I am currently researching a first time trip to Paris that my husband and I will be taking in May. I wanted to know if there are any preferred airports to fly into that are more convenient to the city.

Also, I wanted to explore our options for flying into another area of Europe and taking a train into Paris. I have heard of people doing this, but I am unfamiliar with the best route if this is an option that we choose.

Any advice on either question would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time

What other countries/cities in Europe interest you? Once you know, then start researching flights into those areas...like Zurich or Vienna, Milan etc..

I think my first priority, over location, would be an area where travel into Paris would be simple. I like to explore and would be open to a couple of recommendations where Paris is only a train ride (under 2 hours) away.

Hi B,

From where are you leaving?

How long do you have?

People usually fly into CDG.

Most US flights to Paris arrive at CDG, but there's a discount, all-business-class airline called l'Avion that flies from Newark (EWR) to Orly (ORY). Orly is actually closer to the city.

btw, I would avoid connecting at LHR for *any* reason, even if BA offers a slightly lower price. Huge crowds, and you need to switch terminals.

I've written two articles on visiting Paris that you might enjoy:

Paris on a budget: http://travelhorizons.blogspot.com/2...on-budget.html

Upscale Paris: http://travelhorizons.blogspot.com/2...ale-paris.html

Feel free to email me if you have any other questions and want to have a more extensive email conversation. It's my *favorite* city in the world, and I've been there quite a few times.

David

Hi David,

May I respectfully suggest that you not take a thread private.

The point of this forum is to allow everyone to share.

Sorry, Ira. That's a good point!

Thank you both for your recommendations in regards to flying into Paris. My husband and I will be leaving from Atlanta and the length of our stay is undetermined right now as flights and hotels prices will help drive the length ... hoping for 1 week.

Also, are you able to offer any trains that would be about a 2 hour trip that could take us into Paris if we chose to fly into another city. I do not have preferences at this point over Milan, Vienna etc... I was hoping to learn more about some easier travel routes first.

bmoore-

There are lots of other major European cities you could combine with Paris, but they are more than a 2 hour train ride away... Amsterdam, Geneva, Venice, Milan, etc.

Most normal airlines from the U.S. flight into CDG - you get to the central part of the city by taxi, train or bus from there.

I do NOT agree with the caution about avoiding Heathrow. I always fly British Air to Europe (from Seattle) connecting thru Heathrow (usually going on to Geneva) and have never had a problem with that airport. Actually it's a favorite of mine.

If you have only one week, why not pick a hotel and stay right in Paris?

I'm not sure I'm understanding about wanting the 2 hour away from Paris train ride.

OK - you sort of need to look at a map of France/Europe. No major city (any w/ transatlantic flights) is w/i a 2 hour train ride of Paris.

Now, London does have the Eurostar train that only takes about 2.5 hours - but the train station is not near the London airports so it makes a long and complicated connection.

If you only have a week or less - fly into CDG and spend your time in Paris.

If you end up w/ more time - you could fly into London (or Amsterdam) spend a few days there and then take the train to Paris and fly home from CDG. This is called an open jaw ticket -- in to one city and home from another.

Sorry if I have not been clear on why I would want to consider a train ride into Paris. I am currently researching flight and wanted to explore options that may help with the cost of travel. That is why I am looking into a direct flight to Paris and flying into another city. The 1 week time frame has not been set and we are flexible. Our plane tickets, etc... will help determine the length of our stay.

I think you need to have at least one week. Any less than 7 days is just not enough (with the long plane ride, jet lag, time change) in my opinion.

There's not a cheaper way to get to Paris by flying to an airport 2 hours train ride away (at least I have never heard of one).

I assumed that is why you asked - you thought flying into a nearby city would let you look for cheaper flights. However when you factor in the time and money it will take to get from there to Paris - any "cheaper" fare will end up costing a good deal more.

As has been mantioned - there are no tranatlantic gateways w/i a 2 hour train ride of Paris . . . . .

bmoore, what it sounds like is that your budget is what is driving the your time and places. First, what is your budget, if we may ask?

I have seen flights in May for around 500-600 usd to Paris. That's not bad!

I would agree with the others and just fly into Paris and stay there. A week is just about right; any less time and you will miss out on so much. Certainly if you have more than a week, then you will have more options.

oh, guess I was posting just as janisj and suze were.

Thank you all. It seems I was trying explore options to fly into another european city in effort of finding a reduced flight. Of course, not factoring in the train expense as well. I did not mean to be misleading in making people think I was looking for a budget trip. I was just trying to explore the most economical flight options so we could use money towards other things (food, shopping, hotel). I think we will fly directly into Paris based on all feedback received. Thank you all once again.

The closest city matxhing your criterias would be Bruxelles - not known for cheap transatlantic flights
And going from the airport to the railway station plus 2h30 train (if you take the not so cheap Thalys)....

Namaka, where have you seen fares to Paris for 500-600 USD in May of 2007? Everything I have seen is way higher. That is a very good fare these days, I think.

For me, flights to LHR are generally much cheaper than flying to CDG. A one-way Eurostar ticket London to Paris is around $89 and London is incredibly expensive so this isn't a way to save money, but it's a very good option if you're interested in exploring both cities.

If London doesn't interest you, then fly straight to CDG and you can save money by exploring apartment options. There have been a lot of threads lately on Paris apartment rentals -- many of them 70-90 Euro/night and they're really cute.