Paris - 5hrs
 

Hi. I have a 5hr layover in Paris on March 30, from Noon - 5:00pm. I was wondering if I would have enough time to at least take the train from Charles de Gaulle (which I hear is about 35mins to downtown) to at least do the Eiffle Tower and maybe one other quick stop (any suggestions)?

Thanks!
Amanda

That's a little tight, but possible if the planets are aligned properly.

Buy a one-day <i>Paris Visite</i> card for the RER train into town and unlimited M&eacute;tro, bus, and train travel within the Paris area.

Ride the RER B from CDG-T2 to St-Michel Notre-Dame, then change to the RER C to Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel.

Or alight at Gare du Nord and ride the N&deg; 42 bus to the Eiffel Tower, passing many famous sights on the way. Jump off any time, look around, and reboard.

Once at the Tower, break out the Tourist Bus Map you printed out before you left home, and knock yourself out. Note: RER B (back to CDG) stops at Gare du Nord, Ch&acirc;telet, St-Michel, Luxembourg, Port Royal, and Denfert-Rochereau.

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...aux&amp;fm=pdf

IMO...

That is barely enough time when you factor in security @ the airport (or did you factor in 90-120 min already?), to do anything.

If you truly do have an entire 5 hours, you would be cutting it close. Take the RER and look at the tower. You will have to get back on right away, or maybe have time for a quick bite, but you wont be able to get up to even the 1st floor of the tower.

You will be there in late March on a friday afternoon, the queue could be moderately long just for tickets, let alone the lift. Even if the queue for tickets seems short, it can move slow, and there isn't an easy way to find out how the queue lines for the lifts are moving.

But with that being said... if you just want to look at the tower from ground level, take RER &quot;B&quot; (blue line) and transfer @ St-Michel to RER &quot;C&quot; (yellow) and get off @ Champ du Mars/Tour Eiffel. You can take all trains in their respective directions when going to the tower, but on the way back pay close attention to RER &quot;B-3&quot; (this is the one you want for your return to the airport). Check the RATP site for exact directions.

If you can hack nearly 300 steps up, go to the Arc de Triomphe. The view is panoramic and is very intamate with the city (high enough to see most everything, but not too high, and not as popular with tourists). You will get a great view of the Eiffel Tower floating above the roof tops!

Thank you soo much for the insight! Great information! I thought it may be close. If getting up the tower isn't an option, what can I do? Even if I only have 3-4hrs in the city (after security and travel), there has to be something that I can see. Any suggestions?

Have you been to Paris before? What about taking a cab into the city center, maybe Notre Dame, and having lunch at a cafe? Then go back.

This will be my first time in Paris. I will be en route to London. I just can't see staying 5hrs in CGD when the city is RIGHT THERE! I have to do/see something.

I am thinking the L'Arc de Triumph and/or Notre Dame if they are close. And of course, lunch in a cafe. I can always get a picture of the tower from a distance.

IF you land on time, and IF your plane gets a parking spot and doesn't have to park out on the tarmac, and IF you don't have to take a shuttle to the terminal, and IF you have checked your bags all the way through, and IF there isn't a long line at immigration - then you will have approx 2+ hours free. before you have to be back in line for security.

If all of the above - then just jump on the RER and head into town. But be sure to be back at CDG a <u>minimum</u> of 2.5 hours before your departure.

If you hit a snag w/ any of the above - then forget about it. CDG is a MESS of an airport and nothing works fast/easy.

So plan A - everything goes like clockwork and you get a about an hour in the city. And plan B - you hit a snag - and have a nice meal IN the terminal and don't even consider leaving the airport . . . .

We were posting at the same time. Whoa! You may have time to peek at the Eiffel tower and the river and a glass of wine/sandwich. No time for Notre Dame and a leisurely lunch for sure.

I would try to see something too. Notre Dame and the Eiffle Tower (just viewing it) are options. I guess if I had such a short window of time, I'd take in a quick look at the stained glass windows of Notre Dame and then head to Saint Chapelle. That particular church is absolutely breathtaking and it isn't so large that you can't enjoy it with very little time.

Why not take a taxi to drive you around the city and back? (Please be sure to check your travel guides about taxis in CHdeGaulle) In the best of all possible worlds I would take a bateau mouche, one of the boats that cruises the Seine. It lasts about an hour. Best of luck!

Could you ditch the Paris-London flight and take the Eurostar to London? A Paris-London roundtrip fare on the high-speed train with an early evening departure March 30 comes up as low as 77 euros. Worth the extra, perhaps, for the additional time in Paris?

Under that scenario, you could take the express RER train or a taxi to the Gare du Nord from the airport and, I believe, check your bags at the Gare du Nord. Eurostar has a baggage service at the station.

Thanks everyone! These are some great recommendations but I guess I will have to think about it for now and see how things pan out later. Thanks a bunch! Y'all are great!

Amanda

Janis is right. Even if you head to the city by 1pm, you want to be back at CDG by 3 for a 5pm flight. The train takes 1/2-hour each way...so that only gives you an hour in Paris. All you'll have time for is to emerge at the Saint Michel/Notre Dame stop and walk over the bridge to Notre Dame. On the plus side, that happens to be one of the best little walks in Paris!

If you sit at the back of the train (away from the CDG escalators), you'll come out closer to Notre Dame. Perhaps someone can tell you where there's a sidewalk crepe vendor near there.

I'm agreeing with those who suggest taking the RER to St Michel, getting put and crossing over to Notre Dame. On your way, check to see if there is a lineup for St Chapelle, if not go on there first and see the stained glass. Scoot over to Notre Dame, have a look. From there you could walk along the Seine (above or below street level), check out the bouquinistes, and time permitting maybe a quick walk along main street of Ile St Louis. Another option, after Notre Dame, walk to furthest west point of the island Square du Vert Gallant, where you will get nice views of Seine, Louvre, Eiffel,etc..

&lt;&lt; Buy a one-day Paris Visite card for the RER train into town and unlimited M&eacute;tro, bus, and train travel within the Paris area. &gt;&gt;

If you are buying it for transportation only, I believe a one-day Moblis card would be less expensive than the Paris Visite card.

Woody

<i>Mobilis</i> isn't valid for airport transfers.

<i>Mobilis vous permet de voyager, dans la limite des zones choisies, sur les lignes de la RATP, de la SNCF Ile-de-France et sur les r&eacute;seaux OPTILE, <b>&agrave; l'exception des dessertes d'a&eacute;roports</b> (Orlybus, Orlyval, Roissybus, Roissyrail et Orlyrail).</i>

So Paris Visite is cheaper than the round-trip RER fare to Gare du Nord and Eiffel,included on the same ticket? I'm not doubting just please give the savings but don't believe amyers531 would have time to ride anything else.

The benefit to a Visite pass is that one can buy it online and not have to waste time in line @ RER in CDG.

The only thing I can burn faster than time in Paris... is money. In Amanda's case, I would suggest the Visite pass. :)

The RER from CDG to any metro station in Paris is 8.10 euro x 2 = 16.20 euros (www.ratp.fr) so for 8 euros you're buying a few minutes - not saying not worth it but seems $11 wasted to me - especially since OP would be lucky to get to Eiffel and back and won't have time to take any other rides. And if you buy it ahead in the US you'll pay much more i think that 24 euro. (24 euro for a Visite Pass for zones 1-8, assuming CDG is in zone 8 - if not i'd have to refigure.

CDG is in zone 5, but I have yet to go beyond zone 6-8, so I don't know the price difference.

I would pay the extra and buy Visite in the USA, just to spend an hour or two in the city. But this is all based on Amanda's preferences!

find a hop on hop off bus or double decker tour bus and ride around the city..it will be worth your effort.

zone 1-5 Visite is only 17 euros so about the same if bought in France.

$26 + $18

That's what you'd pay thru RailEurope or any US agent for the only version, all zones of the Visite pass sold here

You could pay only $5 postage if order thru BETS (800-441-2387) i believe but still the $26 p.p. for the pass. so save quite a bit by getting the zone 1-5 pass at CDG, though in my experience there can be long lines at the RER ticket window - i assume but not sure they sell it there.

CDG is in RATP Zone 5.
A round-trip RER ticket to Paris is &euro;16,20, which will get you to any M&eacute;tro station.
A Paris Visite is &euro;18.60, and includes CDG and all RER, bus, and M&eacute;tro within Paris.

My math is predicated on the fact that a Paris Visite costs only &euro;2,50 more than a round-trip on the RER. This means that if one wants to grab a bus and start hopping off and on, the fares are covered. If a single destination is the objective, then the RER ticket will suffice.

One used to be able to acquire a Paris Visite at the RATP boutique in JFK. I don't know if this is still possible.

So it hinges on whether Visite passes are sold at CDG or not - if so the extra 2 euros would be well worth it. As usual Robespeter has the definitive word on Paris transports!

Hi

If I only had 5 hours I would not take the chance to get into Paris. It will take you at least an hour to get into town on the train and hence there will not be much time downtown.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

The RER schedule calls for 31 minutes from CDG to Gare du Nord. I've never been on an RER train that was more than a minute or two off schedule. (No, I've never been in a strike.)

With 5 hours I would not even consider taking the RER from CDG to Paris and back. From the time you arrive at the gate until you clear customs and immigration and take the shuttle bus to the RER station you have lost 45 minutes. The train takes another 30+ minutes to Gare Nord and you are still at the north end of the city and 30 minutes and a metro ride from anything you want to see. You have now used up easily 1 3/4 hours. The return will involve about the same amount of time so you have used up 3 1/2 hours and that's if you know exactly how to navigate the RER and Metro systems without delays. You certainly want to be at the gate 30 minutes before your flight so that leaves you with 1 hour in Paris. The only way I would consider going into Paris would be by taxi if you think it's worth the expense which it may be if you think you will never again get that close to Paris.

Good luck,
Larry J

&quot;The train takes another 30+ minutes to Gare Nord and you are still at the north end of the city and 30 minutes and a metro ride from anything you want to see.&quot;

This is factually incorrect.

St-Michel Notre-Dame is 5 minutes further down the RER B line, and once there the Eiffel Tower is 11 minutes away via RER C.

If you get off at Ch&acirc;telet-les-Halles (3 minutes from Gare du Nord), you can ride the RER A to the Arc de Triomphe in 7 minutes.

Want to stroll around the Luxembourg Gardens? The RER stop is 7 minutes from Gare du Nord.

I suppose there ARE places that are 30 minutes plus a M&eacute;tro ride beyond Gare du Nord, but I can't recommend visiting any of them.

Hi

When I was referring to an hour I was referring to getting through customs, immigration, taking the bus to the train station, lining up to get a ticket, waiting for the train etc. Things take more time than we plan :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

And even things like changing at Saint Michel for a novice metro user can be perplexing - even getting on RER C going the wrong way perhaps - put in the eyes of a first-timer it takes longer than expected and can be down right confusing.

Robespierre,

Let's examine a little further your own example of a trip to the Eiffel Tower:

I estimated it would still take 30 more minutes from Gare Nord to popular sites in Paris. If from Gare Nord it is 5 more minutes to St.Michel + 11 minutes on line C to the nearest station to the Eiffel Tower (Champs de Mars/Tour Eiffel) and 5 minutes walk to the tower from there we have 21 minutes. Since there will be some wait time at St. Michel for the line C train of at least 5 minutes we are at 26 minutes. You are calling me &quot;factually incorrect&quot; for 4 minutes? You are a tough guy.

Actually if it were me I would take the suggestion of Dave in Paris and take the Eurostar or even take a cheap Ryan Air flight to London after spending some time in Paris.

Larry J

I have to agree with those who say to take Ryan Air or train to London in order to extend time in Paris. With that said, all that train information is waaaaay to overwhelming for someone who has never travelled the Metro before or can't speak French (don't know if you do or don't Amanda, but the people in the Metro do not necessarily speak English) and it is soooo easy to get lost under the city.
If it were me, I wouldn't even attempt the traffic in and out of the airport on a Friday afternoon in Paris...like everyone else said, this is way too tight and too many things can go wrong.
Perhaps arranging for a tour van or taxi ahead of time that can whip you around for an hour might be an idea, but for what you will pay for that, you may as well buy a ticket on ryan air and stay longer.
Don't forget, you will probably see the Eiffel tower upon landing and taking off from cdg.

Can you really? I've flown into/out of CDG many times, but have never seen the slightest glimpse of the city or the ET from the air. Is the ET really visible from the airport?

If Amanda has ever used public rail transit in any major city, the metro won't be difficult, she just needs a metro map. (Have you ever taken BART, the el, the subway?)

Maybe allow 10 minutes for checking/re-checking your metro map in various stations to ensure you're getting on the right train and heading for the right platform.

The timing is very tight so if you're an easily stressed person, this won't be fun. But if you're very enthusiastic and not an anxious stress-case, it will be an exhilerating mad dash.

But you <i>did</i> say &quot;anything you want to see.&quot; The Eiffel Tower is the worst case you could have chosen. The fact remains that Notre Dame is 5 minutes from Gare du Nord, and Luxembourg is 7.

The best use of Amanda's time might be the N&deg; 42 bus, as outlined above. Here is a map showing the sights it passes before reaching the Eiffel Tower:

http://www.ratp.info/orienter/f_plan...&amp;nompdf=42

Op&eacute;ra, Madeleine, Place Concorde, Tuileries, Petit and Grand Palais, Champs &Eacute;lys&eacute;es, and (visible across the river) Les Invalides.