CDG airport to Paris
 

Can someone please help me? My wife and I are arriving at CDG airport tomorrow. I'm looking for a convenient, inexpensive way (metro or bus) to get to the Place de la Madeleine area(specifically, 10 Rue St Philippe Du Roule). Even if we can get to a point close-by (I don't want to be switching trains or busses) and then take a taxi, I think it would be cheaper than the 70 0r 80 dollars it would cost me for a taxi the whole way. Also, can we grab a train or bus right at the airport?

You have a dozen options. The two that are simplest (no changing trains) and most cost-effective (no taxi from CDG) are these:

- Take the Roissybus from CDG to its only stop, the Place de l'Opera, where you'll find a taxi stand in front of the Grand Hotel. Take a taxi (short ride, less than 5€) to your hotel.

- Take the Air France bus from CDG to Porte Maillot, then a taxi to your hotel. This will be about 10-20€ more expensive, but you won't have to handle your luggage as much. Although the Place Etoile stop is closer to your hotel, it can sometimes be difficult to find a taxi at the Place Etoile bus stop (without hauling yourself to the other side of the Champs Elysees).

The Metro is an easy way but you must take a bus to get to the Metro station where you can then get on the RER & connect to whatever line you need once in PAris. Since I don't have my handy Metro map w/me. Someone will be happy to provide more detailed info. This is likely also the quickest/cheapest way as well.

We've taken the Roissy bus to Place de L'opera. Easy and convenient if you are staying in that general area.

According to the French Metro website, you can take the RER into Paris, get off at Chatelet Les Halles, and transfer to the Yellow Line (Direction: Grande Arche De La Defense) and go 4 stops to Franklin D. Roosevelt stop.

The website I checked this on is available in English too, and you just plug in your "from" and "to" locations... http://www.ratp.fr/

Happy Travels.

Jules

The RATP site has a lot of flaws. The closest station to your hotel is Saint Philipe du Roule on Line 9.

If you are planning to take the Métro and RER, I think it would be best to take RER B (direction: Paris; Robinson, Massy, or St. Rémy) until Châtelet Les Halles. Transfer to Line 14. Take Line 14 (direction: Saint Lazare) until Saint Lazare. Transfer to Line 9 via underground connection (stations Saint Lazare and Saint Augustin are linked by underground tunnel; do not exit the station). Take Line 9 (direction: Pont de Sèvres) until Saint Philipe du Roule. Your hotel should be next to the subway station.
Total price: 7.75 EUR / adult.

If this is your first excursion on the Paris RER/métro system, I'd avoid any recommendations that take you through the Chatelet stop. It's absolutely VAST, and after an overnight flight you could easily be tired and confused enough to end up spending your first few days in Paris underground.
I think the Roissybus is the better option.

TransitBuddie, what you are proposing Enrico is a real nightmare! Just the first transfer, from Les Halles to Line 14, is almost 1 km long, not to mention the zillion other ones! No, rizzuto is right: Roissybus to the end, at Opéra, then a taxi, that should cost you € 8 to 10 all included (you can even walk from Opéra to your hotel, depending on your luggage/mobility)

The closest Metro is St. Phillipe du Roule. Roissybus plus taxi looks to be the simplest way to go, a little more than 5€ fotr the taxi, but not much. The meter starts at 2, and there is a charge of .90 per piece of luggage.

We plan on taking the Roissybus from CDG to Opera.

We are staying at the Intercontinental LeGrand. I believe the hotel is across the street from the Opera stop. Can anyone confirm?

Can anyone give me an idea on where to purchase the Roissybus tickets once I arrive at CDG? I haven't been to CDG before.

Thanks! Hopefully this will be helpful to the original poster as well.

I don't think the Intercontinental is directly across the street from the Roissybus stop, but it's within about a block. I'm not positive, but I think the bus stops on the west side of the Opera Garnier. In any case, it's close enough not to worry. The bus stops at CDG varies depending on the terminal/hall. There should be signs, but this URL has a route map giving the exact locations in the various terminals:
http://www.ratp.info/picts/plans/gif.../roissybus.gif

I thought Enrico said he didn't want to be switching trains or busses. That leaves out all these complicated RER/metro schemes. Rizzuto gave the best options, I'd say -- unless Enrico just booked an airport shuttle van which might be what I'd do as upon arrival, timing isn't so important (I wouldn't take one on departure in case they were late). I don't really like trying to get taxis within the city at busy locations upon arrival in order to save a couple euro, it just doesn't seem worth it to me for the hassle. Sometimes they won't like it if the distance is too short, also.

Art, the transfer from the RER to Line 14 is not anywhere near 1km. From the RER to Line 1 it is far but not to Line 14. Line 14 and Line 4 are very very close to the RER lines. I have done it many many times as I live here.

That said, I agree with the majority, RoissyBus or Air France Bus plus taxi.

Sorry to hijack this a bit, but does anyone know how long the transfer is at Gare du Nord from RER B to Metro line 2? Thanks.

Line 2 doesn't come through Gare du Nord. You have to walk to La Chappelle, about 700m northeast of the station.

..Roissy bus to Opera and a taxi would be my suggestion. Totally agree with St. Cirq re Chatelet. I avoid it like the plague, hot vast and the "hades" of the Metro. As an aside, I was about 6 mo pregnant and changed at Chatelet as I was on the way to a train station to meet my SO in Brittany. I jigged when I should have jagged and literally half an hour later I somehow got on the right line and even waddled to the train on time. I was in tears and even to this day go minutes out of my way to avoid changing at that station.

To Tweeter:

The bus stops on rue Scribe, and your hotel is right down the street.

If you have any plans to use city buses during your trip, go to the following, drag down to Opera in the second column and print out a map.

http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/Eng/P...arters_gif.htm

If you don't mind switching from a train or bus to a taxi, perhaps you would consider taking the Roissybus to Opéra, then the #52 bus to the end of the block your hotel is on. Here is the route map:

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan.php?loc=bus_paris&amp;nompdf=52&amp;fm=pdf</b>

And the neighborhood maps around Op&eacute;ra and St-Phillipe du Roule can be found here:

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/plan_t...hp?partenaire=
</b>

You purchase the Roissybus tickets from the driver.

Not for Enrico, but...

For anyone who wants to squeeze every last <i>sous</i> out of the cost, you can always take RER B to Gare du Nord, RER E to St-Lazare, and M&eacute;tro Ligne 9 to St-Phillipe du Roule. 8.00&euro; end-to-end.

(The Roissybus-#52 bus costs 9.80&euro;.)

Thanks RonZ and Christina for your responses to my question!

Travelnut - You mentioned buying the Roissybus tickets from the driver...
Is that recommended versus purchasing at CDG? I want to be prepared on what to do, since we haven't been to Paris before.

Thanks!

Tweeter, the driver will be at CDG, it's where his stop is at! I think there are little RATP booths within the terminal that also sell the tickets. If you happen to pass by one, OK, buy it there, but otherwise, don't bother, do like 90 % of the passengers, buy the tickets directly from the driver.

Hi

Cheaper than the taxi option (taxi cost us 60E from CDG to Eiffel) is the shuttle bus. It was 38E for two. We used Paris Shuttle - www.parishuttle.com - to get from Eiffel area to CDG. This may still be more than what you want to spend but I must say it did save us a lot of mucking around with transport options. I mean lets face it by the time you compare the options kindly suggested by other posters you'll save about 20E compared to the shuttle cost. Is it worth the hassle?

Au revoir

To Tweeter. I agree with the post above about &quot;is it worth the hassle&quot;. If you haven't been to Paris before I think it is daunting to deal with transport from CDG other than a taxi. We have used the RER--never again. We haven't used a shuttle because I just have never nailed down how you contact the driver--and then wait for him.
The taxi will deliver you to your hotel--we always print out a little map from maporama or some such and print the address on it to hand the driver. It is a wonderful stress free way to begin your Paris trip.

Art_Vandelay - That is the exact info I needed to know. Thanks!

I have used the shuttle also but you may end up traveling all over Paris before you arrive at your destination as the suttle will be full of people w/varying destinations. Just a heads-up.

Hassle factor:

Let's say you're flying into CDG and taking the train on to Avignon.

You land, collect your baggage, go through the formalities, get to the train station, and get on the train.

At the other end, you get off the train, go to a taxi stand, and ride to your hotel.

Why is this acceptable, yet doing it with Paris as the final destination is a &quot;hassle?&quot;