barbrn

I've been trying to research this but am not sure what our best option is.

I know a lot of posters go to Paris frequently. This is my first experience with this airport and my first time in Paris. This is my friend and myself, ladies in our low 60's, both able to carry luggage and do lots of walking. We are coming from Chicago so we will be tired. We are arriving on a Monday in September at 11:00 A.M. and only have 2 days in Paris. I know that is not enough. I have long dreamed of Paris so two days is better than nothing.

I have researched trains. I have been to London and took the train from Heathrow into the city which was fairly easy but this looks complicated.
I read that traffic will be terrible on a Monday morning and the trains are the way to go. Neither of us speak French so that makes me a little wary. Are taxis or shuttles better or do you use a car service? If so which car service? What do you think about the train? While costs do matter on this trip, this is one time where a splurge would be OK too.

Our trip is a tour and we will meet up with everyone later that day. We want to go to the Louvre before we go to our hotel because we are arriving on a Monday and only have that day and Tuesday in Paris. The Louvre is of course closed on Tuesday. We know to have tickets in advance. Does a 2:30 PM admission time sound reasonable to get through customs (we don't have global entry) and get there?? I understand it will be about an hour trip from the airport? Our research also showed that The Louvre has a checked luggage service available so if anyone is familiar with that I'd appreciate insight.

The next day plans are the Paris Hop On Hop Off bus. With only 2 short days this sounded like a good idea to see some of the sights. Our hotel is 2 blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Restaurant ideas are welcomed too, I'm trying to do my research in this area too, especially foods I would like to try.

The tour we are taking is called a My Way Tour. Hotels and transportation are included with some good suggestions of what to do in the cities, but what we want to see is up to us. I have been to Europe before, my friend had not, so this was a compromise. I did not want to take a tour, she did.

I will be happy with any suggestions for us. I will no doubt have questions about other tour destinations. I hope my questions sound OK. Thank You all.

Gretchen

Take a taxi to your hotel and leave your luggage there. print the hotel's address and possibly a small map and give it to the taxi driver. Get a taxi from the official queue. It will be 50E.
Then go to the Louvre.
Not sure I've ever heard of purchasing an admission time to the Louvre but .....
You can find a lot of info on this board--or in tour books. Your friend can read them also. ;o)
You are going on a tour and only spending a day and a half in Paris? THAT is a shame--on you and the tour. Just my opinion.

Southam

Here is what the Louvre website says about storing luggage:
"Self-service lockers are available free of charge beneath the Pyramid.
PLEASE NOTE: any items exceeding 55 cm x 35 cm x 20 cm are not permitted in the museum.
All items left in lockers must be collected the same day. The Musée du Louvre is not responsible for lost or stolen property."

Another site will help you with all public transit in Paris. It is interactive and will spell out your route (which involves, to start, the RER B regional train into central Paris (unless you take a taxi, which should be a fixed rate from the airport now.) It can also locate your hotel, given the address:
http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/visiting-paris/

barbrn

Thanks Gretchen.

I agree with you about how much of a shame this will be. I do not plan on this being my first and only trip to Paris. I already said this limited time in Paris is not even close to being enough time. I totally understand your response.

We have both been reading guide books. I also did a search on this board before I posed this question.

Thanks for letting me know how much a taxi will cost. I appreciate that.

barbrn

Thanks for that website information Southam. That looks really useful.

newtome

Also note that global entry only helps you upon return to the US, not over seems.

Kathie

I recommend you nix the Hop on Hop Off bus... unless you find being stuck in traffic an interesting experience. Decide the places you want to see in Paris and take the metro from place to place - much faster and easier.

elberko

I would also suggest dropping off your luggage before going to the museum.

Before my recent trip to Spain, I printed the addresses of my hotels on business card size cards. REALLY easy to hand to taxi driver to get back to my hotel, and I used the back to write addresses of locations I was headed or notes to myself.

Christina

Depends what you want to spend, now that there are flat taxi rates, it's not as unpredictable. Cheapest would be Easybus which is only 2 euro and goes to the Palais Royal (place Andre Malraux) which is virtually right across the street from the Louvre. If I were going to the Louvre, that's what I would do. http://www.easybus.com/en/paris-cdg-airport


The Louvre ticket is valid the entire day so it doesn't really matter in one sense, but picking a time means within 30 minutes of that time, you don't have to wait in line just as if you had a museum pass, that's all. But the ticket is still valid all day.

this is what they say <<The ticket purchased online is time-stamped and nominative, an identity document may be demanded. It is valid only for the chosen service, date and time. It is not a queue jump but gives access to the pyramid within half an hour of the time shown on the ticket. If the holder of the print@home ticket does not arrive within the allocated time slot for admission to the pyramid, they are subject to the same admission and waiting conditions as visitors without tickets.>>

Which is pretty unclear to me. As if it gives you priority access, that IS a queue jump by my terms. And it also sounds as if you only get that at the Pyramid entrance in the courtyard, which I never use anyway. I always go by metro and thus enter by the entrance closest to the metro exit, underground.

It's up to you about going to the Louvre directly. If you arrive at 11 am, I can't imagine why you wouldn't get there by 2:30 even going to your hotel first. You should get there by 1 pm, I would think, if you go directly. I would want to go to my hotel first and get rid of bags, also (plus you often get the worst room in ahotel if you check in later).

Easybus won't be as quick as a taxi, though, if time is of the essence. Both will have traffic issues but you may have to wait for the bus, etc. I wouldn't stress over the traffic issue that much myself, wouldn't think it could make more than about 30 minutes difference. YOu know the museum is open until 6 pm, you'll have hours there, probably at least 4.

Hop-on/off bus could work for you but is a somewhat slow way of getting around the city due to traffic, that's all. If time is most important, that wouldn't be optimal.

barbrn

newtome, I sound like a twit. I knew that about global entry, I wasn't thinking.

Kathie, thank you. I don't know why I didn't think about the traffic. I had been given some advice that with limited time you wouldn't want to be spending time underground on the metro. But how much worse would it be being stuck in traffic?? This is why I need this forum.

elberko, I like your suggestions. I think leaving the luggage at the hotel is probably best too now that I think about it some more. I like your card idea a lot. I am so doing that.

barbrn

Christina, what great information!! I really appreciate you writing all that out for me, you are very nice.

Easy bus is an option I was looking for. I had been on that website before and was wondering about using it. I take it it is not difficult to find the easy bus at the airport?? If it was just me this is exactly how I would get to the hotel from the airport. I want to do what my friend is most comfortable doing, but I love using public transportation.

menachem

>>Our hotel is 2 blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Restaurant ideas are welcomed too, I'm trying to do my research in this area too, especially foods I would like to try. <<
I'm assuming you're in the 15th, near Grenelle?

If so, there's a fantastic city bus you can take from Champ de Mars that goes along Champs Elyssees, then towards Gare st Lazare and on to Montmartre. That's a lot of sights and you see them while riding a local bus. Metro tickets are also valid on buses. You enter up front, run your card through the machine that stamps it and you're set.

It's the #80 bus, also stops at La Motte-Picquet Grenelle and you want the one to Mairi du 18e - Jules Joffrin. It's in the interactive bus map on the ratp site.

Should you want to head back towards the 15th from Montmartre, the #30 leaving from Pigalle is a good bet: its terminus is Trocadero, which gives you a fantastic view of the Eiffel tower.

menachem

Another great bus is the #69, roughly the stretch between Bastille and Champ de Mars in the 15th. Definitely better than the hop on-hop off thing.

menachem

In the 15th, one of my favorites is the kind of couscous

https://www.google.nl/maps/place/Le+...2.296337?hl=en

menachem

kind = king

Sarastro

Having advance tickets to le Louvre means this:

1. you may enter the museum through the special Pyramid entrance, the same entrance that musuem pass holders use. You may use this entrance within a one hour window of your entry time, plus or minus 30 minutes.

2. If you miss the reserved entrance time, your tickets are still valid for that day but you will be required to wait in the ticket purchase line with those who do not have tickets. This line can be very lengthy.

You do not have much time in Paris. Take a taxi from the airport to le Louvre (if you keep your luggage) or to your hotel (if you want to leave your luggage there). The taxi will cost 55€.

The problem with the Easyshuttle is reliability and Easyjet customers have priority over others for the limited seats available. It may be inexpensive but for you, lost time comes at high cost. I would avoid Easyshuttle.

A 2:30 admission time sounds reasonable. You will be able to use the expedited museum entrance from 2:00 to 3:00.

barbrn

Thanks menchem. You are right we are in the 15th.

This is our hotel. It looks good to me.
http://www.hoteltourismeavenue.com

I am very interested in that couscous restaurant. Also I will do more research now into public buses.

Sarastro, thank you too. I thought the timed tickets to the Louvre sounded like what we needed, you confirmed it. I also am back to the original idea of a taxi. You are right, every minute in Paris is going to be precious. I don't want to waste any of it on mundane things like a lot of waiting.

I will need to pick more brains as my planning continues as this is only the first leg of our tour. I know it sounds like Paris is getting a short shaft (and it is) but we are adding extra days in Italy at the end of the tour. My friend's grandparents and uncle were from a small village outside of Rome and we are going exploring on our own when the tour ends. As I said she felt more comfortable taking a tour and for me the important thing was being able to travel with her. We originally were only going to Italy but the dates did not align with our schedules. So sadly (not) we have to see Paris, and Switzerland and Munich before we head to Italy.

powhatangal

barbrn: EasyBus leaves from Terminal 2, the arrivals floor, at door 5. Christina provides good information. I have used them twice in the past 8 months. I arrived in Terminal 1, and used the CDGVal to get to terminal 2 (it's the last stop). I think their website will let you book about 3 months out, and the fares are cheaper the farther out you book. My one way fare from CDG into Paris in March was $1.65, and I booked a few months in advance.

Not sure if Sarastrom is thinking EasyBus and calling it Easyshuttle. I didn't see anyone being bumped for EasyJet passengers. After being dropped off at the EasyBus stop near the Louvre, I take a taxi to my hotel (the taxi stand is right where you are dropped off). I'll be using EasyBus again for my November trip to Paris.

barbrn

Thank You powhatangal. I am back to thinking the EasyBus is the way to go now. I talked to my friend and we both appreciate the information, especially the specifics on where to to catch the bus at the airport. This does not sound all that hard, in fact it sounds Easy (as in EasyBus).

Gretchen

There is nothing easier after a LONG flight than exiting the airport to the taxi queue and being taken straight to your hotel front door. It is the "splurge" we always allow ourselves upon arrival. It is also invigorating to see the Eiffel Tower loom onto the horizon as a great reminder of where we are and how much fun we will have. ;o)