My family of four will be arriving in Paris via LHR/CDG 3 Oct.
My wife & I will be bringing our 2 kids (10 & 8 yrs).
What are our options for getting from airport to our hotel in the Rue Cler area? which is the cheapest? most efficient (quickest & least hassles).
Will taxis take a family of four? or will I need two taxis? Should we take the AirFrance bus to Champs Elysees then take the metro? Help!

I did this a year and a half ago using the trains & subways. The directions at the following link worked perfectly for me...

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum11/HTML/004554.html

I stayed around the corner from the subway stop, having to do a change at the main station. It was easy & cheap.

The following link also discusses a number of travel options...

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum43/HTML/000055.html

JP

I'd strongly recommend against the metro, either from CDG or from any of the Air France bus terminuses. The last thing you need after a long trip with kids is to deal with more long walks, stairs, unfamiliar systems, and trying to get your luggage through the weird little doors and turnstiles of the Paris metro.

A taxi from CDG is your best bet, by far. Some taxis are larger than others, and depending on the size of your kids (and you, I suppose), you should be able to find a large enough taxi (try to get either a Mercedes for its width, or a van-type cab).

You could take the Air France bus to the Place Charles de Gaulle and then take a taxi, but the savings would be peanuts -- the cost of 2 adult + 2 kids fares on the Air France bus is close to the taxi fare (which should be about 35-40 Euros).

And not that you asked, but as long as you'll be staying there, do not, under any circumstances, miss the Neuhaus chocolate shop on rue Cler. Don't get the prepackaged junk, go for 100g. of the fresh stuff, in the display case. Best of the best are the cream-filled ones -- look for the white choccies with an amber-colored praline or a coffee bean on top.

And it's not necessary to let the kids know that they're enjoying Belgian, not French, chocolats.

[This message has been edited by wideman (edited 09-24-2002).]

To get from CDG to Paris can be a pain.
Wideman is right, Metro/RER is not very good, when you have luggage. And it took me almost one hour to buy RER-tickets at the CDG station.
Taxi is O.K., unless the motorway is blocked. On Sept. 13th, 7:00AM, I drove from Paris to CDG by car. There was a pile-up from CDG to Paris, almost the whole distance (10+ miles?!?).

I take the RER when travelling with one kid, but with my wife and two kids, consider one of the shuttle services, especially to the Rue Cler area. Taking the RER with Metro transfer involves a fair amount of walking and stairs.

I believe the one I used last was:
http://www.paris-airport-shuttle.com/ The driver speaks English.

If you have to take the RER for some reason, take a B train that goes non-stop to Gare du Nord from the CDG station. English is spoken by the ticket sellers. My usual transaction takes 5 minutes, including standing in line.
http://www.ratp.fr/index_eng.htm
Rich

Thanks all for the advice.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Taxi sounds like a good option @ 35-40 Euros.

2. Taking the AF bus plus taxi amounts to the same expense as taking taxi alone- out

3. Take a shuttle (from rjh; 16x4=64$ or Euros)

4. Take the RER/Metro- too much hassle with kids and luggage- out

Looks like taxi is the best bet with Shuttle close. Only drawback with shuttle is calling them and ensuring a good meeting point. Taxi drawbacks- get one big enough. Any other taxi drawbacks/hints that I need to be aware of as it looks like that is what we are going to do

Meeting the shuttle was simple. For one thing, it's marked with Paris Shuttle in big letters. So, you just find a phone that works, call, blab in English, exit the appropriate terminal door, and you've connected. This is not Shinjuku station.

We travel lighter than most American families, but the mini-van (European style mini-van, we're not talking about a Dodge) had plenty of room for our junk and more.

We also got a free E-ticket ride through downtown Paris, which of course you'd miss on the cheapo RER/metro combination.

My experience with Parisian taxi drivers to the airport has ranged from just fair to poor. I've avoided shouting. Barely.
Rich

I usually stay in the Rue Cler or Ecole Militaire area as well when I visit Paris (Hotel Muguet or Hotel LeTourville). I would strongly suggest with two kids that you avoid any metro or RER. Make sure that you have the exact name and address of your hotel written on a piece of paper (preferably typed) to give to the taxi driver. It will save you time and trouble. I've only had one bad experience with a driver in all of the times I've visited Paris. I do try and speak a little bit of French which they seem to appreciate.

You do not have to worry about a taxi being "big" enough. There are many that you can choose from. One thing I would like to mention is that many taxis charge PER piece of luggage as well as the meter - just to give you a "heads up."

Enjoy yourself! If you have any other ?s, my email address is in my profile - feel free to email me - Paris is one of my most favorite cities in the world.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

We just got back from our trip, and I chose the taxi.

Taxi from CDG to Hotel Beaugency in the Rue Cler/Ecole Militaire area was 40 Euros (2.50 extra for 4 person, 1 Euro extra for each baggage, ~ 36 for the fare)

The hotel could arrange for a shuttle but it was 17E per adult and 13E per child - 60Euro total so chose the taxi again to get to the airport.

Taxi to CDG from our hotel was 46 Euros (~40 for the fare)

directcj: Thanks for posting an update - it's always interesting to see how things turned out.