Paris in September
 

We're going to Paris in September -- it's our first time. I have questions if anybody out there is willing to offer advice:

1) how is the weather in September?

2) what do we wear in Paris? Is it really as dressy as I've heard? Are jeans completely unacceptable?

3) Is it better to get a hotel or an apartment while we're there?

Thanks for any help you can give us!

One other question, what is the best way to get from Charles de Gaulle airport to our final destination in Paris? Rail? Taxi? Rental car? Hired car?

hello, I'll comment on a couple of your questions, but for anyone to advise better, you should be more specific on items such as number of people in your party, how many days you will be there, your budget, etc. These affect accommodations, dress, and transportation. I guess you don't know but Sept. in Paris is very busy and high season for hotels due to trade shows/business, and you need to find a hotel ASAP. The best apartments will also be booked, probably, but if you want to start looking, you'd better get busy. As for hotel vs. apartment, it depends on your budget, what you want, you desire or willingness to go through the process for an apt. (paying in advance, deposits, being on our own, etc.). If you've never been there before, I personally don't recommend that route, but sometimes it can work out better for families.

As for the transportation, Paris is about 15 miles from CDG airport (if you are flying into Orly, it's less), and just to go to/from the airport, it's not a good idea to rent a car. How familiar are you with trains, metro/underground systems, etc., and how willing are you go do all that upon arrival, and how much baggage do you intend to have? Sounds like a taxi would be best (there are at least two of you, and you don't know the city), but I know some people just won't do that.

As for dress, where are you used to, and what do you usually wear in the situations you expect to be in? Sure, you can wear jeans in Paris, lots of folks do, who said you can't. I wouldn't wear them for the evenings, but if you only went to very casual places, even that would be okay.

As for dress and September, why don't you think "New York", and dress as you would if you were going there. The climate is fairly similar, also. So weather should be about like New York/Washington DC.

We were there late in September last year and it was very warm (sleeveless weather). I never even put on a light jacket at night. All you can do is check the weather the week before you go and pack accordingly. I don't wear jeans, but I'm in my mid-50's. I like to be more "dressed" in Paris.

Let us know more about your budget, size of party, etc. and you'll get plenty of suggestions.

For a first trip to Paris, I think I would recommend a hotel. That way you can get help and suggestions for dining, sights, transportation, etc. As September can be very warm (or not) you might consider hotels with air conditioning if you don't like heat.

I dress a little nicer in Paris than I do at home; I like the suggestion above to think New York. I wear the same clothes in Paris that I wear in New York. That said, I'm still comfortable. If I do wear jeans, they are newer ones with a decent cut. But thinking about it, I've only worn cords for jeans in Paris and that was in the winter. If you want to go to nice restaurants, you'll find that people are well dressed.

On our last trip, but it was our fourth in about six years, we took the train from CDG. However, for our first trip, we had reserved a shuttle. There are several shuttle recommendations on this board. You can search for Paris shuttle. I have never used a taxi to or from CDG, but we are usually on a budget.

This year you might also need to bear in mind the fact that the rugby world cup will be on in France this September (and October). The matches will be all over France, not just in Paris, so you may be lucky and escape it altogether.

You should check the dates and locations of matches to ensure they don't interfere too much with your schedules. Try googling for schedules.

Thanks for your responses. To answer your questions, there are two of us. We like to travel on a budget, which is why we were thinking apartment -- translated, we thought we could eat in more often that way. As for clothes, I wear sweats, capris, and shorts in New York. We go several times each year. The most dressy I ever get is jeans. I've heard Paris is dressier -- does that mean slacks? Dresses and pantyhose? Suits? High heels instead of flats? Thanks for all your suggestions.

If you're planning to visit this September, highly recommend firming up accommodations, which fill quickly far in advance for September, forthwith. The longer you wait, the fewer (and pricier) your options.

You can dress however you like in Paris, but you will look quite out of place in sweats, I think, even if your figure is perfect. Shorts would be common enough among tourists, but not Parisians. Elegant jeans are quite fashionable. I'm not at all a fashion plate (ha!), but I keep a "West Coast business casual" concept in mind for dressing in Paris,and I accept the average Parisian will far exceed me in fashion sense.

<i>I've heard Paris is dressier -- does that mean slacks? Dresses and pantyhose? Suits? High heels instead of flats? Thanks for all your suggestions.</i>

Goodness no, unless that's how you like to dress. But there's a lot of room between &quot;shorts&quot; and &quot;dresses and pantyhose&quot;. For warm weather, consider comfortable slacks/capris with a weather-appropriate top and low-heel walking shoes/sandals.

tqtp8785, at this point, you should worry much more about booking a hotel/ renting an apartment than on what to wear.

For instance, I will be going to Paris for 3 days in late January (on my way to Provence!!!), and I am already having trouble in securing a moderately priced hotel for that period!