotel for three nights before taxi or shuttle bus to CDG for 1110hrs departure.
We are not traveling till February but with the help from fellow Fordorites Im happy to have essential bookings and connections in place.

thanx to All.

qwovadis

www.eurocheapo.com/paris getting around.RER always works best
for me I pack light onebag.com. There are shuttles that will
take you direct to your hotel.Air France runs cumbersome buses
but RER for me.Happy Hunting!

Ackislander

I have always done the RER/Metro for this trip, but I have never come off a 14 hour flight.

Without in any way trying to invoke paranoia, the line from Chatelet to Bastille is among the most common places for pickpockets to strike, precisely because people are exhausted and tend to stand near the doors so as not to miss their stops. I was not myself robbed, but I was with a friend who was robbed with great skill of his cash and airline tickets, both in a waist belt. The police told us it was common, and a young woman and her parents were reporting their identical experience at the same police station when we were there.

Thus I would consider taking the RER to Chatelet and taking a taxi from there if I did not take a van service. However, the one time we decided to treat ourselves and do that, it didn't show up for an hour and then only after many, many calls.

This is anecdata, not scalable data, and is only offered for what it is worth. Your experiences may well be very different.

annhig

personally I would get the RER to Gare du nord then get a cab - one of the worst things about the metro [and there are lots of good things] are the endless corridors of the 'correspondences" and Chatelet-les-Halles is one of the worst. on our last trip to Paris it took us ages to find our way to the right exit and in the end we just took the next door out and walked to our hotel above ground - much easier.

i now look for hotels within walking distance of an RER B station, so we don't have to negotiate too many corridors at the beginning of a visit.

Randy

annhig: "i now look for hotels within walking distance of an RER B station, so we don't have to negotiate too many corridors at the beginning of a visit."

I learned that lession also. I then got a hotel within walking distance from the Luxembourg RER.

I try to avoid Chatelet.

annhig

I learned that lession also. I then got a hotel within walking distance from the Luxembourg RER. >>

Randy, we did that a couple of years ago, but actually we found it led to too much walking up and down that hill!

this time we are staying near the St. Michel/Notre Dame RER.

RJD

There are cafes, both large and small all around the Bastille. So you will have no difficulty finding one.
As for transportation from CDG to that area, we always use a cab. The cost/benefit ratio is always in favor of a taxi if you don't want to lug bags and walk long distances after a difficult flight. The cab will cost less that almost any reasonable full meal. We usually have the cab driver drop us in front of the Opera where we walk across the street and into a small cafe at the corner of rue de la Roquette for decompression before going to our lodgings.

annhig

one carry on bag each and one checked suite case with wheels and not much inside, >>

if you decide upon using the metro, I would suggest taking the time at CDG to repack your carry-on inside the larger cases - which will make navigating the RER/metro a lot easier.

Christina

You can't take the RER to Gare de Lyon without transferring, all you have to do is look at a map with the RER/metro lines to see that. If you don't have one, maybe you should get one to plan things.

I think the group shuttle seems like the best option for you, if that's what you mean by shuttle. It will take you to your hotel which is what I'd want compared to your alternatives which involve complications and after that long a flight. There aren't any great cafes in train stations that I can recall, there are takeout stands. Train stations aren't pleasant places to spend hours and hours. If you can read maps, they have maps on the walls of RER/metro stations so you can figure out which exit is best for you.

denisea

I can tell you we used Victor as one of the previous posts suggests and his service is excellent. He will quote you a specific amount, as well. We paid 65 euros for 2 of us and 2 bags from the 7th to CDG. A cab from CDG to the 7th from the queue was 58 euros, so not a lot of difference and we went in a very nice Mercedes van that was new. We have paid more from CDG because of traffic snarls, so a flat rate is nice.

avalon

I HATE the Bastille metro station. You can walk miles! After a 14 hr flight I'd arrange for a private shuttle. I use Shuttle Inter. They cost tha saME AS A TAXI BUT THE METER IS NOT RUNNING IF YOU ARE HELD UP IN TRAFFIC. eVEN THOUGH YOUR HOTEL HAS A CHECK IN TIME YOUR ROOM MIGHT BE READY WHEN YOU ARRIVE. MIne usuallly are.

serge365

Mr. Lee Taxi




0632501804 i use him every time..when i am in Paris

Gretchen

The shuttle for 2 will cost close to what a taxi would.
The large bag may be a pain to get through Metro turnstiles. There are gates that the clerk "can" open for you.
Have you been to Paris before to understand the Metro.
Taxi would be about 50E total. Nice start after a 14 hour trip. I'm tired after 7.