We will have one afternoon and evening in Paris and would like to go into the city from the airport (CDG) for that short period of time. (We will actually have a longer stay in Paris later, just passing through before heading to Ireland and don't want to waste the afternoon). We're really not interested in taking RER or metro - want to "see" as much as possible. What bus should we take into the city, and will it still be running late at night? Will we be limited to taxis only? <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help in advance.

You could take the Roissybus right to the Opéra, which would be a good, central location to start your sightseeing. I don't know how late it runs at night. Alternatively, you could take the Air France shuttle to Invalides or Montparnasse or Charles de Gaule/Etoile or Gare de Lyon.

I would not fuss with public transportation in any country if you want to be back in time for a flight, cab it. Anybody know the fare I will be in Novemeber. Have a good trip Lisa!!!

One advantage of the RER is that it is not influenced by traffic conggestions. Bus and cab are. The drive from the CDG to Paris is not all that scenic - take the RER to Chalet or St. Michelle and explore by foot from there.

Busses and taxis have one disadvantage - traffic tie-ups. The RER is fast, and you can go right to St Michel stop, so your view to the east when you emerge is Notre Dame. You can walk to it and pick up the yellow l'Opentour tourist bus which takes you around to all the high spots. One of its stops is l'Opera if you take the Roissy bus; another is les Invalides if you take the AirFrance bus. You'll see the city, get on/off when you want. Here's the website: <BR>http://www.cityrama.com/opentour/maps.htm

The RATP Roissybus that goes from CDG to the Opera stop runs every day from about 6 am until 11 pm, so there should be no worry on that. I think taking the Air France bus to the Arc de Triomphe would be about as good (and I think they cost about the same, the AF bus probably just a bit more) for general sightseeing, but the Roissybus has slightly more frequent runs (not much, that probably won't matter a lot). It might be good to take the one closest to where you think you'll want to be if you don't want to fool with metro as that way you'll know the bus stop for getting back. Those buses take about one hour each way. I think either point would be okay as you are planning a lot, but I might give a slight nod to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees for a place to walk around a bit, sit in a cafe, etc (even though they are expensive on that street) in comparison to around the Opera building. Hey, I've got an idea for the Opera -- right across the street from it (and the bus stop) is a company called "Paristoric" which runs a really nice one hour film on history and sites of Paris (in multiple languages). Those things can be bad, but this one is very well produced and enjoyable. That will give you a taste of Paris and maybe ideas of what you want to see for later on. That address is 11 rue de Scribe and here is the URL: www.paris-story.com There are also some cafes around there, including the fancy/famous Cafe de la Paix and there are several dept stores very nearby for shopping. So maybe I'm changing my mind and think that would be a good way to spend your time around the Opera building.

Here's another recommendation for Paristoric, Cafe de la Paix, and taking the RER. An accident on the highway can tie up traffic to the airport for quite a while.

I would definitely take the RER. It will give you much more time "in Paris" than the slow bus ride. And the norther suburbs are not scenic so you don't gain anything by taking a bus.

Thank you, everyone, so much for your help!