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Least confusing way from CDG to Rue Cler
I have a friend meeting my daughter and I in Paris on April 1. She is coming in on an Air France flight from Dublin around 8:30 at night. I have never been to Paris, she has never been to Paris, and we are both completely unfamiliar with the bus, shuttle, metro, and underground modes of transit.
My hotel, the Champs du Mars, has these stops posted on their website. Métro - Subway: Ecole Militaire Bus stop: 28-80-82-92 RER: Invalides-Pont de l'Alma Airport Shuttle Bus Stop: Invalides-Montparnasse-Etoile What would be the best way for a person completely unfamiliar with CDG, Paris, and public transportation to get from the airport to the hotel? She is traveling alone with one piece of luggage Obviously, a taxi would be the default method, but it can be cost prohibitive from what I understand. |
If she is arriving at 8:30 at night, a taxi will not be "cost prohibitive".
Have your friend grab a taxi at the CDG and she'll arrive quickly and with no stress. |
Ditto S
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If she is arriving at 8:30 p.m. it will be after 9:30 before she is even ready to get on the RER or shuttle. The transfer into the city is not hard - but at night when she has not been in Paris before I'd take a taxi.
Barring that - my recommendation would be take the RER to Gare du Nord and a taxi from there to the hotel. |
For one person, a shuttle service is more cost-effective than a taxi and almost as easy. A taxi will cost about 40-50E and a shuttle will cost about 18-20E. They are both 'door to door'.
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Unless she can avoid the usual, "When you arrive call us on this toll-free number and we'll tell you at which door to meet us" proviso for some of the CDG shuttles then, frankly, I think the easiest way is to walk out the door and hail a cab.
Yes, it is more expensive than a shuttle but it may end up being easier to get and faster to the hotel. |
"What would be the best way for a person completely unfamiliar with CDG, Paris, and public transportation to get from the airport to the hotel?"
Um, the <b>best</b> way would be to gain some familiarity with CDG, Paris, and public transportation. Why? Because you can save a bundle by knowing what you're doing and not having to rely on taxis. The train from CDG Terminal 2 (RER B) takes you right down the middle of Paris. One of the stops is at the Jardin du Luxembourg. Right outside the exit from the train station are several bus stops. One of them is the N° 82. Personally, I would ride the RER to Luxembourg and the N° 82 bus to École Militaire. Here's the map showing how that happens: http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...&nompdf=82 Note that your stop is immediately after you pass the Invalides (golden dome - can't miss it). Your fare will be €8,10 for the train and €1,40 for the bus (unless you buy a transit pass, in which case the bus will be free - but that's a whole 'nother subject). For the very intrepid, there are several ways to get there by Métro, but the RER-bus route above is a no-brainer. |
Oh, by the way - here's a map of your landing zone at École Militaire.
http://www32.ratp.info/Proxi/proxi.p...=1169135968976 The N° 82 bus stop is on Avenue de Tourville, at the bottom of the map (over on the left, adjacent to the Métro symbol). Rue Cler is around the corner to the northeast - it's the only street that has a <i><b>Poste</b></i> symbol on it. Happy trails! |
Taxi Taxi Taxi - at that time of the night traffic will be minimal, it's less hassle for a person traveling alone, particularly if you do not know the city. Sometimes convenience far outweights saving a dollar (or Euro).
I know others disagree, but if it were me I'd do the taxi (and I know Paris well). |
IMO, the "Least confusing way from CDG to Rue Cler" is simple - a taxi
The text of the post just confirms (for me) that is the best option for the friend The excerpt "Obviously, a taxi would be the default method, but it can be cost prohibitive from what I understand." is based on misinformation, IMO. IMO, there is one best and least confusing way - a taxi A shuttle would be a distant second for me or a friend of mine. The savings would be neglible considering the factors. An easy, late night arrival would EASILY be worth it. I'd save 30 euros elsewhere in the trip to get to my hotel quickly and start my first trip to Paris without any hassles. |
The “least confusing way” to get from CDG to the city, especially after the confusion of flying, is: “TAXI!”
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Yes, the "least confusing way" would be to shell out $60-75 for a taxi. But the OP also asked for the "best" way, evincing a willingness to try something else. Let's say that your ultimate destination were Lyon. How would you get to your hotel?
1. Take the train from the TGV station in Terminal 2 to Lyon. 2. When you arrive, take either a taxi or (if you did your homework) public transit to your hotel. I don't see why Paris is any different. |
No, the title of the post was "Least confusing way" and the fare will be approximately 40 euros.
For many of, if not the majority, that is also the "best" option for the traveler in question. The OP (and her friend) can make their own informed decision based on accurate information and a variety of opinions. Why go off on a tangent to Lyon? It has no bearing on this poster's friend's travel plans. You use your plan to travel to the boonies. The friend is traveling to Rue Cler. |
Lyon isn't a tangent. It's a destination city that's accessible by rail. Just like Paris.
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Gee, I missed the part of the OP's post that her friend needed help on getting to Lyon.
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Geez. Go look up <i>analogy</i> and get back to us.
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Geez. Go look up stubborn and get back to us.
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Getting into personalities pretty early today, eh?
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threerohdes, I hope you, your daughter and your friend have a wonderful first trip to Paris.
As you can see, the majority of the posters on this thread recommend a taxi for your friend's late arrival at night. A shuttle seems to be the second "least confusing and/or best" option. I strongly recommend the taxi and feel it is more than worth the 20 euro savings over a shuttle. I prefer not to wait as the shuttle drives around to other hotels dropping off other passengers. I would not take the RER or metro. Good luck evaluating the options and making the right decision for you. Please be aware that one poster who is recommending options other than Paris, does not actually stay in Paris whe he is visiting "Paris", but an exurb called Antony. He is very comfortable naviaging the RER and metro - but is both a male and a seasoned traveler of both. Enjoy Rue Cler and Paris! |
I checked my 2005 travel journal: I took a cab from CDG to Hotel du Champ de Mars (very, very close to Rue Cler) for 45 euros. I guess the cab rates may have gone up some, but I’d still do it. I was tired, the shuttle wasn’t immediately available, and — hell — I was on vacation.
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okay, the OP needs to decide what is important to her and the budget. I take a taxi from CDG all the time and don't consider it cost prohibitive, but obviously that is simply a judgment based on what that means to me. Nothing is "cost prohibitive" to the right person, including being picked up in a gold-plated limo and taken by personal driver to the city, if you are maybe the Sultan of Brunei (no offense to him if he's reading). I have a fairly wellpaying professional job, so don't consider 50 euro "cost prohibitive" as a minor cost of my vacation as I don't get that much and don't have expensive tastes in other things anyway, so I can well afford it.
Actually, I do work with econometricians and have done work in labor economics, and I've read articles that on my salary level, there are many jobs I shouldn't be doing as it doesn't make sense economically (but I do), like mowing my own lawn. But that's a digression, but the point is saying anything is cost prohibitive without knowing what these folks consider the maximum that will pay doesn't make sense, really. I think the group van shuttle is a good idea, but I'm not actually sure they run that late at night, I think many stop by 8 pm. That's another point as to why I personally think a txi is best in this situation -- it will be late at night. I also would say that as it appears the thought of dealing with public transportaton is rather scary to these folks, and it would be if they literally have never used them before or never spent much time in big cities. I've used them in various cities where I've lived and traveled all my life, so none of that is very daunting to me even in a city I don't know. It always amazes me people that ask for specific directions of how to get to their hotel by metro, as I think if you can't read a metro map on the spot, you shouldn't be doing that in the first place. All metro systems have maps on the walls or available at the window for you to figure out where to go, and if you can't do that, I think you shouldn't be there. I wouldn't bet that this will only cost 40 euro though, as someone else said. I think that is a very optimistic and somewhat unrealistic estimate, so don't get too surprised if it is more like 50 euro. Fares are a lot higher at night, for one thing, and even in the daytime I have never had a fare that cheap to the Left Bank. |
Why am I not surprised by the direction this thread has taken. If one lives for public transport and and - oh never mind
IF your friend wants an easy, comfortable way to get to your hotel at night listen to the majority. (but the thread will not die until someone gets his last word so be prepared for this to be kicked around until you are totally tired of the whole thing) |
"...lives for public transport..."
Well, that's a pretty bitchy thing to say. I actually live for my family and all the things we do together, not what goes on in an internet travel board. And by the way, my contributions concerning transportation are a small fraction of my postings here. Your emphasis on them reveals something about how your brain works. |
Ride the Rossey bus into Paris, it will let you off at opera, walk over about one block to the metro and get off at the ecole militaire stop, I think its only 3 stops. After getting off the metro you will be within two or three blocks from your hotel.
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Several Métro lines serve Opéra. The one you would use is Ligne 8 (Direction Balard).
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Thanks Robes: you give better details than I do.
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Well now... Hmmm... Don't quite know what to say.
Except thank you. I appreciate all of the advice, as I am clueless on public transport. I live in an area where the local bus is the only option other than private vehicle, and the traveling I have done has never taken me to an area where there were subways. I did hop on a locals bus a few times in San Jose del Cabo, and in Nassau. What an experience! My friend will make it to the hotel just fine, I am sure. Robespierre, I will do some research on public transportation for my daughter and myself. We will be alone in Paris for a few days before my friend gets there, perhaps we will be seasoned bus and metro riders by the time we meet up with her. Thank you all again |
You will find an abundance of maps and other resources here:
http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_p...hp?partenaire= Have a great trip whatever you decide to do! |
Thanks for the link
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I don't understand why Paris, in particular, seems to get people so hot and bothered about how to get from the airport. When people ask how to get to most other European cities from the airport, the public transit instructions are always welcome, and are seen as an easy, quick and inexpensive option.
On my first trip ever to Europe I took public transportation to my hotel from CDG. It isn't difficult, it was pretty quick and very affordable. If you have a lot of luggage then a taxi would be "easier", but that is the case anywhere. I almost always use public transit to and from airports, unless I have a very early flight, or I am in a country where my currency is very strong. I may be in the minority, but I actually enjoy that first bus or train ride - especially if you are not underground and can see things. I find it more relaxing than sitting in a cab worrying that I could get ripped off. |
I recommend taking a taxi (Taxi Parisien).
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Ah, the thread that, like Rasputin, refuses to die!
Threerohdes: I hope you’re not more “confused” that you were when you first asked your innocent question. (What was it again?) Oh, if Bush had only spent as much time on his “new way forward” as Fodorites have spent on the least confusing way from CDG to Rue Cler! (Here’s one way to kill a thread: Go political.) |
No, I am not more confused, just a bit surprised at the very strong opinions people have when a question is asked that they feel strongly one way or another about.
I have been lurking on this site for many, many months, but just recently started posting, as my trip for my daughter is just a couple of months away now. I have received very valuable information for the most part, and the information that was a bit "snarky" was taken with a grain of salt. I am not a totally inexperienced traveler, just a bit of a "type A always needing to know what is going on" kind of traveler, which is more magnified since I will be traveling with my 17 year old daughter. My first concern is being mom and keeping her safe and happy, but I do realize we might just have to wing it and enjoy that part of the travel experience. I enjoy doing the research and learning more about the areas in which we will be traveling, but sometimes asking a very specific question on this site saves me many hours of online probing, and for that I am thankful. |
What you have picked up on is the frustration that some of us experience with the "one size fits all" or "there is only right answer" approach by a particular poster. No matter who or what the circumstances, said poster will assert that taking a taxi from CDG is a waste of money and his route (train and then taxi or walking or bus) is THE RIGHT ANSWER.
Your scenerio, first time visitor to Paris, arriving at night, alone, with limited prior experience with public transit screams TAXI!!! Shuttle is a runner up. Unfamiliar train with cab/walking combo at night by a woman pulling a suitcase alone - well, I wouldn't let any of my friends do that - NO MATTER the city. My opinion only, of course. :-) |
I wouldn't let a friend do that in my small town. It's just NOT the way to arrive in an unfamiliar locale. Period. Not to save 20 to 30 euros - a fraction of the total vacation costs. No way. No how.
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"What you have picked up on is the frustration that some of us experience with the 'one size fits all' or 'there is only right answer' approach by a particular poster."
Which one? The ones who blurt "TAXI" as their entire post? Or the one who presents a carefully reasoned alternative? Folks, this isn't rocket science. Reverting to my Lyon analogy, the case for a taxi all the way from CDG to Rue du Champ de Mars falls apart. First you take the train, then choose among bus, Métro or taxi, according to your comfort level. |
Robespierre,
Sorry if I sound really stupid, but what is the difference between the bus and the Metro? In the large town next to the one that I live in, the Metro IS the bus... |
Answeing my own question, looks like the Metro is the underground. So what is the difference between the train and the Metro?
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On the question of the least confusing way to get from CDG to Rue Cler:
I say we resolve this finally by bringing in some of the data experts from the “Recline the Seat” thread, who have voluminous amounts of information to share on the dimensions of seats, the incline of food trays, etc. We should put them right to work on threerohde’s query for a definitive answer before the April 1 deadline. Or threerohde’s friend could simply take a taxi. |
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