Vit007

There are 4 adults in our party with 1 bag each and probably 1 carry on each.

A couple of questions:

Got 7am Monday morning flight (in April) from CDG. Should we get to the airport by 4am?
How difficult would it be to get a taxi at that time given there are 4 of us(around 3am)? Would it cost any extra because of the time (shouldn't, but just checking)?
We did not book the hotel yet.

I also thought about staying at "hotelF1 Roissy Aéroport CDG PN 2". I know it has shared facility, but don't really care since we plan to stay there for just one night. How do we get from that hotel to the airport? How much would taxi approximately cost?

oenophilist

It depends upon what terminal, whether you have elite status, etc etc. If I'm going out of Terminal One during peak time (around 10:30am), then I like to allow 2.5-3 hours since the lines to immigration and security can be very very long. However, non-peak times 1.5-2 hours is sufficient. And different terminals have different wait times. Thus, I think it varies widely.
It is not difficult at all to get a taxi at this time, although you may have difficulty fitting everyone in one taxi for four people with luggage. It is more expensive at night, and the total one way from the center will likely cost around 50-60 euros depending upon where you are coming from (sometimes less).

According to the website, it has a shuttle from 5am onward, so if you can afford to get there at 5am, then I'm sure its fine. Not sure how difficult it will be to get a taxi for such a short trip, but I'm guessing the hotel should be able to arrange it.

Mountain Trader

Paris is not New York-you can't just go outside, raise your hand and have a cab pick you up. You should reserve a taxi ahead of time for a timed pick-up. I haven't taken a taxi in Paris for a while but the last time I did, I used the company G7. They had a separate line with CSRs that speak English.

Instead, I would advise staying at a hotel near the airport. There are a lot of hotels out there and almost all run shuttles (Though watch out for one on Priceline that's listed as CDG but is miles away and has no shuttle). If you plan to use on the hotel's shuttle, I would not rely on info on the hotel's website. Instead, I would call or email the hotel to get the current shuttle hours, etc. If you're instead planning to rely on a taxi from the hotel to airport, I would discuss with the hotel whether a cab will be available without reservation that early.

grenouille

A good option is to book a room at the Ibis hotel located at Roissypole-RER station . 2 month Advance booking allows to have a nice price.
http://www.ibishotel.com/gb/hotel-14...al/index.shtml

Vit007

Thanks everyone for replying.

It is Alitalia flight to Rome out of Terminal 2F. We are flying economy/no status/seats not assigned yet. Actually, on the official website they are saying 5:15am, and I don't really want to take chances, so taxi it is.

Based on the feedback I got, I've picked up Novotel Paris La Defense on Priceline for the entire time we are in Paris, as we would have had to take from taxi to airport hotel anyway. We also wouldn't have to worry about storing luggage for a day when we are changing hotels.

Do they have some special class of taxis that can fit us (e.g. mivivans)? Any recommendations for taxi company other than G7? (would like to have different options, just in case)

I realize that a hotel should be able to book a taxi for us, but I would like to have a back up plan.

I imagine if I book a taxi via phone, the taxi driver wouldn't take us on a "tour" to make an extra 10-20 euros, correct?

When going from airport (also Terminal 2 F) to hotel, which company is recommended for taxi? I don't think we need to prebook in the airport, right?

JOUY31

G7 is the most reliable provider. In addition, you can ask for a mini-van at the time of booking and all G7 taxis accept credit cards.

You also need to be aware that, when booking a taxi over the phone, you have to pay the taxi on his way to pick you up (l'approche). This is part of the fare rules and there is nothing inappropriate or illegal about it. For La Defense, 1O EUR would not be unusual.

oenophilist

Before 5am there isn't too much traffic, so I don't think it will be an issue. Figure around 45 minutes from La Defense to the airport. Thus, if you leave around 4:15-4:30am (for a 7am flight) you should be fine. 2F is much more efficient than terminal one, and you won't have to go through passport control since Italy and France are both Schengen. One note, you should have a printout of your itinerary or your ticket with you. I believe that 2F is one of those terminals that requires you to show your ticket before you can get your boarding pass, even if you have electronic tickets.

I usually just catch a taxi outside the terminal, they have taxi queue's there. Never had a problem.