Our flight departs at 6:30 am on August 22. We are booked for three nights at the Hotel Des Grandes Ecoles in the Latin Quarter, including the night before departure. How do we arrive at Charles de Gaulle in time for our morning flight? Is a taxi the only possibility? Any suggestions please! Any idea of the cost? <BR>

I think you are stuck with a taxi. But I am hoping someones who knows something I don't will respond. <BR>Given that you need to be at the counter to check in about an hour before flight time, you need to be at CDG by 5:30. <BR>My guide books say that the Metro and RER trains start operating about that time -- 5:30 AM. The van service I used last summer lists an operating day of 6 AM to 7 PM. <BR>So the RER and the van service are not likely options. That leaves the taxi. <BR> <BR>I received a comment from another poster in regards to another question that the day fare for a taxi from CDG would be about 250 ff. But costs at the time you need to travel are higher. So just guessing, you could run a 350 to 450 ff taxi cost. At the present rate of exchange that could cost you somethere between $55 and $70. <BR>Looking up some detailed cost figures in a Paris guide book for the approximately 25K ride to CDG, I got these kind of estimated, "ball park figures": <BR> <BR>base taxi charge 14 ff <BR>kilometer charge 200 ff (8 ff per k) <BR>time charge 120 ff (1 hour) <BR>tip 40 ff <BR>luggage charge 18 ff <BR>(assume 3 big pieces at 6 ff each) <BR>I get a total here of 392 ff estimated cost. So rounded up to 400 ff, that equals about $60 at today's rate of exchange. <BR>I hope someone who knows more than I do about getting to CDG at that hour of the morning will respond. <BR> <BR>This may sound a little absurd, but had you considered the alternative of moving your hotel room (little late perhaps) <BR>to a place in the suburbs and renting a car for one 24 hour period? Of course, the struggle of finding the rental car return in that CDG maze at night might be a major barrier. It would be for me. I would pay the taxi and trust the driver to get me there. At 4:30 - 5 AM heading out of the city center, traffic should be light. <BR>Well, that's how I see it. Again, I hope a more experienced person than I will respond.

We just flew out of CDG on July 5th. What a complete and total disorganized zoo. I know the previous poster suggested arrival one hour prior to departure, but we got to the airport for our 2pm flight at noon and it took the WHOLE time to get checked in. Although your 6.30 am flight may be the first out that morning, if you get there one hour before your flight, you may be waiting to check in with folks on later flights who are checking in earlier (2 hours early for their 7.30 flight, say). Just something to consider. And for what it's worth, I agree with the previous poster - go for the taxi.

We took an 8:30 flight from our hotel to CDG in June. We used the Airport Shuttle.www.paris-anglo.com/clients/ashuttle.html. We reserved by e-mail and RECONFIRMED from Paris two days ahead . The fare was 175ff from our hotel. We paid after we arrived at CDG. We paid by cash which we felt was easier. I have friends that do this all of the time. They were prompt and we had plenty of time at the airport. I am a person who is more comfortable knowing how much a ride like that will cost ahead of time. When we took a taxi to the same hotel because we arrived by train, we couldn't figure out how we were charged. He kept adding a tariff for luggage and the final price was a lot different from the meter. The airport shuttle is based on the number of people with no mention of the number of bags. I would do it again ina minute.

We used an "airport shuttle" service, arranged through our concierge, that turned out to be a taxi driven by the concierge's friend. It was there right on time and got us to CDG in good order. The hotel's desk person/concierge should be able to set you up with what you need. After all, you won't be the first people ever to have such an early flight (why do airlines DO that to people?). <BR>

Sorry, Linda. I wrote before I responded and they do not have service before 6:00 am. I might e-mail them anyway and maybe they have a special service or have some advice. They spoke very, very good English when we called and were very polite.

I MUST amend my previous post. I guess I forgot you are dealing with CDG. <BR>After our experiences there last summer, I must revise my suggested time of arrival by at least 30 minutes and more like an hour!! One hour is NOT enough!! <BR>Yes, CDG is a zoo and a very disorderly one at that! Perhaps it is because I don't know my way around the place very well, but to me it is the most confusing, bewildering airport I was ever in. By comparison, Hartsfield in Atlanta is a piece of cake. <BR>To underscore my statement, I deliberately scheduled a nearly 4 hour break between our flight in from Vienna and our flight home. Last year 90 minutes on paper shrunk to 30 by the time the flight from Zurich landed. And it was a panic filled transfer from T2 B to T2 C. Thanks heavens the flight home was delayed about 20 minutes or we never would have made it. <BR>I hope 4 hours is enough!! <BR>

For peace of mind, why don't you spend the last night at a hotel at the airport. That's what I did and I was a lot less stressed. After we checked in to the airport hotel we took the train into the city for dinner and trained back again. In the morning I took the hotel shuttle to the terminal. Just make sure you know how frequently the shuttle goes to the terminal you need -- there are two terminals. Allow a lot of time for checking in and, of course, going through the duty free shops. I don't know what time they open, though. I fly United Air and their Premier check-in line was 45-minutes the last time I was. The standard line had to have been much longer.

I agree with the previous poster. There is an Ibis hotel, reasonably priced and comfortable if small rooms, right at the airport train station. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Paris--or you could tour on your last day and ask your paris hotel to hold your luggage, then pick up your luggage after dinner (don't eat at the Ibis--awful!)and take the train/metro to the Ibis.

There is an odd little hotel in the bottom of the KLM terminal called Cocoon. The room is tiny and dark, but clean. It has a shower and a TV with CNN in english, the first news I saw for two weeks. They are open 24 hrs but you can only stay for 18 hrs or so. You could take the RER out the night before and then stay there.

Merci beaucoup! to all who responded to my question. Perhaps I will try to change our last night to a location near the airport....or deal with a very expensive taxi!