paul

Is anyone familiar with a company called "cityrama" that takes people from the airport to paris for $20? I am seeking the best way to get from DeGaulle Airport to the 7th in Paris. Thanks. <BR>

Joan Doyle

Dear Paul: I'm not familiar with Cityrama (I usually stay near the Arc de Triomphe and a regular Air France bus picks up and delivers passengers to a location there); but I would say that $20 would be reasonable for the trip. Bon voyage. Joan

Joanna

I think I've said this before in this forum (maybe a few years ago now) but I wouldn't recommend the Roissy Bus. No room for luggage (at least the driver didn't open any compartments if there were any) and the airline staff who came aboard gave us dirty looks for having our luggage in the way. Not much of a service I.M.O. Is it too much to expect luggage space on an airport bus?

Seamus

The only Cityrama I know is a company that does city tours. hat said, $20 is reasonable if they will shuttle you CDG to hotel door-to-door. It's cheaper than a taxi by at least half. The train also runs from CDG to Gare du Nord if you are up to schlepping your bags through train stations and connecting to the metro.

Seamus

The only Cityrama I know is a company that does city tours. hat said, $20 is reasonable if they will shuttle you CDG to hotel door-to-door. It's cheaper than a taxi by at least half. The train also runs from CDG to Gare du Nord if you are up to schlepping your bags through train stations and connecting to the metro.

Lori

Paul, <BR>Like everyone else the only "Cityrama" I know of is a sightseeing company and we've been to Paris many times. You might want to look into "The Airport Shuttle" tho -- we used them in April and were really pleased. They have a toll free number you can use from the U.S. - it's 1-888-426-2705. They run vans that seat 6 or 7 people plus luggage and are all over the city (or at least we saw alot of them!). They were prompt, in fact the driver waited for us a good 20 min. at CDG as our luggage was slow coming. We had a 7 a.m. pick up at our hotel to return to CDG and they were there 5 min. early. <BR>For the two of us it was about 89FF per person (or about $17.00) each. For a single fare they charge 120FF (about $24). Children are $9. They pick you up at the airport and drop you at the hotel. The drivers we had were polite and well mannered and well dressed. While we speak French we did notice that they both spoke some English so there was no problem. The people that answer the phones all spoke English as well. There is no charge for extra luggage (unlike a taxi) and because it is a flat fee you do not have to worry about being caught in a traffic jam (pretty common in Paris) and watching the meter running up! I believe their website is: <BR>www.paris-anglo.com/clients/ashuttle. <BR> <BR>The advantage we found over the Air France bus is that the Shuttle takes you right to the hotel whereas the bus takes you to a drop off point and you still have to get to the hotel. I honestly would not advise dragging your luggage on the Metro if you can help it (unless you pack really light and have one tiny bag . We have seen people doing it and it did not look like a lot of fun.

lynn

Greetings - <BR> <BR>If it were me, I would buy a roundtrip ticket for the train and then take the metro. I, however, pack only one small packpack/rolling suitcase and perhaps a small tote bag. <BR> <BR>If you are not traveling very, very light, do not take the train and metro. The metro stations have miles of stairs and hallways. If you have lots of bags this will be a nightmare. <BR> <BR

Vic

If there are at least two of you I can't imagine taking anything other than a cab. Recently, three of us took a cab from DeGaulle to the Lyon train station in the middle of Paris for about $35. Unless you are really penny pinching and take the Metro, I don't think there is any cheaper way to get to Paris than a cab. The problem with mass transit, including the Roissy Bus, is that it won't take you directly to your hotel. You're going to have to take a cab anyway. Why go through all the trouble? <BR>An interesting thing is that everywhere else I have been in Europe, you're allowed to sit in front. There is an absolute rule in Paris that no passenger under any circumstances can sit up front. So you'll be limited to three in a cab.

Maira

I took Cityrama (arranged by the hotel staff) from my hotel to the CDG Airport. They were on time picking us up, the driver was courteous and the fee was reasonable ($20/pp). They have small white vans. BTW, do you have a hotel already? I stayed at Hotel Muguet (6th or 7th; can't remember right now...). It was a good hotel in a great location.

Susan

Hi Paul, <BR>I would highly recommend taking a cab from the airport especially if you are more than 2 people. We took a cab from CDG to the 7th arr. in early May -cost was 275fr total - for 4 people (by the way, there was no problem or discussion regarding having a passenger in the front seat). After a long flight I cannot imagine taking public transit especially with luggage in the Metro or on a train (nightmare!) Also, the airport bus may be cheaper for one person but you still have to take a cab from the drop off point or spend a lot of time driving to each passenger's hotel. For 3 or 4 people the cab is the most economical. <BR>Enjoy Paris - it's truly a wonderful city.

KATHY

My suggestion is take a cab! After I read and re-read all the posts here about how easy the METRO was to navigate and getinto Paris, I talked my husband into taking the Metro as another adventure for us. Bad, bad move. My bag was much too big - I didn't realize that though until I had trouble getting up the stairways - and it was way too heavy. Never, never again! We were in the 7th (Champ de Mars) and left the underground a mile or so away and walked to the hotel with bags rolling along the cobblestone streets. Real tourists we were! Ugh! We took a cab back to CVG. Best $$$$ we spent for convenience (about $20 ea.). My vote is for a cab - unless you truly only take one, very small bag that you can carry up and down many, many, many stairs in the METRO. Just my opinion.

Helen

Just to chime in with the above, except for the fleetest & lightest of travelers, think hard before taking the RER/Metro combo into town. We reserved the Airport Shuttle, and were happy with their prompt pickup. We had a brief (2 stops) tour of the Left Bank before arriving at our hotel on the Right. For us, it was important to know in advance what we were being charged. As the posters above noted, there's a definite price advantage to a cab if your party is larger than 2 people (ours wasn't); however another factor, mentioned in previous threads, but not here, is that a good traffic jam could make your cab costs quite a bit higher. We opted for the shuttle on the way back, too, and had a rather interminable ride all over the city. Not so great. So ya pays your money, and takes yer chances. However either way, at least we weren't on the Metro with all our gear (we pulled that stunt when we headed for the Loire valley) Now whenever we see someone on the subway or bus with big luggage, we exchange a<BR>knowing glance and whisper "Look -- a stunt." Don't let this happen to you! (PS our luggage consisted of a tote bag and 22" rolling carry-on per person -- the stunt part is in the ups, downs, & long corridors of the Metro.)

D. Spiegel

I vote for the Airport Shuttle. We took a taxi to our hotel in the 14th and Airport Shuttle back to the airport. The taxi cost more than double the shuttle.

Robin

Paul - <BR>Another vote for a cab ride! I was in Paris in April and when I arrived in CDG, I travelled into town (@ hotel in 7th arr) via the RER/Metro route. It was a major schlep with the stairs, etc., etc. When I left, I opted for a the convenience of door-to-door travel with a taxi. And very glad that I did, as it was raining on departure day. <BR>Yes, taking a shuttle or the train is cheaper than a taxi, but some things are worth paying the extra cost for and this is one of them.

Robin

Paul - <BR>Another vote for a cab ride! I was in Paris in April and when I arrived in CDG, I travelled into town (@ hotel in 7th arr) via the RER/Metro route. It was a major schlep with the stairs, etc., etc. When I left, I opted for a the convenience of door-to-door travel with a taxi. And very glad that I did, as it was raining on departure day. <BR>Yes, taking a shuttle or the train is cheaper than a taxi, but some things are worth paying the extra cost for and this is one of them.

Catherine

My husband and I used the airport shuttle bus in may.It cost 90ff,pp. <BR>I thought it was great, prompt service.It takes you right to the door of your hotel.However my husband who suffers from car sickness,air sickness and fairground ride sickness, thought it was an absoloute nightmare.The driver was too aggressive for him. <BR>We spent the first morning in Paris with my husband feeling like death.It took him about 3 hours to get over it. <BR>Consequently we had to get the RER and Metro back at the end of our holiday.There were no taxis to be had on the morning of our departure. <BR>If you are in good shape it's not so bad using the metro. <BR>

Lori

My vote is for a cab. Yes it is expensive, but you're on VACATION. I have found that after a 7 hour flight I can barely think, let alone find my way through the Paris Metro ( and I have been there twice)and negotiate my bags, etc. Treat yourself and do it the easy way.

Vincent

I must have said it a thousand times on this forum, but I'll repeat it again : is it really worth it to go through the hassle of booking a shuttle that might take twice as long to bring you to your hotel, when taking a cab only means 50 F ($9) more per person at most ? Look at your overall budget for the trip. As you know, first impressions are lasting ones, so you wouldn't like to start your trip with a bad memory, would you ?

Lori

Ref: Cabs vs. Shuttle <BR>I would like to add one thing to my post from above - we've taken both cabs and shuttles from CDG and for overall convenience I agree a cab is best, also if you have just gotten off a long flight, in our case we have often flew from California, a cab was more practical, however on our most recent trip we flew over from London after spending 10 days in England. Consequently we had no jet lag and the Shuttle was convenient. In most cases the Shuttle only takes passengers going to the same areas or along the route to and from the airport. We did not "ride all over" Paris, in fact we were the first people to be let off and our hotel was at the Trocadero. There was another couple that were going over near Rue Dominique on the Left Bank and they were the next stop. A cab makes sense when you are suffering from jet lag, however a cab ride can be expensive depending upon the time of day. Rush hour in Paris is not much fun, nor is an accident on the highway leading into the city (remember you are sitting there watching the meter run). A cab is the most comfortable way to reach the city by all means. I was concerned about the Shuttle driving all over the place and spoke to a man named Mark at the Paris office who told me they would not have much business if that was how they ran it. Again, if you are coming off a very long flight and jet lag is kicking in, a cab might be preferable, but in all honesty we found the Shuttle just fine too. If you flight is a short one it is a great alternative. Incidentally, going back to CDG we made two stops for passengers, both right along the route and each taking about 3 minutes. <BR> <BR>Whatever way you do it, unless you have a very small bag avoid the Metro!

Lucretia

We are planning our first trip to Paris in October - I, like Kathy - have been trying to persuade my husband that the train/metro trip would be an "adventure" but since I've heard all your wonderful advice, I can see that this is indeed a bad mistake. Does anyone know how it would compare in price and convenience to take a taxi from the airport versus taking the train from the airport and then a taxi from there to your hotel. Thanks!