Changing rooms near CDG?
 

We are arriving in Paris at 6:30 AM, our hotel (hotel d'Orsay) doesn't allow checkin until 2PM. Where can we go to change our clothes and freshen up to explore Paris during the morning? I know some of the airports and hotels has changing rooms for guests to change into business attire, are there similar areas at CDG?

Thanks!

WC

Do you have access to an airline lounge?

Also, your hotel may well be willing to give you access to a room to use. Ask when you drop off your luggage for them to store.

I'm with kerouac, I usually spend 5 minutes in a ladies room between the gate and picking up my luggage. But if that doesn't work for you then your hotel may very well have a ground floor powder room when you leave your bags, to splash a little water around and change whatever must be changed. And you'll very likely have a room before 2:00. I'm trying to recall the last time a hotel actually invoked the "official" check-in time and can't.

Most of the Air France lounges have showers (including the Arrivals Lounge, open at 530am) where you can not only change clothes, but get all sweet-smelling fresh. It's free if you're flying Business or if you are Skyteam Elite Plus, but a stiff 50 Euro otherwise.

I'm with kerouac - use the WC. If you want to freshen up, bring a hand towel that you can get wet with hot water from the tap & have at it.

Heck, I've done a complete shampoo & shave in the WC upon arrival. A little fresh deodorant & a clean shirt & I'm good for the whole day.

The train station Gare Austerlitz has showers - https://www.gares-sncf.com/fr/gare/f...ervices/douche

Also luggage storage - https://www.gares-sncf.com/fr/gare/f...es#service-197

The WCs in Austerlitz used to have Turkish Toilets - or Vespasiennes - wonder if they still do (squat toilets with just two slabs for your feet and a hole to try to aim at!

Not talking about toilets at Austerlitz, they're showers (douches)

If you want the real deal, the municipal baths (bains douches) of Paris are free.

http://www.paris.fr/services-et-info...municipaux-138

Use of the airport lounges at CDG are generally limited to outbound passengers only. As far as I know, arriving passengers, even those with lounge memberships, are not allowed access to the lounges.

Most all of the CDG hotels have day room rates where arriving passengers may shower and have a place to stay during the day.

I never feel a need to do that upon arrival as you don't really get dirty sitting on a plane (freshen up which I presume means take a shower). Other than that, you could do anything in a bathroom--wash your face, brush your teeth and even change clothes as you will have your baggage by then. that's enough freshening up for me. Hotels usually have a bathroom available from the lobby, as least the ones I stay in do. And that is a 4* hotel, after all.

Plenty of hotels don't allow you to checkin upon arrival, especially early in the morning, in fact, few hotels would have a room ready at that hour of arrival. Unless you want to sit in the lobby for hours on end waiting for a room and doing nothing else in Paris, the fact that they might have one at 1 pm is not very useful.

If I cared that much about freshening up, I'd pay the 50 euro at the airport for that lounge, cheaper than a hotel room.