Molly

We are flying Atlanta to Rome, but have a 6 hour layover in Paris. We want to take the train into town for a few hours and sightsee. Is this possible in that amount of time? Will airport security let us do this? Any warnings or suggestions?

David

I returned from my second trip to Paris yesterday and had a wonderful time. Trying to overcome my PVD (Post-Vacation Depression) by planning another trip this fall and giving a few suggestions.<BR><BR>I’m going to make a few assumptions about your question. 1. You’ve never been to Paris and this is an opportunity to at least glimpse it. 2. You’re flying into CDG, Roissy airport. 3. Your bags are checked on to Rome or all you have is light carry-ons. 4. You’re doing this on a Saturday and don’t have to worry about rush hour traffic.<BR><BR>I wouldn’t bother with the train. You’re trying to see a bit of Paris in a very short time and figuring out trains is not what you want to do. <BR><BR>Take a taxi to the La Samaritaine Department store in the heart of Paris along the Seine River. It opens at 10:00am. Go up to the 11th floor panoramic viewing platform. From there you can see: Notre Dame, Georges Pompidou Center, Sacre Coeur, Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, Arc d’Triomphe, Musee d’Orsay, the Seine, etc.<BR><BR>Walk over the Pont Neuf Bridge to the Ile de la Cite and walk down the far side of the island to Notre Dame. The line at the side of Notre Dame to climb the towers is usually long, but you should be able to walk in the front of the church and see it.<BR> <BR>Last Saturday I cleared passport control, claimed my checked bag, and got through customs in 45 minutes. It took 35 minutes to cab down town.<BR><BR>1.5 hours to get to La Samaritaine<BR>.5 hours to view<BR>1.5 hours to walk to Notre Dame and skim through it.<BR>1 hour to cab back to CDG<BR>4.5 hours total<BR><BR>You are already checked in for your Rome flight and have boarding passes. All you need do is clear security and 90 minutes should be plenty of time for that.<BR> <BR>My cab fare to Paris was 32 euros, 45 back to the airport. It depends upon the route the driver takes. Also taxis in Paris aren’t like New York City cabs. You can’t hail them on the street. They line up at taxi stands where you get one. There is surely a taxi stand around the plaza in front of Notre Dame, but I’ve not caught one there personally.

elvira

Timing is everything. You'll have to clear customs and immigration - no problem with the officials (you won't have to pick up your baggage - that'll be checked through; this is one time you do NOT want carry-ons) and then find transportation. From touchdown to the point where you find transport, allow 45 mins. You can take a cab or the RER; both will take about 30-45 mins to get into the center. You'll need to be at the airport at least 2 hours before takeoff, allow 60 mins to get to the airport. That's 4 1/2 hours - if that's part of the 6 hours, you've got 1 1/2 hours in Paris, not a lot of time to do much - maybe go into Notre Dame or walk through the Tuileries.<BR><BR>You'd be better off staying at the airport. I'm assuming you're flying into/out of CDG? There's a nice Sheraton right in the airport; take the shuttle over and have a nice meal, a quiet cocktail, relax in the lobby and read...<BR><BR>If you've already figured in the 2 hr arrival time, immigration/customs, etc. into that six hours, and 6 hours is the time you'll have in Paris, then take the train (RER) to St Michel. Walk along the Left Bank to Notre Dame (bridge to cross), then over to Ile St Louis. Eat. Take the subway to the Louvre; if you have a ticket or a pass, go in; if the line's too long, walk through the Tuileries then along the Champs Elysees. Once you see the Arc de Triomphe, head toward the river and walk back that way to Pont d'Alma and cross over to the Eiffel Tower. If you have time and the line's short, go up into it; otherwise, walk along the Champs de Mars and through the 7eme. That's about 6 hours and now head back via the RER (you can catch the C line near Musee d'Orsay, then change to the B line at St Michel).

janis

David give you a way to do it and elvira gave you advice not to. If you do decide to leave the airport, follow david's advice EXACTLY.<BR><BR>But I am with elvira on this one, especially if you are not fluent in French. You do not need to speak French to visit Paris - BUT if you want to make fast connections, use taxis etc, a working knowledge of French is required. 10 minutes dithering about which platform or trying to explain things to a cab driver could mean the difference bewtween making your flight or missing it. (Many airlines are getting very strict about their check in times. Miss it and your seats may be given to someone else.)<BR><BR>I would not leave the airport - but if you do, David's suggestions are the way to go.

David

Just curious as I don't know, but what about a taxi ride to Senlis? When I checked on www.viamichelin.com it was almost the same distance from CDG to Senlis as it is from CDG to downtown Paris.<BR><BR>Viamichelin made it sound like a quaint little town worth visiting for an afternoon. Since Senlis is on a major highway going away from Paris traffic shouldn't be nearly a problem either.<BR><BR>Anyone been to Senlis? Anyone tried to do this on a layover at CDG? Would you have a problem getting a taxi from Senlis back to the airport?

Molly

Any other suggestions about what to do with my 6 hours at the Paris airport? Do we leave or not? It will actually be more like 3-1/2 hours once we get off the plane and get through customs (I'm assuming.) <BR>I want so badly to a little bit of Paris! We've never been before.

elaine

Hi<BR>I wouldn't leave the airport if there is too much of a downside to missing my next flight (penalties$, my luggage being removed from the flight I missed and put goodness knows where, etc) and there could be a terrible traffic jam in Paris and the transportation back and forth could take even longer.<BR>However, even if you are braver than I, I can't see that realistically you'll have more than 2 hours in Paris. If that's important to you, then take the taxi directly to the Eiffel Tower. That way you can say you've seen it. <BR>Then walk briskly toward the Etoile<BR>(Arc de Triomphe) and then as far down the Champs-Elysees as you can get.<BR>If you walk very determinedly you can get to Place de la Concorde and then catch a cab in front of one of the large hotels in order to return to the airport. Or catch a cab along the Champs at a taxi stand.<BR>Alternatively, take David's or elvira's suggestions for an itinerary (personally I don't care that much about rooftop views of Paris.)

Christina

I definitely wouldn't risk going all the way into Paris if you only have about 3-4 hrs. That's funny, I'm like Elaine, I don't get that excited by rooftops or views over an urban area, either. They are okay if you happen to be there (like Sacre Coeur) but I don't go out of my way to see them. Well, my oddball suggestion is to go to the French amusement park, Parc Asterix, instead which is only about 10 min. from the CDG airport. There is a bus that goes there from the airport but I wouldn't want to try to figure that out if I didn't know French or the airport well; the short cab ride won't cost much.<BR><BR>Aside from the Sheraton, there is a Hilton there that also has some nice common areas, restaurant and atrium. Also, they have a fitness center, pool, and sauna so you might ask if they have day rates for nonguests. They have a shuttle to the terminals and are right near the RER stop.