Starwood Preferred Guest - Airport to Prince de Galles Paris

We are a family of 6 arriving at Paris Orly at 11:25 a.m. in July. It looks like there is a train that takes you from Orly to downtown Paris. Would that be a reasonable option for the PDG? I sent an e-mail and the concierge suggested a cab. Are there cabs that would hold 6 and luggage? I'd rather not split up into 2 cabs.

Any thoughts on the best way for 6 to get from Orly to the PDG would be much appreciated! I'd also love any restaurant recommendations for family friendly restaurants surrounding the PDG. Thanks!

There is train service to Orly Airport. If I remember correctly, you will be required to make one train change. The metro in Paris is very good, particularly if you are going downtown (All roads lead to Paris!!). We lived in suburban Paris for two years and found the train service in and around Paris to be very good. The must be a website that shows the train routes.

Cabs are expensive in Paris and most cars are small. I know there are airport buses from CDG to downtown, but don't know about Orly. I flew mostly from CDG. Good luck and enjoy Paris. If you take the train or bus, be certain to purchase the correct ticket and also retain the ticket until you reach your final destination. There are transit police who check tickets plus you need your ticket to exit the stations. The police love to catch American's who have the wrong tickets!!

We are a family of 6 arriving at Paris Orly at 11:25 a.m. in July. It looks like there is a train that takes you from Orly to downtown Paris. Would that be a reasonable option for the PDG? I sent an e-mail and the concierge suggested a cab. Are there cabs that would hold 6 and luggage? I'd rather not split up into 2 cabs.

Any thoughts on the best way for 6 to get from Orly to the PDG would be much appreciated! I'd also love any restaurant recommendations for family friendly restaurants surrounding the PDG. Thanks!


The kids would probably enjoy a very casual crepe place just a few blocks down the street. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it has a horse over the door. The concierges will know-- they recommended it.

Near the Eiffel Tower there are several family friendly spots. We passed them on our walk there. Again-- the concierges at PDG are wonderful and will probably be a good source.

An other option is taking the line 2 of Air France Coach bus that goes from CDG to Arc de Triomphe. The Prince de Galles is really close and a cab from Etoile to the hotel cheap (if you worry about squeezing the six of you and the luggage in, you could send part of your party ahead in the cab with the luggage and have the rest walk, it's really close).
You don't have to have an Air France ticket to use their Coach service and the cost is quite reasonable, something like 14 euros

An other option is taking the line 2 of Air France Coach bus that goes from CDG to Arc de Triomphe. The Prince de Galles is really close and a cab from Etoile to the hotel cheap (if you worry about squeezing the six of you and the luggage in, you could send part of your party ahead in the cab with the luggage and have the rest walk, it's really close).
You don't have to have an Air France ticket to use their Coach service and the cost is quite reasonable, something like 14 euros

Unfortunately, OP is flying into Orly, not CdG and there is no Air France bus from Orly to the Arc de Triomphe

I do recommend cab vs. train for a family of 6, even if you have to split it up. I base this recommendation as it sounds like you have not used the Metro/RER often. As another poster mentioned, it is a very good system, but especially with luggage and children, it could get quite hectic.

Cab may be more expensive, but from the Peripherique (the highway ring around the city), it is a very quick drive to the Prince de Galles. Orly is also closer to the 8th arrondisement (where the hotel is) than CdG

If you are the type who wants to have everything arranged prior to arrival, you can also try one of these sites:

http://www.discoverfrance.net/Boutique/Travel/Airport_Shuttle/rates.shtml

http://www.parishuttle.com/reservation.html

I have not used either service and offer these links only as informatio. The first service seems to offer reduced child rates, which might be very appealing to you.

Hope this helps!

Unfortunately, OP is flying into Orly, not CdG and there is no Air France bus from Orly to the Arc de Triomphe


But there is an Air France bus from Orly to Invalides (also Montparnasse) which is a short taxi ride to the hotel.
You will also find helpful advice in the Paris forum here, found in Travel and Dining.

I'll go out on a limb here and comment to the OP that part of the answer to the question really depends on several factors. If no one in the OP's party speaks French or knows anything about navigating Paris, I'd say it won't be the easiest venture to collectively get a family of six (with BAGS!) to this train or that train to a location that is still not the hotel.

I'd say another factor is the "adventurous spirit" of the family in question. If they are prone to stress out over complications that arise along the way, then this may not be the best of options. I, for one, know this would never have worked with my family when I was a munchkin!!

And, of course, the real reason to even consider such a thing is to save $$$s (well Euros, I guess). If being thrifty is vital to the trip's success, then this may be your best choice.

It's certainly doable.

We stayed at Prince De Galles in summer 2006. You mentioned that you are going with the family but watch out. The regular TV shows Porno movies in the night. I had 6 and 11 year old kid and my 6 yr was flipping thru the remote and she was watching porno for few seconds.
When I complained to the hotel their reasoning was kids should not be watcing TV in the night (around 11 p.m.)
It was really disgusting.
The hotel is good, location is good, concierge is good but you be the judge about the management.

The public transportation system way to do it would be as follows:
- Orlyval automated train for 8 minutes until the RER B Antony station
- RER B train in direction of CGD Airport until Chatelet-Les-Halles station
- Switch to RER A until Charles-de-Gaulle station, r alternatively take the metro on line 1 direction La Défense.
Everything is available in English on the www.ratp.fr website (Paris public transportation system website).

As a Parisian with no kids I recommend you decide if you wanna have it cheap or have it quiet.

There will be in the Orly airport a kiosk with access with larger cabs (monospace cabs) which might allow six+luggage, that would cost you around 40/45 € to get to the PDG I guess.

The public version is more adventurous, and definitely not a great first impression of Paris if that's a first time.

You can also mix, go to Chatelet and exit the PTS for a cab. Know that there is a taxi line on the Place du Châtelet. Depending on the time of the day you will be near Etoile in 5/10 minutes. No guarantee of a monospace for all of you guys, tough!

Have a nice stay! :)
E

We are a family of 6 arriving at Paris Orly at 11:25 a.m. in July.

Another quick thought for you -- have you alerted the hotel that you are bringing your children (I assume you are bringing kids from your posting)? Simply be advised that kids are most often not "free" at high end European Hotels like they are here in the US. There are dozens of reports here about folks who get over to Europe with their two little ones only to be floored to get socked with substantial additional person charges per night....

Just wanted to make sure you are/were aware .....

Orly is also closer to the 8th arrondisement (where the hotel is) than CdG

Quoi?

Oui, c'est vrai !

Oui, c'est vrai !

Ce n'est pas possible. Je suis absollument sur que si on prend le A1 vers Roissy on peut etre la dans 20 minutes. Pour Orly c'est au minimum 30, n'est-ce pas?

We stayed at Prince De Galles in summer 2006. You mentioned that you are going with the family but watch out. The regular TV shows Porno movies in the night. I had 6 and 11 year old kid and my 6 yr was flipping thru the remote and she was watching porno for few seconds.
When I complained to the hotel their reasoning was kids should not be watcing TV in the night (around 11 p.m.)
It was really disgusting.
The hotel is good, location is good, concierge is good but you be the judge about the management.


don't know how to get from orly. search paris in europe in T&D, or ask. somebody over there will know.


I never could find the porno. maybe I went to bed too early.

I found the hotel mainly frequented by people from SPG. Do not recall any obvious middle easterners. Not one turban or robe. Noticed a person I presumed from Africa, with about 6 or 8 wives.

there are lots of "children friendly" restaurants on that big street between arche of triumph and Louvre. the immediate area around the hotel is quite upscale, and the restaurants tend to be formal, and expensive. there must be a few that are not.

If you do not have a breakfast package, you probably will want to eat someplace other than the hotel. either go back to the big street, or search east of the hotel. there are a few inexpensive places stuck in the warrens.

Does PDG know you are 6? do you have 3 rooms, or do you have rooms that will accept more than 2 guests? Europe is not on the HoJo system of room packing.

I'm afraid not....

Roissy is 26 km away from downtown Paris (let's say Notre-Dame), while Orly is barely 16 km away...
For instance a regular cab ride from downtown to CDG will be around 45/50 Euros, while it will be around 30 Euros to get to Orly.
Of course I am not taking into account the usual traffic jams (on both motorways)...


In order to answer the original query, I found on the Aeroports de Paris web site the following mention: The G7 taxi company also features a Limo service : Aéroports Limousine Service Reservation : 01 40 71 84 62
Could be a good idea to contact them.
However I did not find any mention of an email address...

As a many-time visitor to Paris with family in tow I would recommend any first-time visitor to take a cab from Orly to the city centre. The journey by public transport is not particularly straightforward and can be daunting.

Once you've got your bearings, buy a "Paris Visite" pass which can be bought for 1, 2, 3....days, which allows unlimited travel by the subway, the RER and the buses. You can then use this to get back to the airport for the journey home.

And as some posters have noticed, some of the regular TV channels can show some risque (though very soft, by European standards) stuff late at night. Thats just how it is in Europe. As always, awareness and common sense, rather than outrage, should see you through.

As a many-time visitor to Paris with family in tow I would recommend any first-time visitor to take a cab from Orly to the city centre. The journey by public transport is not particularly straightforward and can be daunting.

Once you've got your bearings, buy a "Paris Visite" pass which can be bought for 1, 2, 3....days, which allows unlimited travel by the subway, the RER and the buses. You can then use this to get back to the airport for the journey home.

And as some posters have noticed, some of the regular TV channels can show some risque (though very soft, by European standards) stuff late at night. Thats just how it is in Europe. As always, awareness and common sense, rather than outrage, should see you through.

Words of wisdom :)

Thanks all for the excellent and helpful information! To answer a few questions: We are a family with 3 older and 1 young child. We have already checked with the PDG and we have 2 rooms with 1 King and a rollaway in each. I have been told by SPG and confirmed on the web that at least for the PDG there is no charge for the roll away or the 3rd person in a room. If anyone has information to the contrary for this specific hotel, please let me know. (We found the opposite for the Westin in Rome).

I'll confess to being a bit torn now. We are arriving in the middle of the day. So, while we don't speak French, I am not afraid of using public transportation. Honestly, I would prefer the train over splitting up into 2 cabs. I clicked on one of the links mentioned above and the limo price from Orly for 6 was 95 Euros. Seems very steep. Are there any other shuttle services that we could take that would hold 6 and be comparable to the cost of the train (which I haven't added up yet). I can see the wisdom in not starting with a confusing train ride, but the thrifty part of me hates to buy a train pass and not use it as much as possible.

Thanks again!

Spent last spring break at the PDG and at Westin at Versaille, with two children, 10 & 14 yrs. While at the PDG, crazy as this sounds, we found the old American standby to work great, you got it, McDonalds right up the street on the "Champes." It has a full French bakery case at the front, so each day we had a riot trying something new and discovering some tasty treats! Good Latte, Cappuciono, regular (American of course) coffee. Have
a great trip, one of the truely wonderful cities to share as a family!

There is a nice middle eastern fast food restaurant across the street from the hotel. They serve very nice falafel and kababs.