Gekko

Pardon me for asking questions that have probably been asked & answered on this forum, but I'm short on time and hoping for a quick response and your kind indulgence.

1. Four people arriving CDG, 9am weekday -- travel options to the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter (with lots of luggage)? We're New Yorkers so we like public transportation if that's a reasonable option given the circumstances.

2. TGV from Paris to Avignon -- purchase tickets in advance? and best place to do so? (We've seen dramatically different prices on different websites.)

3. Eiffel Tower -- purchase tickets in advance? (In NY, one saves time by purchasing Empire State Bldg tix in advance.)

That's it at the moment. Thanks!

francophile03

Hi, I suggest that since you all have lots of luggage you should hire a taxi from the airport. As to your train tickets try purchasing online at sncf.com which is the French rail site. If you can get a PREM fare it'll be the cheapest fare but it won't be refundable nor changeable. However, it allows you to print your tickets online if you purchase this type of fare. I don't know about the Eiffel Tower tickets question, sorry.

mingtsainy

I agree with the last post complete. 4 train tickets will add up quickly so taking a taxi is worth it.

When I took the train from Paris to Avignon, I bought my tickets at the train station (Gard du Nord??) the day before I left.

HowardR

Since the other questions have been answered well, I'll just respond to the one about the Eiffel Tower. To the best of my knowledge and experience, the answer is no.

HowardR

PS: Gekko, would you really take public transportation to the city from, say, JFK with lots of luggage?

Robespierre

The choices are at <b>http://67.72.88.51/cdg/</b> You decide.

tower

Gekko....take a taxi or van by all means..shlepping luggage on the pubtrans train is a very poor option, indeed.If you're heading for Avignon on the TGV, you can get tix at the station...not Nord ..but Gare d'Lyon...on weekdays the TGV First Class is not very full, and if it's off-season this hold true also...even 2nd class is very comfortable. If you're going to be in The Sorbonne area, you can take a long walk over to the Gare d'Lyon and purchase in advance if you wish....or any travel agency on the left bank can help you.
Stu

StCirq

It's well worth watching the www.sncf.com site starting 60 days out from your travel date to take advantage of the PREM tickets, which on that Paris-Avignon line for four people could save you literally a few hundred euros.

Gekko

Thanks for all the informative responses. I appreciate it.

Should I arrange the car service in advance from CDG to the 5th? Any preferred vendors?


(And No, I would never take public transportation from JFK to Manhattan -- but I was thinking the Paris options were better, as in London.)

cindymal

Hi Gekko,
I just returned from Paris.What a great city.It is very easy to get a Taxi at the airport.Just ask for the taxi line.It will be about 30-40E.CDG is a very busy and large airport so just hop into a cab.After a long flight this is a no brainer.You may have to wait for a van because most Taxis will not be able to fit your luggage in their trunks.As you know the cars are smaller in Europe.We also had alot of luggage but a van came by in just a few minutes.
We arrived in the PM and headed right over to the Eiffel Tower around 3:00PM.There was about a ten minute wait.I believe the best time is probably in the morning when it opens or later in the afternoon.They are very organized so the lines move well.if you have lunch at one of the restaurants on the top you will not have to wait.Altitude and Jules Verne.Altitude is more casual.We stopped in for a drink but did not eat there, the view is great from both places.As far as the museums are concerned if you get to them early there will probably not be a line.We went on a saturday around 11:00am and there was only a five minute wait to enter the museum and no line to see the Mona Lisa.Do not Miss the Muse D'orsay(spelling)if you have not been.Everyone uses the metro in Paris and it will take you everywhere.I did not take it as we walked everywhere but people do rave about the metro.You can buy a pass for the metro and obtain museum passes prior.You actually can purchase a museum pass at Kennedy airport.I would wait as most hotels sell the passes.The passes will save you some money and time if there are lines.We did not purchase a pass when we were in Paris because the lines were not long when we were there..Check out bestparis.com.and eparis.com
Have fun,if you have any other questions feel free to email me at [email protected].A Tip, If your taxis are very expensive and if your hotel calls you a cab the meter starts running at the phone call.Have to admit the drivers are much nicer in paris than in NYC.

zeta

I live in NY and love public transport. However, I definitely would take a taxi from the airport with heavy luggage. And then use the metro (can't remember what they call it) to get around. It is very easy to use, and since you are used to the NY subway you will have no problems. I don't know what to tell you about your trip from Paris to Avignon, looks like some others answered that. However, I did take the train from Paris to Barcelona and I reccomend paying the extra amount of money for the first class sleeping arrangements. Last but not least, I randomly went to the Eiffel Tower and purchased my tickets there. I didn't have any problems and I think my wait was all of 10 minutes.

greg

1. Take the TAXI. I have seen too many people at RER/Metro stations huffing and puffing with their luggages trying to pass thru those narrow turnstyles and up and down the stairs (elevators are supposed to exist somewhere...) Even if you got to the RER platform, the you still either have to go down or up from the platform level to your seat on RER. Make sure to wait at the official TAXI queue and nowhere else.

2. TGV Paris-Avignon route offers PREM fares mentioned previously (you need to act early.) Since you print the ticket yourself, there is no need to wait in line to get a ticket at the station, get on the train with the paper ticket you printed at home. The ticket is not refundable nor changable however.

If you end up having to buy ticket at Paris, consider that:

Lyon station at Paris is a big station. The ticket window is not easy to find unless you entered from the right entrance. Even when you are in ticket window area, there are different ticket windows. I think for TGV you need to go to the GRANDE LIGNE ticket window, not Transilien or ordinary local or international ticket line. The situation is not much simpler at other BIG Paris stations. When I see a SNCF boutique in town, that is where I get the ticket business done. I avoid having to use the ticket window at all cost. If you have waited in an SNCF ticket line once, you would know what I mean.

amwosu

I also took a taxi from CdG to my hotel. No fun to bump your luggage up and down stairs getting on the metro. While I'm not normally worried about pickpockets I think you do make yourself a target in the metro as a jetlagged tourist with everything you have with you laid out in front of them for the taking. I made the same suggestion to friends who decided to take the metro anyway and sure enough someone went right for the wallet in his pants.

Get to the Eiffel Tower by 9am and you will have no wait for tix or for the ride up. I did that in June and in July last summer during the peak of tourist season and got right to the top very quickly. I visited the area in the afternoon one day and it was wall to wall people with huge lines for tix. I wouldn't want to waste time needlessly in Paris.

USNR

Just one experience in the vast catacombs of the Chatelet metro station -- it goes on and on and on and on and on and on -- and I swore off ever coming or going via the RER and Roissy/CDG. I almost was weary enough to swear off Paris and suitcases for life. But not quite.

Beatchick

RE: Taxis

Isn't there some sort of 3-person/taxi limit? And I thought there was a max limit for luggage, also?

Christina

no, there is definitely no 3 person per taxi limit. There never has been, that I remember, although there are some more larger cabs now. They is a slight surcharge for the 4th person, and that is listed on the official rates posted on the cab windows, so obviously 3 couldn't be the limit if they are quoting the rate for the 4th person.

As for Eiffel Tower, I don't think anyone said, but I believe the reason why it's not proposed to buy tickets in advance to save time is that you can't. I don't think there is anywhere where you can buy them in advance.

StCirq

There used to be a 3-person limit in Parisian cabs, but that hasn't been the case for years.