Lisa

My husband and I and 2 daughters will be making our first trip to France in April. We have an apartment in Hotel de Danube for 4 nights, then tentatively traveling to Burgundy for 2 nights, and Loire Valley for 2 nights. I really would like to see Chartres, and was wondering if, on the night before our flight home, we could stay in the town, and still make it to CDG? Our flight is scheduled for 1:40PM. So, we would leave Tours or Amboise in the morning on a Sunday, drive to Chartres, tour the cathedral (is Sunday a problem for this?) and the town, stay overnight here (any suggestions?), and drive to CDG on Monday morning. MAybe it would be better to drive on Sunday night and stay at a hotel near the airport? Thanks for helping me figure this out.

Michael

You can, but count on a two hour minimum trip from the southern suburbs of Paris to CDG. An international flight would require your presence at 11:40, which means that your drive to Paris from Chartres should start early in the morning. 8 a.m. would not be too early. A late evening drive to CDG on Sunday might be wiser.

Rex

I have done exactly what you propose, and I re-checked the driving distance from viamichelin.com to make sure that my memory had not failed me:<BR><BR>75 mi in 1h15 (including 68 mi by motorway in 1h00)<BR><BR>from Chartres to CDG<BR><BR>So - - although not perhaps ideal - - you could actually see Chartres cathedral Monday MORNING, as long as you are ready to get outa town promptly at 10:15 to make it to the airport on time.<BR><BR>I don't recommend forgoing a visit there on Sunday (I don't know when the celebration of mass affects visits by tourists, though I actually went in and sat in on a service and found it most enjoyable. They probably say mass there 10-20 times a week, so it is not a rare occurrence.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

StCirq

It is absolutely do-able, but you won't be able to take advantage of a Malcolm Miller tour unless you arrive in Chartres the previous day (tours are at 10:30 and 2:45). No matter, you can see the cathedral and drive (or leave the car there and take a train) to CDG by about 10:30 and make it to the airport in time for the flight. Stay at the Hotel de la Poste, a 5-minute walk from the cathedral - very basic but clean and with all amenities.

carol

I'd lop a day off somewhere else to spend the time at Chartres, and the Malcolm Miller Tour...Merveilleux!!!

Ann

Further to Rex's post, I would not count on being able to average 68 mph on the autoroute to CDG. There is frequent, sometimes severe, congestion on that route so you need to allow for it. In addition, international flights from Heathrow nowadays require a check in three hours ahead - is it different in Paris?<BR><BR>It's still possible but do allow enough time to make your flight without panic.

Gretchen

Don't forget to factor in returning your car at CDG--knowing EXACTLY where the return is and how to get there from the highways. The Malcolm Miller tour is not to be missed if you can rearrange your days a bit. Your idea of turning the car in the night before and staying at the airport might be good even though your flight is afternoon.<BR>I might also venture to say that in an 8 day trip you may be doing one &quot;area&quot; too much--might drop either the Loire or Burgundy and save for another trip.

Carol

Agree with above post: I would not rely on too-close-timing. The last airport travel time which was supposed to take under an hour took us well over 2 hours... Stuck on an Air France bus in the middle of an unexplained mess, even the locals were having a fit.

mpprh

Hi<BR><BR>I think this may be the first time I've disagreed with Rex.<BR>However my experience is that Paris, by road, is unpredictable. I used to drive to Paris a couple of times each month and I've often arrived late ! Equally Monday mornings are often fraught.<BR><BR>I would get North of Paris on Sunday night.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com<BR><BR>

Rex

I guess I am a risk-taker. I simply cited my one experience doing exactly what Lisa seeks to do. And is 10:15 to 11:30 really &quot;Monday morning&quot;?<BR><BR>In any event, she can see Chartres on Sunday, and leave at 8 am Monday, if she prefers. The flight is at 1:40 pm - - and it's only 75 miles!<BR>

Michael

I just want to re-emphasize the time it takes to get to CDG. Two years ago, it took me two hours from Chatenay-Malabry (south suburbs) to CDG, and that was in August, when traffic should be lighter because of vacation time. Friends of mine who live in Chatou (west side suburb) had told me to count on two and a half hours. Train and RER might be more reliable, and the time can be scheduled according to posted timetables.

laverendrye

We are thinking of staying overnight in Chartres on a return from Perigord, with a flight departing CDG at noon the next day.

I've read the advice and cautions on this old thread, and think that it would be feasible if we were to leave Chartres before 8AM. As we will be travelling on a Sunday, I expect that the trafic should be significantly lighter.

Any thoughts?

If Chartres is too far away for an overnight, any suggestions for a stop closer to CDG for someone coming from the south-west?

Underhill

One possibility might be to turn your car in at Orly and then take the Air France bus to CDG instead of attempting the drive. However, a noon flight means at least a 10:00 a.m. check-in, and I wouldn't want to take a chance on it. You could cut the Loire Valley by a half day, see Chartres, and spend the night in or quite near Paris so as to have an easier trip to the airport on your departure day. I'd opt for getting rid of the car outside Paris if at all possible, although you could go around the city and stay somewhere near the airport, turn the car in that night, and take a hotel shuttle to CDG the next morning.

laverendrye

Underhill, thanks for the advice. However, as we are coming from southern Perigord and not the Loire valley, cutting off half a day won't work. I'm not particularly enthused at staying close to the airport or in Paris itself.

If two hours on a Sunday morning from Chartres to CDG is too chancey, then are there other agreeable places to stay closer to the airport enroute from the south west?

Underhill

You might consider spending the night in St.-Germain-en-Laye. There are a number of nice hotels there, and you would have easy access to the main road for your trip to the airport the next morning. Now that I think of it, that's exactly where we stayed one year the night before a flight home.