champs18

My husband and I are traveling to Europe for 15 days in April. This will be our first trip! We're flying into CDG at 1pm and then need to get over to ORY to catch our next flight to Marseille which leaves at 3:30pm. What is the best way to get from point A to point B?

We will then rent a car (unless talked out of it somehow) to get to Aix En Provence which will be our home base for 3 days. The first day will be pretty much shot as we will have been traveling for ages and will be wiped out, but look forward to exploring some of the little towns of Provence for the next two days. Any recommendations around that area?

Then we will fly back to Paris where we'll spend the next 7 days exploring. We're staying in the Saint-Germaine area based on a friend's recommendation. We'd like to take a day trip out to the Champagne area. Anyone have tips on how to get there?

Finally, on to London for the next 5 days where we haven't made many plans other than hopefully taking in an Arsenal FC game (we've put our names in for tickets). Best quick way to get to Paris from London and vice versa?

Thanks in advance for overlooking any ignorances and for your advice!

janisj

>>We're flying into CDG at 1pm and then need to get over to ORY to catch our next flight to Marseille which leaves at 3:30pm<<

I'm assuming these are separate tickets - right? Sorry -- but it probably ain't going to happen. You will be lucky to be out of CGD by 2PM. The very fastest you could possibly get from one to the other is about an 70 minutes. Most likely longer.

Why are you flying? You can take a train from CDG to Marseille either direct or w/ a change at (I think) Lyon.

So what parts of your travel plans are set in stone/booked?

The only sensible way to get from central Paris to central London is by Eurostar train.

greg

Of your inquiry, the CDG to ORY transfer is most troublesome.

Here is a best case estimate:

Assume your plane arrives at gate on time at 1pm.
Assume your are flying business class or such that you can get off the plane early.
Assume you are flying with carry-on only.
Then you might be at the CDG-ORY bus stop around 1:20pm.
The bus runs every 20 min. Assume your expected wait time is 10min. That makes 1:30pm

http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/pa...blic-transport

The trip is 70 min if no traffic foul ups. You arrive at ORY at 2:40pm. You have 50 minutes until your ORLY flight departure using this optimistic estimate. A Taxi might get you there in 50 min if no traffic foul ups.

If you are traveling economy with checked luggage, I doubt you can get out of CDG before 2pm even if your plane is on time.

More sensible option is to take a train to Aix-en-Provence from CDG, most with changes in Paris, or a few trains every 3 hours without change to Aix-en-Provence. See www.voyages-sncf.com or www.bahn.com and use same days of the week this month. April 2016 schedule is not loaded yet but the schedule does not change much. Sleep overnight, then rent a car next day.

Also, why bother flying back to Paris, from Marseille? You can return car at Aix-en-Provence and take almost an hourly train back to Gare de Lyon in the center of Paris taking 3 - 3:15 hours. Is this not faster than driving to Marseille, check-in with enough lead time, fly to ORY, retrieve luggage, make yourself to Paris center? Not only trains are faster, you don't even have to go through airport security, comply with liquid rules, sit in seats more comfortable with the 1st class seats and you can even walk around any time.

traveller1959

Forget flying out of Orly at 3:30. Instead, take the TGV to Aix.

There is a nonstop connection leaving from Charles de Gaulle at 13:58 and arriving in Aix at 17:32. However, it might be a bit tight to catch this train. In case you miss it, you can take a 14:36 connection with two changes of trains that arrives at 18:40. The next nonstop connection will be 16:58 to 20:30. There are many other connections with changes of trains. The good thing if you miss a train you can take the next one.

Travelling from Paris to Reims:
7:58 from Paris-Est, arriving at 8:44 in Reims or
10:28 to 11:16

In Reims, there are many champagne wineries which offer tours. Also visit the cathedral.

traveller1959

A day trip from Aix:

Drive in northeastern direction the D 7N then turn right onto the D 543 northwards. It is a scenic road that leads across the Luberon mountain chain. Continue in northeastern direction. Bonnieux is a charming town on a hill. Continue to Roussilion to see the Ocre Canyon. See also Gordes, another charming village, with the stone huts, called "Bories", on the surrounding fields. Visit Abbaye de Senanque, an ancient monastery. If you have still energy, you might also see the Fontaine de Vaucluse, a mighty spring. Drive to Cavaillon and take the fast and easy motorway back to Aix.

Another daytrip:

Take the motorway to Cavaillon and then small and scenic D26 through the Alpilles mountain chain. See "Les Antiques", two impressive Roman monuments right at the D5 road to St. Remy and the picturesqe ruined village Les Baux. Continue to Arles, admire the cathedral, the lively old town and the wonderful Roman remnants, the excellently preserved amphitheatre and the Greek theatre. Drive back on the motorway.

Christina

Your flight schedule doesn't make any sense. Air France flies out of CDG to MRS at 4:00 pm, you should have taken that flight.

pariswat

I concurr

Either AF from CDG to MRS
Or Train from CDG (or Gare de Lyon, that you reach via RER A) to Marseille.
From Marseille train to Aix En Provence.

If you have no other possibilties, forget about coach or train from CDG to ORY and jump in a taxi. I did it in 45 min several times (also in more than one hour, but then the coach would be even more delayed).

So that put you at between 2 15 and 2 50 at ORY, which is not confortable but possible. With running shoes.

The Saint-Germain des prés area is usually recommended by tourists and would be the last place I'd recommend, but I'm not a tourist from overseas. I've slept mostly in this area in small hotels and I was the only frenchspeaking guy.

Anyway, a few hotels I liked there :

Chopin (in the passage Jouffroy) 6e
Clément 6e
Lys (hotel du) Rue Serpente 6e

Hotel Ste Beuve is also often recommended, but I found it too expensive compared to the others.

Chopin is very small (very very) , Clément is normal and hotel du Lys is charming.

Enjoy your trip.