JoeTro

I'm wondering if anyone could offer advice on the methods of getting from CDG to central Paris. It appears that there are three buses and 1 train option. Any ideas on price for these options and length of trip? It seems the train takes 15 minutes, the Air France bus 40 minutes, and another bus 50 minutes, and the last bus 45 minutes. I would be going to Les Gobelins (or actually the closest metro, since this one will be closed).

A follow-up question - is one route preferred traffic-wise in the middle of the day? I am to land at 1 pm.


Thanks.

Flyboy

JoeTro, if you enter "CDG transportation" in the search box at the top of page, you'll bring up a number of threads.

The RER B line is good way to go if you don't have too much baggage and you're comfortable with it. That said, but it's going to be more than 15 minutes and you may well need to transfer into the metro system to get to your final destination. I believe it's 7.60 Euros per person. The Air France bus is a decent option and I think that's is around 9 Euros to the Arc de Triomphe. There is a bus to the opera that I haven't used, but perhaps others know more about that.

Depending on where your final destination is in Paris, a taxi will run 30-45 Euros or so. With two or three passengers, it's not a bad option.

Janeyre

We took the Opera bus-the Roissy bus- from CDG-one every 15 minutes. Being Xmas Day at 11AM traffic was not an issue. I enjoyed the ride, esp. as the bus went through Paris. I think the cost was 8 euros. I stressed about having exact change, but the driver gave change. From there we lugged our luggage down the Opera metro steps, pushed the bulging bag through the turnstyle, and hauledit on the metro. We then inched our way up the steps at our destination stop-Ecole Militaire-and walked the five minutes to our hotel on Rue Cler. I'd do it all again the same way except I'd pack lighter.
Have a great trip!

Christina

There are only two buses that I know of -- Roissybus and the Air France bus. I don't know of any third bus. Which one were you thinking of? Air France has two routes, though.

One can't predict the exact time any bus will take, so don't assume any of those times for a bus, which are just estimates, are any different.

The train takes longer than 15 minutes to where you're going. I would guess it might take around 45 minutes to a stop near Gobelins, or maybe even longer due to transfers. That isn't going to be simple--you will have very little baggage? You'll have to transfer twice.

The train is a few euro cheaper than one of those buses which I think are around 10 euro. Roissybus maybe a tad less, as Janeyre estimates. However, none of those bus stops are near your destination.

I don't think you could ever get a taxi to that location for 30 euro, although 40-45 is likely.

I'm not a big fan of airport group shuttle vans, but given your destination, have you considered one of them? It would be a lot easier than public transportation. I think for one person they are around 20-22 euro maybe, not sure.

Flyboy

I agree that Les Gobelins will be on the higher end of my "depending on where your final destination in Paris is" range. The other bus option is municipal. For example, the 351 bus goes from CDG to Place de la Nation, where one would pick up the metro to continue. I'm not familiar with its cost and I'm not sure where it stops at CDG, either.

JoeTro

Thanks for the replies. I would not have much baggage - a duffle bag. I will probably end up doing the train. I realize that wherever I get off will involve the metro, and sometimes a couple of metro lines. I will check into the muncipal buses though. In the interest of cost, a taxi or the shuttle seems a bit more than I would want to pay, but thank you for pointing those out.

You are right about the train - it takes 35 minutes, and trains run every 15 minutes.

The three buses are - Air France, RossyBus, and an unnamed bus between Montparnsse, via Gare de Lyon, and the airport. This one could get my closer to my final destination if I get off at Gare de Lyon, but it seems like I would still need 2 lines.

JoeTro

On further inspection, it seems like if I take the train to Denfert-Rochereau, I would only need one metro line a few stops to get to Place d'Italie, which is as close as I could get anyway to Les Gobelins since that metro stop as closed. I think I will shoot for this. Thanks!

Jocelyn_P

Joe,

I'm only suggesting this because you're packing light:

On my recent trip, we took the RER to the closest station to our hotel (we didn't mess with transfers even though it would have gotten us closer). We just went up the stairs and walked the rest of the way to the hotel. After such a long plane ride it was refreshing to walk, and what a great first impression of the city! Of course if the nearest RER station is miles from your hotel, this probably isn't a good idea.

Travelnut

JoeTro, I think your plan is a good one.

MorganB

Joe, be sure to go to the right exit when you leave Place d'Italie. The square is very large with numerous streets and you could easily exit on the wrong site. Look for the exit that says "Les Gobelins" which is for the tapestry factory. Have a great trip!

Robespierre

Here's a nice map of the neighborhood surrounding the Métro station. Go to this URL:

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/plan_telech_quartiers.php</b>

Pull down the second dropdown.
Highlight Les Gobelins.
Press OK.
Print out the map.

Note that if you take the RER B to <u>Luxembourg</u>, the #27 bus will get you to Les Gobelins without additional walking.

dkmo

I used this shuttle service last year and it worked out very well (25 euro per person). Plan on using them again this year. I recommend reminding them 24 hours before your pickup time:

www.paris-airport-shuttle.com

Christina

Joe, that unnamed bus is one of the Air France bus lines, I imagine.

Place d'Italie is not the closest metro stop to Gobelins, Censier is. It is true you only need one transfer if you are willing to walk from place d'Italie, though. It's not too much farther. But if you only have one duffle bag, it really doesn't matter so much. There is a bus line that goes right along ave des Gobelins from place d'Italie, if you wanted to take it -- line 47. That is also a good line for you to learn if you are staying around there.

Taking bus 27 from Luxembourg gardens is certainly another option, just as good. In the middle of the day that bus is pretty frequent -- at night, it is infrequent and only every 30-45 minutes.

With one duffle, you have several good options -- RER to Luxembourg, then bus; or RER to Denfert, metro to place d'Italie and then walk (or bus). The RER should take about 30 minutes from CDG to Port Royal.

elle

Just popping in to confirm that the unnamed bus that stops at Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse is indeed an Air France bus.

That bus route is actually one of our favorite ways to come into the city. For some reason, whenever I see the Viaduct des Arts I feel like I am &quot;home&quot;. (Well, &quot;home&quot; in Paris, anyway.) Depending on where we're staying, we usually get off at the Gare de Lyon and take a taxi from there.

Robespierre

<i>p.s.</i> If your hotel is close to les Gobelins, you might want to give the bus routes a little study. Could save you a lot of hiking back and forth to the M&eacute;tro. Go to

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/bus.php</b>

...and in the box labeled <i>Afficher le plan de la ligne n°</i>, type these numbers (one at a time):

27
47
83
91

...and press <b>OK</b>. Print out each map, and you will have a very good idea where you can get to from where you are without transfers. If you have a long way to go, just using the bus to get to the M&eacute;tro will save some time and energy.

JoeTro

Thanks very much for everyone's help. I'll have lots of options, and it will depend on how I'm feeling that day with respect to where I want to get off. I may try to contact the hotel to ask for their advice as well.

As a follow-up, can I buy the RER tickets with credit card and/or through an automated machine at CDG, or do I need to purchase them on-line beforehand? It seems like it would be best to just buy there since the trains run so frequently and I couldn't exactly know what time I would get to the train. Do I need to validate said ticket beforehand, or do I hand the ticket to an attendant?

Thanks!

111op

Haven't read most of this -- but your credit card is probably not compatible with the ticket machines (lacks a chip required in Europe, I think).

The machines only take coins, if I remmeber right.

111op

And there's no ticket validation, so to speak -- just insert it at the turnstile (you'll need it to get in anyway) and keep it for the rest of the trip (you may need it when you get out or might be spot checked).

QC

There are a bank of vending machines at the RER station at CDG, your credit card should work. The machines DO NOT take cash.

There is also a window next to the machines- there are often lines but the clerks speak a variety of languages and are used to tourist questions. RER tickets do not need to be validated like Rail tickets are- they use a turnstile system like on the Metro. Make sure to hold onto your ticket until you are COMPLETELY out of the system.

I found taking the RER into Paris to be really easy and fast. I highly recommend it if you have light luggage.

111op

Did the machines work for you, QC? The one time I tried one it failed for me. I asked a Frenchman to buy the ticket for me with his card and I paid him back with cash.

Actually now that you say this, I'm not sure if the machines take coins.

The ones at the Metro stations take coins only (not notes) or cards.