Hamid Naderi

My wife and two teen age kids are arriving around 10:30 AM and have 6 large pieces of luggage. What is the best and most cost effective way to go from Roissy to the hotel near the north part of Downtown? How much would it cost?

Loy

Assuming you are all in good health, 4 people should be able to handle 6 pieces of baggage. The RER train goes from Roissy to Gare du Nord for about 50FF each. Take the express train, rather than the local, and you will be there in 30 minutes. Good luck. Loy.

vosaki

I vote for a cab. At 50FF a head, it will cost you US$30. I cab from Roissy to Paris is about $40 max. Remember that when you get to Gare du Nord, you'll still have to take a cab to your final destination. Even if it takes two cabs, I think it's worth the extra money. Just think about it, you're not on vacation to lug bags around, find train stations, etc., etc.

Margo

This should help you decide which way you want to go: <BR>TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM CHARLES DE GAULLE AIRPORT <BR>Tel: 0148622280. English line for flight information. Charles de Gaulle Airport has three main terminals: T-1, T-2 & T-9. People flying in and out of U.S. arrive at T-1. Air-France uses T-2 and charters use T-9. All three terminals are connected by a free shuttle (navette) bus. Airport info: http://www.aeroport.fr/ <BR> <BR>Private shuttle buses: Airport Shuttle: http://www.airportshuttle.fr/ E-mail: [email protected] Toll-free from U.S.: (888) 426-2705 Tel: 0145385572 Fax: 0143213567. Visa, MC. Hrs.: 6am-8pm. 1st pickup for the airport is 4am and the last departure from the airport is 8pm. All the staff speak English. When you arrive at the airport, remember to call their toll-free number 0-800-505-610 before you collect your luggage. This gives their driver time to get to the pickup point before you go through customs. Cost 125F pp or 95F pp for 2 or more. Children ages 3-12 at 1/2 price. Their 8-seat buses can be reserved for a total cost of 650F. They usually make 4 stops in Paris, however, they try to arrange the stops close to each other to avoid having to take the passengers all over Paris before they get to their hotel. Any problems, contact Judy Nguyen or Mark Harris. I tried this service to and from the airport and had no problems either way. <BR> <BR>Magic Shuttle: http://www.magic.fr/pas/ E-mail: [email protected]/pas Tel: 0149627878 Fax: 0149627879. Visa, MC. They add 2% surcharge if amount is less than 500F. Rates for CDG airport costs 150F for 1 & 190F for 2. Call for rates on 3 or more people. They usually make 2 or 3 stops in Paris. Rates are cheaper for Orly airport. They offer various types of shuttle services to & from CDG and Orly airports. Any problems, contact Isabelle at Magic Shuttle. <BR> <BR>Catching a shuttle is convenient and affordable but you might get impatient if your driver has to make 3 other hotel stops before dropping you off or picking you up at yours. These stops can be anywhere within the 20 arrondissements of Paris, and depending on traffic, this could take awhile. I just relax and submit to the ride while enjoying looking out the window. It is sort of like a free tour of the city. <BR> <BR>RER: RER line B3 (Roissyrail) suburban regional express trains depart regularly from two points at the airport: Terminal (aérogare) 2 (2A-gate 5, 2B & 2D-gate 6) and the SNCF train station. If you arrive at Terminal (aérogare) 1, from arrival level gate 28, catch the free shuttle (navette) bus (10 min.) to the SNCF/RER Roissyrail station for RER line B3. Trains leave every 15 to 20 min. from 4:55am-11:55pm (Roissy to Paris) and 4:56am-12:15am (Paris to Roissy). RER line B3 takes you southward to central Paris. It stops at the Gare Nord, Chatelet-les-Halles, St. Michel and Denfert-Rochereau métro stations. You can transfer to other RER lines or a métro from these stops. Length of trip: 35-45-min. Costs about 65F pp, 1st class and 52F pp, 2nd class. This mode of transportation makes sense only if you don’t have a lot of luggage and you are traveling with two or less. <BR> <BR>Air France Buses: 24-hour information (in five languages) Tel: 0141568900. Buses to and from place Porte Maillot/Palais Congres (métro: Porte Maillot) and the Arc de Triomphe (ave. Carnot, métro: Charles de Gaulle-Etolie) depart every 20 min. from 5:40am to 11pm for terminal 1 or 12 min. for terminal 2. Length of trip: 60 min. Costs about 65F pp. Buses to and from the SNCF Gare Lyon (20bis, blvd. Diderot) and Gare Montparnasse (in front of the Hotel Méridien) depart every 30 min. from 7am to 9pm for both terminals. Length of trip: 50-70-min. Costs about 75F pp. From Roissy, the bus stops between terminals 2A & 2C and between 2B & 2D and at terminal 1 arrivals level outside exit 34. Tickets can be purchased on the bus. <BR> <BR>Roissybus: Tel: 0148041824. Hrs.: 8:30am-5:30pm. <BR>Schedule of Roissybus from CDG Airport: Departure from Terminal 2 daily: every 15 min. from 6am to 8pm and every 20 min. from 8pm to 11pm. Locations of Roissy bus at CDG airport: Terminals 2B & 2D, gate 11; Terminals 2A & 2C gate 10; Terminal 2F gate H, arrival level; Terminal T9; Terminal 1 gate 30 arrival level. <BR> <BR>Schedule of Roissybus from Paris center: Departure from Opera daily: every 15 min. from 5:45am to 8pm and every 20 min. from 8pm to 11pm. Locations of Roissy bus within Paris: RER Auber, métro Opéra Garnier; and in front of American Express office on rue Scribe (9e). <BR> <BR>Length of trip: 45-60 min. Costs about 50F pp. Buy tickets on board. From Opera, you can catch the métro or a taxi to your hotel. Note: The buses do not stop in front of all the terminals at Roissy. <BR> <BR>Taxis: Length of trip: 40-60 min. Costs about 260F in the daytime and 290F at night. Of course, this amount depends on the amount of traffic. Extra charge for luggage. All complaints should be addressed to Service des Taxis 36, rue des Morillons, 15e. Tel: 0155762000. Métro: Convention. <BR>http://www.HelloEurope.com <BR>

pabcbc

also most cabs will not take 4 people - although from an airport you are likely to find minivan cabs - but it will be more difficult to hail one for 4 in the city center

s.fowler

Ohhhhhhhh Margo. you just don't get it do you?