ginnette01

My family have a flight landing at around 9pm on the Friday at the start of February half term. We need to collect a car and travel to a hotel just North of Auxerre for a short overnight stay. I shall ensure we can arrive very late at the hotel but it is important that we plan the route carefully to be as sure as we can be that we don't get stuck in the infamous Paris traffic.
I would appreciate any advice on where to avoid, whether to try to skirt around or just risk going straight through the city.
Thanks

bilboburgler

Well I'd take the train and if you are flying in from the US I'd suggest think again about the drive. If coming from the UK then the critical issue will be weather. The peripherique should be quiet.

StCirq

Assuming you're landing at CDG, you don't have to go anywhere near "straight through the city." You get on the périphérique right from the airport. Straight through the city would mean traveling due west, when you're headed south. I doubt the périphérique would be terribly busy at that time of night, just folks coming into or leaving the city for the weekend. I'd be more concerned about weather that time of year than traffic.

PalenQ

Why not stay at one of the plethora of airport perimeter hotels and save a half-day car rental and start out bright and early, just after rush hour - are you coming from far away - if so jet lag may not make for primo driving the first day. But perhaps a short flight from somewhere in Europe? Anyway if you land around 9pm you may not be ready to motor away until a few hours later, if your plane is on time.

kerouac

All you have to do is take the A3 autoroute from the airport (direction Marne-la-Vallée / Bobigny / Paris-Est on most of the signs). This will take you to the eastern edge of Paris on the very simple périphérique ring road and then you just take the A6 out of porte d'Italie. Auxerre is exit 19. Driving time is a little more the 2 hours.

Full details at www.viamichelin.com

Sarastro

Exit the airport to the east, take D212 to N2, follow N2 south to the Francilienne (A104), orbit east and south around Paris on A104, pickup either A6 or A5 to A6 to Auxerre. It´s about a 90 minute drive.

However, when you arrive it will be dark and it´s very easy to get lost. A GPS would be helpful.

ginnette01

Many thanks for all the repies. We only have a short flight from the uk so will be fine for driving.
Pleased to hear the peripherique should be ok, it has a bit of a reputation but hopefully that's only during rush hour.
We are going to the alps so want to get properly south of Paris to get a bit of a headstart on the traffic getting off the tunnel.
I shall study the A3 and the D212 options, and maybe choose at the time depending on weather conditions.