Paris: rush hour
 

Hi all,

We will be arriving Paris CDG 1 at about 1:00 PM on a Wednesday.

What can we expect in the way of traffic if we take a cab to the left bank?

Thanks for your help.

Traffic at that hour shouldn't be too bad, but you just never know. Good luck!

Just normal traffic (which, of course, could be a problem). However, 1 p.m. is not the rush hour!

Hi howard,

We arrive at 1:00, expect to get a cab at 2-2:30, get into Paris at 3:15 or so.

I think that might be close enough to rush hour. Am I correct?

It will take you somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour to get into town on a normal day.

In my experience, rush hour is later in Europe than in the USA, with people taking longer lunches and staying a bit later on average in the office. That, of course, is changing, but not enough so that 3 pm would be considered rush hour.

where do you live that 3 is rush hour? I've gone into central Paris from CDG around that time and it is just normal traffic, in-between none and rush hour. It took about 30-45 min to Champs-Elysees probably. Of course you don't know about any unusual traffic events, such as constructions, accidents, etc

Ira, I guess the rush hour question has been answered! 2-3 p.m. is okay. But, as I said, like any other major city, a traffic jam could develop at any time!

That's a great time to be on the road; everyone is eating lunch. Rush hour for the airport is 8 am to 10 but traffic is usuallly bad until lunch when it slacks off a bit - 12.30-2.30

Thank you all.

We used to live in near Washington, DC and now live near Atlanta, GA.

In both cities, rush hour starts about 3.

In any event, wouldn't you be going against the rush hour traffic? Not that many Parisians are streaming into the city from Roissy at any time except morning.

It won't be a problem. And if there's an accident or construction, there are overhead signs telling you how long you can expect to wait to reach each "porte." As long as those signs say "fluide," you're fine.

In Silicon Valley the rush hour is well underway at 3:00 (and lasts past 7 pm). Ira, you're on vacation! Who cares how long it takes? You gotta get there one way or the other. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery (for what it's worth between CDG and Paris!).

Have a good time. :-)

Hi,

The reason I am asking about rush hour traffic is so I can decide between a shuttle (fixed price) and a taxi sitting in traffic inside the peripherique with a running meter.

Ira, I think you might have just answered your own question. I've been to Paris numerous times, always arriving about the time of your expected arrival time. I've had everything from no traffic to "bumper to bumper" like here in California. Do yourself a good mental favor and take the shuttle. You can then totally relax and not worry about the "potential" traffic situation. I'll be flying into Paris at the end of March (taking the shuttle). Have a Great Trip!!!!

Once again that advice about "take the shuttle" only seems to be good advice in my opinion (and that of a whole lot others) if you are talking about one person. As soon as you have two people and the price starts evening out between the shuttle and the taxi, many of us feel the direct route and lack of other passengers and stops, plus not having to call the shuttle on arrival and possibly waiting for it to arrive, makes a taxi a far better option. With three it's no contest. The taxi even becomes cheaper!

the rer should be empty. i was on it at 3:00pm about a month ago.