I'm going to Paris on the 21st and would like to hear about the best (safest, most direct, etc.) into Paris. I'm staying near the Madeleine.

Daun, <BR>I have taken the Roissy bus from Charles De Gaulle into Paris.It also leaves from Roissy. Price was ~$5, ran ~every 15 minutes. One of its drop off points is Opera. This is one metro stop from Madeleine, or (potentially) walking distance. <BR> <BR>My only "situation" when I arrived in Paris was that at the time of day the exchange bureaus were closed. <BR> <BR>A web page: <BR>http://www.paris.org/Accueil/Airport/ <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip <BR> <BR>Mike

There are essentially four methods for getting from Roissy - Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris. <BR>If you are not burdened with luggage, the RER train is the most effective way because it is not subject to traffic tie ups. <BR>The other three methods are a taxi, an airport van, and the Rossy bus that Daun described. I have used the airport shuttle twice with indifferent experience. Both times we were the last ones dropped off, so it meant a fairly long ride in terms of time and distance. <BR>If you want convenience, I think the best way would be RER train, depending on luggage, and then a taxi to your hotel. <BR>The Paris Metro to me is not user friendly at all. There are darned few escalators, as contrasted with Munich, and the corridors are seemingly endless. <BR> <BR>If there are 3 of you, with luggage, I think a taxi is your best bet when you take convenience into account. <BR> <BR>

I agree with Bob, just would say that all methods are relatively safe and direct; pickpocketing is obviously a problem on the train if you don't pay attention to your stuff. I myself don't like to spend my time fooling around with transport getting into town so take a cab (I'd recommend shuttle second), unless you can walk from the bus stop to your hotel, you'll waste a lot of time taking bus then cab and it won't be that much cheaper--some cabs won't like it if the stop is that close to your hotel--the Madeleine is fairly near the Opera, so if you can walk it, I would take that Roissy public bus, otherwise I would worry about getting a cab for that short distance. I would not recommend the RER for where you are going. there is actually another method Bob didn't mention, the Air France bus but it doesn't stop near the Madeleine. I've also heard KLM airlines runs one but I don't know anything about it.

Take a taqxi. The convenience, ease and security make it worth the extra ten bucks or so, which, you will have to agree, is not a huge amount of money in the context of yor total vacation expense.

Daun, <BR> <BR>We returned from Late Sept. trip to Paris and we used the Airport Shuttle <BR>Van from Airport to Paris. You can book <BR>it thru www.paris-anglo.com/clients/ashuttle.html. It cost 150F for one person or 89f per person for two. It's a stress free method of transport.

ttt

As a single traveler with only one small carry-on bag, I found the RER to metro easy. However, if you have more than that in luggage it could be a big pain. If there's at least 2 travelers, I'd agree that a taxi is the easiest, and the extra cost split 2 ways isn't much. If you're solo, the RER to Paris & taxi to hotel would work, or the airport bus.