We had arranged and paid for our shuttle from CDG before our trip( in the US). They were over half an hour late picking us up at the airport to go to the train station, so we had to take a later train than we had planned on. <BR>Also, on our last couple of days at the Hotel Levecque, the manager warned us that the day before, several people staying at the hotel missed their flights due to the shuttle being late.I called and cancelled the shuttle for our trip back to the airport. They were very pleasant about it, and offered a discount if we would change our minds, but we preferred getting our money back. We took a taxi to the airport which worked out very well. We might have tried the combination of Metro and Air France bus, if our flight had not been as early in the morning(10:00).

I hesitated to complain about the CDG airport shuttle because so many others had raved about it, so I thought our experience in March was an anomaly. Our shuttle was over one and a half hours late picking us up at CDG, and we had our three kids with us. After a long flight, that didn't go over well. They kept on saying by phone that a shuttle was five minutes away. We complained respectfully to the driver, who then started to insult my husband and some of the other passengers, and repeated the insults until we arrived at our hotel. When we got off, the driver unloaded another passenger's suitcase and then drove her to her hotel. We saw the bag as he was driving away, and we ran and yelled, but he ignored us and drove off. We checked the luggage tag, and left a call for the passenger at her hotel. She called shortly, very angry and in tears. The driver told her that one of our children had unloaded the bag (patently false), and expected us to deliver it to her. We called the shuttle service and asked them to pick up the bag and redeliver it, also filing a complaint at that time. Eventually, the passenger had to come in a cab to pick up her own bag. <BR> <BR>I filed a formal complaint buy email when we returned with all pertinent information. Two months later I got a response which asked for all the information I had provided. I sent it again, and was then asked to make a telephone call to a specific person whom I could never reach. Finally, I let it drop.

Sorry you folks had a bad time of it but the Shuttle actually waited 25 minutes for us at CDG and was 5 minutes early at our hotel to pick us up when we returned to CDG a week later. <BR> <BR>I suppose problems can occur anyplace, I've known people who were stranded by Super Shuttle in L.A. and again, we never had a problem with them either. Like all things, I imagine the law of averages catches up with you sooner or later in traveling. It's like airlines "misplacing" your luggage, it happens.

Sorry you folks had a bad time of it but the Shuttle actually waited 25 minutes for us at CDG (in fact the driver was out looking for us - we had been delayed with our bags being just about last to come out of the plane) and was 5 minutes early at our hotel to pick us up when we returned to CDG a week later - also the drivers could not have been nicer. <BR> <BR>I suppose problems can occur anyplace, I've known people who were stranded by Super Shuttle in L.A. and again, we never had a problem with them either and we used them many times. Like all things, I imagine the law of averages catches up with you sooner or later in traveling. It's like airlines "misplacing" your luggage, it happens (and has happened twice to us), not to say these inconveniences are fun, but they do happen. Even with a cab you can have problems - while it never happened to us (we know the city well and speak French too) I've heard of people who were taken the "long route" into their hotel in Paris from the a/p .. of course that happens in the U.S. too. <BR> <BR>One thing I would advise everyone who rides a shuttle service (in any city, U.S. or foreign) is to pay attention when bags are unloaded at various stops. If you are really concerned about yours being left by mistake get out for a minute and watch what is going on - my husband does.

Make your calculation : if at least two people are travelling together, taking a cab is a matter of 50 - 100 F more per ride. Compare it to the overall price of your trip (or even with one day's budget), and you'll find it's not really worth bothering about a shuttle and being given a grand tour of Paris after a 10 hour flight.

I agree with you Vincent that a cab is worth the small extra cost after a long flight. But comments like those above about being taken the "long way" to the hotel to boost the fare make me hesitant to put myself in that position. <BR> <BR>What should the average fare be from, say, CDG to the 6th, and is the route easily identifiable? Thanks.

We paid 280 F for a taxi from the 7th-Eiffel Tower- Rue Cler area- to CDG. This was with two suitcases.It took less than 30 minutes to get to the airport.

I usually pay 200-250F to get from CDG to the Left Bank (either the 6th or 14th arrondisement)--that's NOT when there is a fare surcharge (which I believe there is at night time) or during very heavy traffic. People who take those type of shuttles are making a decision based on how much francs value they place on their time, energy, and potential inconvenience, and thus are deliberately purchasing something worth less than taxi service, mainly in their own time. I don't understand it as I value my time more than that, but many people on travel BBs seem to really care about spending around 50-75F extra in total (prob. a typical difference for two people vs a cab) for airport transportation. I've taken these types of shuttles in the US to the airport from my home as it is quite far and the cab fare is exorbitant, and had the same types of problems (lots of wasted time, almost late for flight)--you pay for it, one way or another. For example, someone above thought it was great that the shuttle waited 25 min for her at the airport; maybe great for her, but if I were another person in that shuttle I would not think it so great; hopefully, nobody else was held up by that. Anyway, for Brian who asked re fare (maybe 200-250F typically CDG to Left Bank) and the route -- I doubt if it would be identifiable to someone who didn't know Paris and the routes around it very well, you couldn't tell at all if the driver were going much further around the peripherique than necessary and entering the city at the wrong "Porte" or other things that would increase the route to your hotel. Even if so, there is possibly a reason for it(construction or something unusual). Also, there seem to be a lot of small and one-way streets in Paris that can legitimately mean the driver may have to go sort of a circuitous route to get to your door, it's hard to tell. All in all, I really don't think there is a big problem with dishonest cab drivers in Paris or elsewhere in France (worst cheats I've found were in Arles, but that was waiters); not like some cities where it's more common from what I've heard (ie, Prague). Also, sometimes people who complain about being cheated don't know what they're talking about (ie, fares can differ depending on the time of day, route, traffic, baggage, etc.). There was one person I recall who posted a big rant about being cheated by Paris cab drivers (on the Frommer's BB, I think) simply because they were charged about five francs different than a friend who had taken the same route at a different time. FIVE francs!! Really, I don't know where people like that come from or where they've ever traveled before. <BR>

Thanks for the reassurance Christina. I've just bought my tickets for next May and I'll definitely plan on taking a cab.

I was the "other person" Christina mentioned in her post who thought it was great that the shuttle waited 25 min. for us at CDG and would like to mention that there were no other passengers in the shuttle sitting waiting - it was empty and we had a "private" ride into town so no one was inconvenienced. I do agree with her in that a cab is really more comfortable after a long flight and when we fly from LA to Paris (or any other European city) we always take a cab, but when we took the shuttle we had only flown over from London, thus there was no jet lag, etc. to contend with. <BR> <BR>The price of the cab is not a big factor to me when convenience is involved, but I do also realize there are people who really are watching their budgets closely and knowing the set price of something (in this case the shuttle) is reassuring to them so I don't recommend cabs in all instances.

There's also the consideration that, if you're a family, or a group of more than two people, it can be extremely difficult, and much more expensive, to take two cabs -- plus additional charges for luggage. My family of four, with not a lot of luggage, paid significantly less for shuttle than two cabs would've cost. The shuttle was on time, from CDG and on the return, and the driver was only slightly surly -- mostly due to the fact that he slid through merde du chien when he left the van to help us load, and the fact that it was raining buckets. DO, however, count your bags and make sure they're all loaded each way -- we almost left two behind the foyer entrance to our apartment building, but that would've been our fault, not the driver's. <BR> <BR>Basically, I think if there are only two people traveling, there are many less expensive options than the shuttle. But for a family or group, I contend it's a good choice.

Sally: My wife and I just returned from a trip to Paris. I made reservations via the internet, but no payment, on the "PariShuttle" before leaving the U.S. We were sent instructions by the shuttle company via e-mail before we left instructing us when and where to call when we landed at CDG. The shuttle worked out great - we were picked-up outside "Door 20" and taken right to our hotel, 170FF for two, no extra charge for our four pieces luggage. In fact, we used the same shuttle company on the way back to CDG without a problem. They were at the hotel early (about 15 minutes). HOWEVER, the only thing I would add is that on the way back to CDG - on the "A1" (I think) the driver touched on about 140km/hr, I didn't do the conversion --- but needless to say it was a very quick trip from Paris to CDG -- and my wife and I were sitting in the front seat with the driver!!! I'd use them again, but perhaps suggest to the driver that we're really not in that much of a hurry to get there. Good luck...