Half-day in Paris: Worth leaving hotel?
 

We will be passing through Paris (Charles de Gaulle airport) on our way to Athens this summer. Our flight arrives at 9:00 pm and we don't depart for our connecting flight until the next day at 1:25 pm. We are two adults with two teens (ages 13 and 18). Couple of questions: (1) Any reasonably priced hotels near the airport that you recommend, or should we stay closer to the city? (2) Is it possible to see anything of Paris in our morning there? Any recommended quick tours or quick must-see sites? Thanks!

What is "reasonably priced" to you ? Everyones idea of that is different.

You arrive at 9 p.m. so if it were me I'd stay at an airport hotel (there are many, just do a search). It takes awhile to collect luggage, etc. so 9 p.m. is not when you will exit the airport. With a flight out at 1:25 p.m. the next day you need to check in no later then 2 hrs before (11:30 a.m.). Do you honestly think you can get yourself and two teens up and out early enough to go sightseeing ? You DO NOT have a morning in Paris, you have a couple of hours which will be needed to wake up/shower/do hair/etc. Eat a good breakfast at the hotel and get back over to checkin for next flight.

This is just my opinion, I am sure someone will say you can get up at 5 a.m. and take the train in and wander around till 9:30 or something but I'd leave Paris for when I could actually stay in Paris.

It's not the least expensive option, but the Sheraton at CDG is by far the most convenient. It's right *in* the international terminal.

I would be EXHAUSTED and yet I would stay in Paris, have breakfast and a nice walk and catch a cab back to the airport a little before 11AM (later if the airline kept my luggage). I have been “stuck” in Paris overnight a few times due to flight delays, and it is easier to take one taxi into the city and one taxi back to the airport than the shuttle to the airport hotel, taxi into the city, taxi back to airport hotel and shuttle back to airport (it is even worse if you plan on using the train). It isn’t economical, but how to put a price on stealing a few hours in Paris….That said, I wouldn’t do it if I needed to incorporate the train or airport hotel transportation (and I have tried it too!).

i have secured rooms at cdg o priceline.com for $75.. of course this depends on when you go if there is a fair then.

i was awarded the hilton. i bid 4 stars . free shuttle to airport.

If your schedule was different, w/ that much time I'd probably stay in Paris. But your layover is not convenient for that at all.

CDG is a zoo, and 2 hours ahead is being very optimistic. Check in and security can be quick but more often is a mess. I would want to be there by 10:30 (or 11 at the very latest). Meaning you would have to check out of your hotel, leave the bags there, see whatever you could squeeze in, return for your luggage and be on you way to CDG by 0930. Not even barely worth it.

Just stay at CDG.

There was a posting similar to this not too long ago. You probably don't have time, and it's really wiser to address your possible jet lag and get a good nights rest before your trip Athens.
You can google "airport hotels CDG". There are a group of them in the town of Roissy, only a few minutes away as well as some adajent to the airport. and ALL OFF THEM would have shuttles to and from the airport terminals.
IF you are there on a weekend (Fri, Sat. AND SUN>) you can usually get very good rates at the top hotels like Hilton, Marriott etc...with a buffet breakfast. Other hotels a few minutes away are good also like, Radisson, Ibis, Holiday Inn, etc. Air France put us up once at the Ibis because they cancelled our flight...it's adequate for one night, but far from luxury. One other time we stayed at the Hilton close to the airport..lovely, and it was on a weekend.
It IS about an hour and $50 or so to get into Paris by taxi, depending on the time of day. (and not much to see UNTIL you actually arrive in Paris center . Some people like the RER train , but you would be going early morning with the commuters etc. The trip in is really not feasable, but some would say it is. (:>)
Twice, and the airlines usually allow one 2 or 3 day stopover on the way to another destination, we have taken advantage and enjoyed Paris for those 2 nights.
Lots of possibilities and our Trip to Greece sounds wonderful.

"The [RER] trip in is really not feasable..."

And yet...thousands of French people do it five days a week.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport and the single room was around EUR 100 per night. The room was very big, very clean, and its walking distance to a small town where I had a fantastic dinner.

Bid 4* Priceline. All of those are fine with free shuttle (or Sheraton which doesn't need one). Just relax.

I wouldn't try it. I think getting a good night's sleep and having a relaxed morning are more important than squeezing in a blurred two hours of Paris.

Paris is too good to skimp on. Return soon and see it properly.

Skimp on? By that you could mean "less than 6 months."

My advice: see as much as you can in the time you have. We may never pass this way again.

Get a hotel in the Ve or VIe near the St-Michel Notre-Dame RER B station. If you head to the airport by 10:30, you should have plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and a walk around before checking out. You'll have plenty of time to relax when you get on your flight.

I'm not clear on when the flight leaves the next day at 1:25 pm, which I suspect, rather than when you depart for the flight, I'd say no way. I always try to get to CDG about 3 hrs before flight time myself, and allow at least 45 minutes more for the trip from Paris. Most tourist sites aren't even open early in the morning. The Eiffel Tower isn't open until 9 and museums aren't open that early, either. Of course you could look at the outside of things but with the getting up, packing, etc., this sounds insane to me to try to plan sightseeing in Paris from say, 7-9 am.

ditto
for 2 reasons:

jet-lag
kids

If you get to bed at a reasonable hour, then jetlag will be no more than a minor inconvenience.

Two teens (13 & 18) don't require much in the way of maintenance. You could probably just turn them loose for a couple of hours.

Turn a 13 and an 18 year old loose for two hours on your first (and only) day in a strange, foreign city just before you have to catch a flight? Are you serious?

Quite a variety of opinions! After digesting your thoughts, I'm leaning toward not going crazy. I'll probably be frustrated with a less-than-satisfying taste of Paris. I will save it for next trip, with or without kids. Not worth getting exhausted or sick, at the beginning of a vacation. Thanks again to all you amazing Fodorites, who have helped me plan my vacations over the last few years!

I recently had an unexpected six hour layover in Madrid, and I took advantage of the opportunity to taxi into the city and see a bit of it. I had a total of two hours to look around BUT 1) I was on my own (left SO in the airport) 2) Barajas is not nearly the chaos that CDG is 3) it was the middle of the day, so shops were open and 4) I was yet to fly internationally, so I wasn't exhausted. Even so, I was looking at my watch the whole time.

Yes. Maybe my kids are more...capable...than others. My 13-yo had Métro navigation nailed in about ten seconds. I understand there are people who have a problem "figuring it out."

I mastered the Paris Metro system first time I went to Paris at age 10, within 8.7 seconds.

But I'm still saying "no".

&quot;<i>Quite a variety of opinions!</i>&quot;

Not really - if you read through the entire thread there is really only one person who is trying to shame you into going in to the city - implying if you don't your kids must be cretins. Otherwise, there is pretty much consensus that it's not a good idea.

&quot;<i>I will save it for next trip</i>&quot; - excellent decision!

If you make everything as easy as possible for yourself (taxis both ways, a very central hotel, and breakfast in the hotel), then it seems like you would at least get a chance to take a walk in Paris in the morning, with relatively little stress. So I would do this if I were willing to spend the money to have a pleasant and easy experience, but not if I wasn't.

i'll go against the crowd and recommend giving it a try, with some conditions. I wouldn't go to paris in the morning, i would stay up late and see paris the night of arrival. Spend the extra bucks on the sheraton, which is in the airport, so you can drop off your bags and go. Taxi it into the city, or get a car service for a couple of hours, and see the major sights (granted you won't be able to go into any). get back to the hotel very late, but then sleep in the next morning and walk downstairs to catch your flight. doable, but will cost you more than a few bucks.

bri--their flight arrives at 9 p.m. Your plan has them arriving in central Paris, once customs is cleared, bags are retrieved, room is obtained, etc. close to midnight!

yeah, i know. don't know them so i don't know if they would be up for it, but i am normally a little wired upon arrival. a little sleep on the plane and a little espresso upon arrival and i could hold out till 3am, then get 7 hours sleep. i would suck it up if i had never seen any of the sights in paris before, and was unsure when i would be able to go back. not for everyone though.

Last April we got to CDG 3 hours before flight time, and we made it to the gate with barely 20 minutes left before boarding. I would stay at the airport and relax.

Okay, bridonohue seems to agree with me, MaddieAstrid always did, as does WillTravel. So it's not as if there's only one correct interpretation. Different people are differentially able to handle certain situations. I would answer OP's questions in the following way:

1) I would stay in the city.
2) Yes, you can have a glimpse of Paris.
3) If your offspring can't find their way, keep them with you.

CDG is a NIGHTMARE!!!! Poorly signed, little or no info posted anywhere! It is a large airport and security takes forever!!! Stay at the airport, have relaxing evening, and promise yourself to return soon!

it seems some people have teens who are not only able to &quot;get&quot; the Metro in a nanosecond, but aso don't mind getting out of bed at 5:30 A.M. just to take a look at a foreign city for a couple of hours.
How did they get so lucky?

Just clean livin', that's all!

Yes, diversity of opinion still rules. At least now I have a variety of ideas for what to do, should my family be in the mood for staying up super-late and should we manage to get out of CDG before we tear our hair out --I like Bri's suggestion: Paris at night, then sleep very late the next morning. I tend to be an &quot;early to bed, early to rise&quot; sort of person, but who knows what early trip adrenaline will lead to...

~~~And thousands of Parisians &quot;know what they are doing&quot; each morning when they take the RER.....

Love your answer &quot;rkkwan&quot;!! Clever.

If you really thought you'd enjoy Paris at night ( and it IS pretty) you could hire a car and driver to drive you around the city(starting at the airport)...expensive, but a good way to see Paris in a few hours at night. Than back to the airport for some sleep. Are you flying from the States, 6 to 9 hours?...no doubt will have some jet lag, but people handle this differently.
I still vote for planning to see Paris on another trip and get rested and prepared for your &quot;Greek' adventure.

Clever? Perhaps. But not particularly illuminating.

In any case, seeing Paris at night with jetlag is a non-starter. It would probably be 11:00 before you even got started.

Let's take this one and break it down into some potential timings and conditions.

First, you have no assurance that your flight will be on time. Late flights are more the norm at CDG than on time ones.

Secondly, what about your checked luggage? Do you have to re-claim it and re-check it? Or is it held &quot;in transit&quot; until the following morning?

Let's assume you don't have to reclaim it and can avoid the baggage claim wait. Even so, passport control can be slow, or it can be fast. It all depends on how many international flights arrive at that time of night and how many agents are on duty to process the arriving passengers.

Given the most likely circumstances at CDG, I doubt if all of you would be settled in a hotel room before 11:00.
I think fully settled by 11:30 is more likely.

If you can leave your checked luggage &quot;in transit&quot; overnight, you each will need carryon luggage. Can you get all of your required cosmetics, shaving cream, toothpaste, deoderants, and whatnot into 3 oz bottles and tubes?

Now comes the fun the next morning. How soon can all of you wakeup from jet lagged sleep and get rolling the next morning: 8 am? (Boy I am optimistic.)

Assuming you can leave the hotel by 8:30, which means not much to eat, you will, at best, arrive at a central Paris location about 45 minutes later, thus arriving about 9:45 to 10:00.

At that hour of the morning during the week, a cab is not going to help you much because rush hour traffic is like it is in any other big city. Cabs have to fight the same traffic jams.

That means you need to get from your hotel to the RER station and ride into Paris. The most logical stop on line RER B is St. Michel/Notre Dame. The trip will take you about 35 rididng minutes and trains run frequently. You at least could get a look at the Seine, dart into Notre Dame, run across the streets to Ste. Chapelle, which is a jewel of a church featuring 6,000 square feet of incredible stained glass walls.

Now for the return. You will need about 40 minutes to ride back to CDG to the RER station.

Once at the airport, you will need to get from the RER station to your departure check-in counter. If you depart from T1, you will need to take a connecting airport train (VAL).

If you are leaving from 2D or 2F, you can walk it just about as quickly. If you are leaving from 2A or 2B, you have a decision to make. Walk or take the new VAL driverless connecting train?

If leaving from T1, you have more of a problem in getting there.

At any rate, giving yourself 90 minutes for check-in, security, and boarding is cutting it close. I personally would give myself more time becuase the last thing you want to have happen is to miss your departing flight.

Given the limited amount of time you will be in central Paris, I question the value of the effort.

The imponderable here is your checked luggage. If you have to leave it at the hotel and retrieve it before going to the airport, then a new level of compexlity and delay has been introduced into the time etimates.

(I am assuming you would not take your checked luggage on the RER to see a sight or two in Paris.)

Well those are some of the considerations. A few unknown parameters to be filled in. Once they are, then you might be able to make a &quot;winging it&quot; decision the following morning.

Worst case is that you have your luggage to manage. Best case is that your flight is on time, the passport line is short, you don't have to re-claim your checked luggage, and you can get immediate transportation to a hotel near the airport. Then everybody falls asleep before midnight and wakes up raring to go at 7 am the next morning.

Only you will know how it all works out.

If you are arriving on a Friday or Saturday night, your problem of getting to central Paris is somewhat less. A cab then becomes your quickest means of transportation because you do not have to spend the time getting to the RER station and there is no rush hour traffic to fight.

Believe me, for morning rush hour, that Paris Peripherique is like the Great Wall of China! That is why I think a cab or a van would be a longer ride than a cab. I don't think it would be any quicker.

Coming back to the airport on Saturday or Sunday, a cab might be quicker, but the RER moves fast and it has no traffic competing for the right of way and no traffic lights!!

I am not sure who wins that race!!

Yo, Bob -

Great job. Now (to be fair) redo the timeline with the family staying in town, at a hotel near the RER B line.

I totally support those who recommend treating yourselves gently and not trying to see Paris in what will surely amount to very limited time.

Charles de Gaulle airport is ( I've been to Europe and to Paris many times)always a trying experience...It just gets worse every time I visit.

In November 2006 we experienced two hour delays getting luggage, not an unusual event.

Also, and I say this despite my absolute love of Paris and all things French, the staff at CdG have always been pretty rude and apathetic in my experience so don't expect any assistance should there be questions or delays. Their &quot;service&quot; was actually so surly in November that I even overheard a French gendarme chastise the staff for their appalling behaviour!

Even on a good day it's a crowded, chaotic, very, very poorly organised airport and will certainly leave you stressed out before you begin, even if there are no delays.

Leave the magical city of Paris for when you have time to enjoy it's wonders....

Stay at CDG. Robes, is trying to act superior again and goad you into a very stressful situation.

Seems like everyone else is acting superior - &quot;I know best, do what I say,&quot; <i>e.g.</i>, &quot;Stay at CDG.&quot;

I merely offer possibilities and let each traveler decide. Even my advice to &quot;see as much as you can&quot; leaves the issue open-ended.

NorthShore - show me where I goaded anyone.

I think getting to sleep would be 40 minutes later, and rising the following morning would be later. The amount of &quot;seeing time&quot; stays about the same.

Perhaps my recollection of getting a teenager out of bed is atypical.

Our's was not the brightest star in the sky when it came to rising and shining.

His father is not exactly a model of early morning promptness. I still don't know how I got to work ready for a full scale start at 7:50.

At one point I should have said that even on Sunday I am not sure which one gets to the airport first from downtown:
the RER or a cab.

I am not trying to tell raphaekg what to do. I am trying to work through the process and look at the timing factors.

The family will make its own decision.
I see our job as that of pointing our the particulars.

I cannot see it through their eyes because I have been to Paris several times in the past.

The trek to Pont Neuf can be done. The question becomes whether or not it should be done.

I've got your RER timetable right here: http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_hora...p;loc=horaires

Trains run about every six minutes all day. The trip takes 33 minutes from St-Michel. I think the cab loses.