Paris One Night Layover
 

I will be arrriving in Paris at 5PM in December after a 14 hour flight from Vietnam. I will be leaving the next morninng for NY at 10AM. Any suggestions about where to stay and how to spend the evening if I have some energy? I have been to Paris before, but don;t know it that well. Perhaps there is something interesting near the airport. Thanks.

You could get a room at an airport hotel and go into Paris on the RER for dinner.

I might try to find a Bed and Breakfast that will serve dinner, also near the airport. Spend the evening with the family or other guests. The dinner will likely start at 8:00 and last til 11:00. Take one last walk in the morning and fly home.

So much depends on what you like and what you want to accomplish with that one night.

If I faced that choice, I would opt for a tiny slice of Paris. Take a cab to a central hotel...arrive around 7 PM, shower, then take a boat ride along the Seine or just take a brisk walk along the river. Choose a good restaurant on Ile St. Louis. Not the ideal Paris experience, but I would take it.

I can recommend Hotel de Notre Dame, less than a block from the Seine and Ile St. Louis. 139 euro single.
http://www.hotel-paris-notredame.com/index.html

Hi GW,

I also suggest staying in the city for the night.

I wouldn't go into the city to check into a hotel, I just don't see the point. YOu won't even be there 24 hours, so you aren't going to have some great hotel experience, you just need a place to park your bags and maybe shower. Your flight the next morning is extremely early and it will be a whole lot easier to get there from a CDG hotel than one in the city. Especially since you aren't sure you'll even have the energy to be out on the town.

I'd stay in a moderate hotel with airport shuttle or in the airport if money is no object (I think some of those are a little higher end). If you had the energy, it will be a lot easier to just take the RER into Paris without baggage, etc, to walk around or have dinner in a cafe. I'd just take the RER to Notre Dame stop. There are some good restaurants on Ile St Louis, I also like that idea.

I'd check into a room at a decent airport hotel (guessing it will take an hour at least to exit the airport) & have a bottle of wine in my room, go down to dinner at their restaurant, shower and get some sleep. You'll need to be up by 7AM or so. I know after a 14 hours flight I'd not be able to make the effort or enjoy a few hours in Paris. Sounds like more trouble than it is worth. But then I can't sleep on planes and get bad jet lag and time change disorientation. Maybe you don't, then carry on with the suggestions above!

I think checking into an airport hotel, then heading for the Luxembourg stop on RER B would be a good evening's diversion. There are several moderate restaurants in the Latin Quarter that you might find relaxing.

I had an overnight in Paris. I had booked a hotel near Montparnasse but when I arrived I saw the Sheraton in the airport. I walked in. They canceled my city room and I checked in. Cleaned up and that evening took the RER to Luxembourg. Walked around. Had a nice dinner at one of my favorites. Walked around some more. Took the last RER back to the airport. Rolled my luggage to check-in the next morning. Flew out.

I recommend it. No hassels. No cabs. No rush in the morning.

Hopscotch's suggestion seems perfect to me. If you don't want to break the bank, book at the Ibis or SuiteHotel (both part of the Accor chain and bookable via accorhotels.com) at CDG, take a direct RER (avoid the ones stopping at each suburb, especially at night) to gare du Nord and beyond. The more picturesque stops are Luxembourg or Saint Michel.