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Paris Visit (firstimer)

Paris Visit (firstimer)

Old Oct 1st 2002, 1:35 am
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Default Paris Visit (firstimer)

Hi everyone, first time posting. My wife and I will be visiting our son in London in late November. The three of us are planning a short trip (3 days) to Paris. We are staying at the Elysee Union just north of the Eiffel Tower. When we arrive at CDF, will we be able to purchase a couple of 10 ticket booklets for the train and busses? Cost? Is the train the best way to get to the hotel? Does anyone know the fair cost of taking a taxi from the airport? Also, how much time should we allow getting back for a 7:00 pm flight back to London. Thank you in advance for your replies and yes, boning up on the French!!
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Old Oct 1st 2002, 3:31 am
  #2  
Mike Jacoubowsky
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

As long as you're not hauling tons of luggage, you'll find RER & the Metro
to work out very well. The trains run very frequently, and there will be
english-speaking people at CDG who can point you in the right direction
(just ask). For specifics on the Metro & RER, you can go to this website-

http://www.ratp.fr/ParisVisite/E-
ng/index.htm


and get an idea of how to get around. Yes, you'll be able to buy tickets at
the station. Shuttles run $25-35, cab fare, I'm told, can be as high as
$40. Depending upon the time you're traveling, the RER might be faster than
the cab, or vice versa.

CDG's a mess as far as getting to your flight, with a myriad of security
checks and one of the more confusing layouts I've ever seen. Plan on being
at the airport the recommended two hours ahead of your flight leaving. Yes,
you'd rather spend one of those hours someplace else, but CDG is just not a
very friendly place if you're in a rush.

For more info, check this thread a bit further down-

General Paris info (for newbie US travelers)

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles-
.com

 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 4:03 am
  #3  
Andrew
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

sugarpops wrote:

    : Hi everyone, first time posting. My wife and I will be visiting our son
    : in London in late November. The three of us are planning a short trip
    : (3 days) to Paris. We are staying at the Elysee Union just north of the
    : Eiffel Tower. When we arrive at CDF, will we be able to purchase a
    : couple of 10 ticket booklets for the train and busses? Cost? Is the
    : train the best way to get to the hotel? Does anyone know the fair cost
    : of taking a taxi from the airport? Also, how much time should we allow
    : getting back for a 7:00 pm flight back to London. Thank you in advance
    : for your replies and yes, boning up on the French!!

Out of curiosity, why are you flying to Paris - i.e. have you
considered taking the Eurostar train? Flying could be a bit cheaper,
but the train is sooooo much more pleasant and takes under four
hours. When you take into account the time of getting to and from
airports, you aren't really saving time by flying.

Yes, you can buy a "Carnet" (packet of ten 1-2 zone Metro/bus tickets)
for just under 10 Euros at any Metro station. If you do fly to CDG,
you would buy a seperate RER train ticket (transfers to Metro) into
the city for 7.70 Euros each, but for three a taxi might be worth the
extra money. RER could be faster than a taxi at rush hour, though.
Unless you fly into Terminal 2 at CDG, you must take a shuttle bus
over to the RER station at Terminal 2.

Andrew
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Old Oct 1st 2002, 5:31 am
  #4  
Pan
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

On Tue, 01 Oct 2002 01:35:42 +0000, sugarpops
wrote:

    >Hi everyone, first time posting. My wife and I will be visiting our son
    >in London in late November. The three of us are planning a short trip
    >(3 days) to Paris. We are staying at the Elysee Union just north of the
    >Eiffel Tower.
[snip]

This struck me funny. FYI, just north of the Eiffel Tower is water,
i.e. the Seine. However, it appears that you will be about 4 blocks
from the Trocadero, which is right across the river from the tower.

I don't know how much the cab will cost you, but charges per piece of
luggage are posted in the cab. Read them, and don't let the driver
charge you more.

Michael
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 7:46 am
  #5  
Mike
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

CDG to Paris by Metro and RER is only 7 euros. Take 45 minutes max. Do
not take taxis, Paris has a very best Metro system in the world, even
better than London's. Taxis probably gets stuck in Paris's the mother
of all traffic jams. If you use Metro to get around Paris, buy the
tickets in bulk, that is, ask for the clerk for "Carnet", it has 10
tickets for around 9.59 euros.
if you buy ahead, 2nd class Eurostar is around 95 euros or less if there
is a special. It stops at Gare de Nord. I understand EasyJets
sometimes has a special as low as 35 euro one way. But taking the plane
wasting to much time spending at the airport.

sugarpops wrote:
    > Hi everyone, first time posting. My wife and I will be visiting our son
    > in London in late November. The three of us are planning a short trip
    > (3 days) to Paris. We are staying at the Elysee Union just north of the
    > Eiffel Tower. When we arrive at CDF, will we be able to purchase a
    > couple of 10 ticket booklets for the train and busses? Cost? Is the
    > train the best way to get to the hotel? Does anyone know the fair cost
    > of taking a taxi from the airport? Also, how much time should we allow
    > getting back for a 7:00 pm flight back to London. Thank you in advance
    > for your replies and yes, boning up on the French!!
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 8:52 am
  #6  
Mxsmanic
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

"Pan" a écrit dans le message de news:
[email protected]...

    > FYI, just north of the Eiffel Tower is
    > water, i.e. the Seine.

Not so. Just north of the Eiffel Tower is the Quai Branly, and a good 100
metres or so of dry land.

Of course, much of the rest of Paris is north of the Eiffel Tower, as well,
on the opposite side of the Seine.
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 9:31 am
  #7  
Pizzaman
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

HI!

The booklet with 10 metro/bus-tickets(called a "carnet") can be bought
at any metro/RER-stations - including the one at CDG Airport. The
price is 9,60€ for 10 tickets for zone 1 & 2 - covering central
Paris. The CDG Airport is in zone 5, so you would need a seperate
ticket for this trip. The cost for a one-way ticket from the Airport
to any central Paris metro-station is 7,50€. If you use the
metro you will first have to take the RER(express-metro) from the
airport to one of the central stations, and then change to the
metro-line that stops closest to your hotel. You may even have to make
a second change.

A taxi would cost you about 50-60€ - or even more - depending on
traffic conditions.

Instead consider using one of the many airport shuttles, for instance:

www.airportshuttle.fr
www.parisairportservice.com (slow
internet-page)

They both charge a fixed price of 29€ for a one-way transfer for
two persons. Please note that it may be a shared transfer - with 1 or
2 stops at other hotels. But it is MUCH more convenient than dragging
your luggage through the endless corridors and escalator-systems of
the Paris metro......

If your flight is at 7:00 pm I would book the airport transfer to pick
you up at 4:00 pm.

Have a nice trip!

Pizzaman
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 11:03 am
  #8  
Pan
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

On Tue, 01 Oct 2002 08:52:20 GMT, "Mxsmanic"
wrote:

    >"Pan" a écrit dans le message de news:
    >[email protected]...
    >> FYI, just north of the Eiffel Tower is
    >> water, i.e. the Seine.
    >Not so. Just north of the Eiffel Tower is the Quai Branly, and a good 100
    >metres or so of dry land.

Yes, a very busy street it is, too. But 100 meters? That much? That's
way more than I remember.

    >Of course, much of the rest of Paris is north of the Eiffel Tower, as well,
    >on the opposite side of the Seine.

Most of it is also east of the tower, as I'm sure you'll agree.

Michael
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 12:45 pm
  #9  
VIV
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

I would consider taking the train unless you're claustrophobic about
riding under the English Channel/La Manche. Even if it's a four-hour
trip, it will likely take less time, door-to-door, than flying. I
agree with what other people have said. CDG airport is a maze of
confusion, to be avoided if possible. I love France, adore Paris,
travel there every year, and still hate that airport!
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 2:44 pm
  #10  
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

Wow, thank you for all the responses. What a variety of replies. To clarify a couple of points, actually the hotel is just about half way between the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. My first prefence was to travel to Paris by train (chunnel.) I checked the internet for packages from London and the best I could find by Eurostar was an overnighter to Paris for about $200 per person. One problem was that the hotel wasn't disclosed so we would be taking a chance on its location. For the same price we could fly and stay two evenings, plus choose and know the location of the hotel.

I wish I had known more about the maze waiting for us at CDG. Oh well, at least now it won't be as big a surprise. I'm not crazy about waiting in lines but at least the trip is for pleasure and we really don't have to rush.

We are traveling with just a couple of carry-ons, and from the responses, it seems taking the train or an airport shuttle may be the best bet. Does anyone know off hand which terminal British Airways uses at CDG?

If we do take the RER, will the ticket also include the transfers on the Metro, or are they separate?
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Old Oct 1st 2002, 4:56 pm
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Andrew
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

sugarpops wrote:

    : Wow, thank you for all the responses. What a variety of replies. To
    : clarify a couple of points, actually the hotel is just about half way
    : between the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. My first prefence was
    : to travel to Paris by train (chunnel.) I checked the internet for
    : packages from London and the best I could find by Eurostar was an
    : overnighter to Paris for about $200 per person. One problem was that
    : the hotel wasn't disclosed so we would be taking a chance on its
    : location. For the same price we could fly and stay two evenings, plus
    : choose and know the location of the hotel.

Water under the bridge now...but I see that just booking the Eurostar
train itself costs US $89/person return (round) trip booked 14-days in
advance. Seriously consider the train next time - it's really nice,
even if it costs a tad more.

    : I wish I had known more about the maze waiting for us at CDG. Oh well,
    : at least now it won't be as big a surprise. I'm not crazy about
    : waiting in lines but at least the trip is for pleasure and we really
    : don't have to rush.

It's not that bad of a maze - don't worry (to be fair, I only arrived
at CDG and departed from somewhere else). Heathrow seemed much worse
to me - lots more walking. The hardest problem for me at CDG was
finding the bus shuttle to Terminal 2 for the RER station (I flew into
Terminal 1). I was tired and still afraid to ask people questions in
English - but I found out eventually that it was down the elevator
toward the parking garages and outside.

    : We are traveling with just a couple of carry-ons, and from the
    : responses, it seems taking the train or an airport shuttle may be the
    : best bet. Does anyone know off hand which terminal British Airways
    : uses at CDG?

No, but a little surfing on Google.com should help you find it. I'm
sure someone here knows, though.

    : If we do take the RER, will the ticket also include the transfers on the
    : Metro, or are they separate?

My RER ticket worked fine to transfer to the Metro. Remember, on RER
you have to insert your ticket to exit as well as enter the rail
stop. On Metro you just have to insert it to enter. If you have only
a little luggage RER/Metro is probably the way to go.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA
http://www.bizave.com/photos/ <----
Andrew's Photography
----> http://www.moviepundit.com/ <----
Andrew's Movie Website
************************************************** *****************


To respond by EMAIL, please DO NOT hit "reply". Email address
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Old Oct 1st 2002, 5:13 pm
  #12  
Mike Jacoubowsky
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

    > If we do take the RER, will the ticket also include the transfers on the
    > Metro, or are they separate?

You can buy an all-encompassing Paris Visite pass if you wish, that allows
you access to RER, Metro, busses and a couple other things. It's not as
cheap as going a la carte, unless you plan to use the RER a fair amount, but
there's something to be said for the convenience. Just one ticket that's
used for everything.

    > I wish I had known more about the maze waiting for us at CDG. Oh well,
    > at least now it won't be as big a surprise. I'm not crazy about
    > waiting in lines but at least the trip is for pleasure and we really
    > don't have to rush.

Don't worry about getting out of CDG, it's not that big a deal. It's
getting *into* CDG and working your way through the check-in & security maze
that's a hassle.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles-
.com



"sugarpops" wrote in message
news:430576.1033483471@britishexpats-
.com
...
    > Wow, thank you for all the responses. What a variety of replies. To
    > clarify a couple of points, actually the hotel is just about half way
    > between the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. My first prefence was
    > to travel to Paris by train (chunnel.) I checked the internet for
    > packages from London and the best I could find by Eurostar was an
    > overnighter to Paris for about $200 per person. One problem was that
    > the hotel wasn't disclosed so we would be taking a chance on its
    > location. For the same price we could fly and stay two evenings, plus
    > choose and know the location of the hotel.
    > I wish I had known more about the maze waiting for us at CDG. Oh well,
    > at least now it won't be as big a surprise. I'm not crazy about
    > waiting in lines but at least the trip is for pleasure and we really
    > don't have to rush.
    > We are traveling with just a couple of carry-ons, and from the
    > responses, it seems taking the train or an airport shuttle may be the
    > best bet. Does anyone know off hand which terminal British Airways
    > uses at CDG?
    > If we do take the RER, will the ticket also include the transfers on the
    > Metro, or are they separate?
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
 
Old Oct 1st 2002, 6:12 pm
  #13  
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

Originally posted by Andrew:

Water under the bridge now...but I see that just booking the Eurostar
train itself costs US $89/person return (round) trip booked 14-days in
advance. Seriously consider the train next time - it's really nice,
even if it costs a tad more.

20Visit%[email protected][/url]
I had read on that site that the $89 required 2 business nights stay to qualify. Otherwise, the price about doubled. Since we were leaving London on Friday and coming back on Sunday we didn't qualify for two business days. Anyway, there's always next time. I've taken a train a few times down the Jersey coast and in Canada. It is a delightful way to travel. I'm sure the Eurostar would have been an experience. And ... gotten me closer to City Centre!
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Old Oct 2nd 2002, 1:49 am
  #14  
Hamilton
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

In article , sugarpops
wrote:

    > Hi everyone, first time posting. My wife and I will be visiting our son
    > in London in late November. The three of us are planning a short trip
    > (3 days) to Paris. We are staying at the Elysee Union just north of the
    > Eiffel Tower. When we arrive at CDF, will we be able to purchase a
    > couple of 10 ticket booklets for the train and busses? Cost? Is the
    > train the best way to get to the hotel? Does anyone know the fair cost
    > of taking a taxi from the airport? Also, how much time should we allow
    > getting back for a 7:00 pm flight back to London. Thank you in advance
    > for your replies and yes, boning up on the French!!

You can buy a carnet of ten tickets [they are loose as I recall and all 3
of you can use them till they run out] at any metro station; you need a
special RER ticket in from CDG which is about 7E as I remember. For 3
people a cab begins to get reasonable but given the traffic, I'd be
inclined to just use the train and metro as long as you have minimal
luggage. The Paris metro is extremely luggage unfriendly -- stairs and
crowded turnstyles.

Never take a cab or shuttle TO the airport. In Europe there doesn't seem
to be any particular commitment to timeliness -- twice we have had nail
biters, once in Rome and once in Paris with shuttle drivers who got lost.
Only because we had allowed actually extra long amounts of time did we
make our planes. the train actually runs to the airport unlike other means
of transport.

CDG is a nightmare -- it is the one airport where we have found that 2
hours is really needed. Everyone is channeled through very long lines and
lots of them.
 
Old Oct 2nd 2002, 2:55 am
  #15  
Bux
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Default Re: Paris Visit (firstimer)

In article , Mike wrote:

    > CDG to Paris by Metro and RER is only 7 euros. Take 45 minutes max. Do
    > not take taxis, Paris has a very best Metro system in the world, even
    > better than London's. Taxis probably gets stuck in Paris's the mother
    > of all traffic jams. If you use Metro to get around Paris, buy the
    > tickets in bulk, that is, ask for the clerk for "Carnet", it has 10
    > tickets for around 9.59 euros.
    > if you buy ahead, 2nd class Eurostar is around 95 euros or less if there
    > is a special. It stops at Gare de Nord. I understand EasyJets
    > sometimes has a special as low as 35 euro one way. But taking the plane
    > wasting to much time spending at the airport.

I would not recommend taking the metro with a lot of luggage.

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