Thunderroad

I will arrive CDG 10:20 a.m. on United and depart 5:05 p.m. on Lufthansa on a Monday. I'd appreciate any advice on: 1) whether it is realistic to go into Paris to meet a friend for lunch and, 2) if so, whether the RER train, Air France bus or Roissybus is the quickest option and 3) about how much time it will take from when I get off the plane to when I arrive in Paris (and vice versa when I return to the airport). We'd probably dine somewhere near where the train or bus drops me off. I will be going through Terminal One both ways, flying first class if that makes a difference re immigration (and on miles, so an expensive taxi into town is not my first choice), and probably have my boarding pass for the Lufthansa flight, since I think United will give that to me when I first fly out of San Francisco.

slawecki

I think that would be quite easy to do. I would take the RER in case there is a traffic problem.

I have never been humg up with immigration at CDG, either way.

I think you want to do the RER. I have never transfered from Terminal 1 to the RER. I would not think it to take more than an hour to an hour and a half each way.

You could meat at Gare du Nord and eat at Chez Michael. Get a map to find the place.

wideman

It's certainly do-able, and sounds like an excellent idea.

However, it sounds as though the OP isn't very familiar with Paris. If so, I would suggest a plan that is as simple as possible.

The RER is a relatively quick trip into the city, but it isn't nearly as simple as either the AF bus or the RoissyBus. (With RER, you need to figure out which station to get off, then deal with the labyrinth of Gare du Nord. It's second nature to those who have done it before, but full of risk potential for 1st-timers.)

At the times you list, travel to and from the airport is not likely to be so bad by bus. Here are some suggestions, in order of my preference (though lots would depend on where your friend would be coming from):

• Take the RoissyBus from CDG; the bus has only 1 stop, at the Place de l'Opera, next to the Grand Hotel. Meet your friend in the lobby of the hotel, and have lunch either at one of the hotel restaurants or at any of the dozens of nearby restaurants.
• Take the AF Line 2 bus to Porte Maillot, which is the 1st stop. Meet your friend in the lobby of the Concorde Hotel (adjacent to the bus stop), and have lunch in the hotel or a nearby restaurant.
• Take the AF Line 4 bus to Montparnasse, the last stop. Meet your friend in the lobby of the Meridien hotel, across the street from the bus stop.

The AF line 2 bus also goes to the Arc de Triomphe, at the top of the Champs Elysees, which would be a wonderful place for you to see. However, finding an obvious meeting place is much more difficult at this location. Two possibilities would be in front of the Publicis drugstore, or in the lobby of the Paris Tourist Information Office, both of which are on the rightside of the Champs Elysees if you're looking down the C-E with your back to the Arc.

Thunderroad

Thank you both for your useful replies, but especially Wideman for the superb bus advice. Getting through to the Air France bus right outside the Arrivals exit was a breeze, the bus itself took got me to the Arc stop in only about 40 minutes (and might have been even five to ten minutes faster if not for one stretch of traffic), and the Tourist Info office was a perfect place to meet (maybe a ten minute walk from the bus drop-off point, walking around the Arc).

The only problem was when I returned to the AF bus stop to go back to CDG, I found a notice announcing a strike by the bus staff! Oh well, such lightning strikes are part of life in France and this could have happened with the train also I supppose. There were a line of taxis waiting right across the street, probably because they had gotten word of the strike. The very helpful taxi driver stopped by a cash machine for me to get wome Euros and, true to his prediction, the ride cost between 30 and 35 Euros (33 to be exact). So it was a more expensive lunch in Paris than I'd expected, but that's the way it goes sometimes. So again, thanks Wideman very much for the detailed and useful advice. Now if you can only prevent AF strikes in the future...

wideman

It would be easier to resolve the conflict between the Arabs and Israelis.

(And very pleased that your trip worked out well.)

slawecki

Etoil to CDG for €35. I thought it would be much more.

Did CDG-5th & back a long time ago(89-90) and it was over $50US.

monahos

Exchange rates fluctuate... the US$ was never official tender in France, to my knowledge.

Thunderroad

So did I, but the meter only came to 33 Euros and that included stopping for a couple of minutes so I could get money from a cash machine. This was mid-afternoon, though, so we hit very little traffic.