I'm sorry, Laurenzo, that your inquiry was used by someone who has nothing better to do with his time. Ignore him as his comments don't count at all.

I hope you and your daughter have a very nice visit to Paris.

Thank you, starrsville and francophile03, I know we will have a fabulous time! We are very excited and are learning French little by little.

Have a wonderful time, laurenzo. We did - with very little French. A big smile and attempts at the basics = very courteous responses from all in Paris.

Truly consider an evening Fat Tire Bike Tour for you and your daughter. A highlight of our visit - and for many other Fodorites.

That's great, Laurenzo!

And hopefully kerouac will be straitjacketed later on.

we've discussed a Fat Bike tour but hadn't made a decision/reservation. Could you tell me what you liked so much about it? It's 4 hrs, correct? Someone else had recommended it to me, too. We will have a great time, as long as we don't run into kerouac while there

oh, just saw your post on the bike tours on another person's-thanks!

Allow me correct the poor impression of Frenchman that kerouac oozes. He is not native French but, I believe, a transplant from New Orleans(?).

I dont believe kerouac does live in Paris. As he stated in his post above, he is just a jerk.

I guess kerouac thinks everyone posting of Fodors are budget travelers. Some of us aren't. That E50 I'd save by not taking a cab wouldn't even pay for a bottle of wine at one meal. Laurenzo, after flying from the west coast you're definitely right to take a cab. You'll just walk right outside, get on a really fast moving line and probably be at your hotel within the hour. With a shuttle, you could be "shuttled" all over town before you finally get to your hotel - a real drag after a long flight.

Actually, I'm from Mississippi, but I have only been living in Paris since 1973. I know that I should not discourage people from wasting their money, but when one lives in the #1 tourist destination in the world, it sometimes gets the better of me, because I see so many people unhappy with some of the unfortunate choices that they have made.

Paris transportation intimidates too many people, even though the city is generally considered to have the finest public transportation system in the world. I know that the U.S. refuses to sign the Kyoto agreement, but it would be nice if people were to choose to get around without polluting everybody in minivans or whatever. "Life-by-shuttle" will only get worse in the coming years, as the current municipal government (with the support of 80% of the population) is finally going to eliminate all direct road access to the center of Paris in the next year or two, and it will become a nightmare to enter the city using a motorized personal transport device. Pollution is currently killing the trees and killing the old people of Paris and making the rest of us sick. When I went to college in Los Angeles in the 1970's, the sky was brown all along the horizon line. That is the current state of Paris in 2006, and I am appalled. So if you are going to take private shuttles or whatever, I do indeed hope that it costs you a fortune, and that you will find it unpleasant and I will maybe even hope that you will not want to return to Paris. Perhaps I will wave at you as you go by, because I live along the direct northern entrance to Paris from CDG and every single shuttle passes in front of my apartment.

And now that China has decreed that France is a preferred tourist destination for its citizens, you should know that the city of Paris is already bulging with an overflow of Chinese tourists, who, yes, spend more than Americans, and those of us who live in the city can only be nostalgic about long gone times when we at least had the city to ourselves for a few months in the winter. It's all finished now, and you might think that Paris is a nice place, but as someone who has come here ever since I was a little boy, I can tell you that it has become absolute tourist hell.

kerouac, your last post did bring a sad smile to lips. I'm sorry to say that it is true that whenever I smell diesel fuel I think of Paris. Now I always thought that I did because on my first trip we stayed on rue des Ecoles right above a bus stop - but reading your post helped me realize that the diesel reminds me of Paris as diesel (for cars) is so rare in NYC and so common in Paris. Yes, I should think about keeping the pollution factor in mind when I make travel decisions. I guess it's kind of off my radar screen as I don't own a car and don't drive (yes, I'm one of the wierd people who never had the desire to get behind the wheel). And I do agree, paris has a great transit system that's very user friendly. Banning private conveyance into the city center - that I don't believe. The cabbies will shut down the city with the truckers in solidarity - and then the students get on board, and then the union, and then...

kerouac, your explanation is still just your opinion only. If it bugs you so much that tourists take shuttles and taxis then why don't you move? In addition, the way you talk I think you just hate tourists who visit Paris on the whole.

This Paris FAQ Blog has some very good information regarding options to CDG airport. It includes information about taxi, bus, shuttle and RER, and has costs, times and locations. Take a look here:
http://www.paris-faq.blogspot.com

Wow, Kerouac, those are strong feelings. For what it's worth, I take the train to work in Boston, 2 hours on the train and 30 minutes of walking to and from work each day, and I drive my car less than 100 miles a week. When I go on vacation, I splurge and pamper myself. If that means taking a taxi or shuttle instead of schlepping my tired self and its luggage through multiple connections on public transportation, that's my decision. I do that every other weekday of the year. I sacrifice the other 49 weeks a year for the environment...and actually I choose (and recommend) the shuttle over taxi because I know it's like a carpool and there'll be at least one or two other parties sharing the ride. So there.

This is a somewhat disturbing attitude, amyb. If I understand correctly, you are environmentally responsible at home, but you think that it is perfectably acceptable to behave differently when you are abroad. As Paris is the city that receives most tourists in the world, it will indeed become the dirtiest and most polluted if many others share your point of view. The Parisians are saints for putting up with it all. Imagine any of our cities if 18 million persons visited every year and decided to do whatever they feel like.

With three of you, I'd be inclined to take a taxi to your hotel, but then investigate other options for the trip back. Mr. W and I (who live in Paris) often take the Air France bus (available to anyone, not just Air France customers) from Porte Maillot to the airport (you can also catch it at Etoile) - it works quite smoothly. Coming back though, there always seems to be a problem - just a coincidence probably, but we've never had an easy trip back by AF bus.

"Parisians are saints." No Parisian takes a taxi? Ever? The city and national government officials with their big cars never use them? THEY always take the RER to CDG? No Parisian rides an old, heavily polluting two-stroke moped?
Wow. You learn something every day.