Communte from CDG to hotel
 

I have been getting crazy answers on what is costs to get from CDG to the Holdiay Inn - Eiffel Tower. Does anybody have any ideas?

It can cost very little: Roissy Bus to Opera (FFR48 or so) then subway ticket (about FFR 8/ticket but buy a weekly pass if you are staying that long, 85F/week).

For minimum hassle, take the Air France Bus from whatever terminal at CDG, direction Etoile-Charles de Gaulle ( FF60) and then get on the subway line 6 and get off at Bir-Hakeim.

More help at http://www.ratp.fr/index_eng.htm

A cab will set you back about FFR350-400.

There is a free shuttle bus from CGD to the train. You can then take the train to Paris, getting off at the St. Michel stop. Then switch to the Yellow line (toward Versaillles) and get off at Champ de Mars. It's only a couple of stops from St. Michel.

I love taking the train in Paris. Just make sure that you take only one carry-on bag (with wheels). http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Thanks for the info.

I saw the 1 bag comment from Punki...
So what's the best way to a hotel around
LaDefense from CDG with several bags?
e.g. Air France to Porte Maillot then cab
or metro OR some other route.

Thanks!

Yes, AF bus to Maillot and then taxi to Defense is a reasonable option. (AF bus is 65FF, taxi depends on traffic/location in Defense.)

Also consider taxi direct from the airport. A taxi last month CDG-Montparnasse was 240FF (US$30); La Defense would likely be 10-20% less.

The train/metro route is best suited for those who enjoy carrying things up and down stairs: you will have plenty of stairs to climb up and down when switching lines or exiting; the primary exception is if you use only RER (train) lines.

Taxi - never. Long ride and costly.
I took RER, this is the fast Metro to CDG, than I change to the "normal" Metro, the bus or a taxi, depending on the location. The RER station is in one of the terminals at CDG. I never used this Roissy Bus. I worried that it might get stuck in the heavy Paris traffic.

There is an "Airport Shuttle" that for 89F will take you to, I believe, your hotel in Paris. Returns to the airport can also be arranged by phone. I have not used them yet. Their e-mail address is [email protected] Phone is 33-01-43-21-35-67.

I typically stay in the area bordering the St. Michel RER station, so I typically take the RER line B from CDG and just walk a block or so to my hotel.

Thanks for all the good info. We're going for 3 weeks next June and we'll never learn to pack as light as I'd like. So, we'll need to
minimize a lot of stairs.

Some of us are staying at the Renaissance La Defense and some at the Courtyard Neuilly.

It sounds like the bus may work pretty well.

Is there a good connection (i.e. not a lot of
dragging luggage up steps etc) if you go
RER B to Les Halles then switch to RER A to
La Defense?

Many thanks for the recommendations!

There is almost no such thing as a connection on the RER line without a lot of stairs. The posters here are correct the cheapest and most reliable way to center city Paris is the RER line but only take that if you don't have a lot of luggage to haul around. Excluding that the Air France Bus is pretty reliable and cheap and depending on what time you arrive you may not have to worry about the traffic. I have stayed at the Renaissance in La Defense before and there really is not a great metro station close to there.

A cab should not run more than 200 - 250 Francs. I live in Paris in the 16th arrondissement and when I cab back and forth it usually runs around that amount.

If you are going to the eiffel tower from the airport after you get to St. Michel the yellow line Punki is referring to is the RER C line and make sure you take the train in the direction of Chateau Rive Gauche/St. Quentin/Pontoise/Argenteuil

Vulcan, if you are calling the airport shuttle from the states you need to leave off the "0" when dialing I.E. 33-1-43-21 etc

Anyone visiting Paris should check out the web site of the RATP for information on public transit. They have an excellent route finder utility that shows you how to get from one point to another. You can choose to see results for rail, bus or both modes of transport as well as selecting how you want to construct the routing: fastest, least amount of walking, least amount of connections. The URL for the main site, in French, is:
http://www.ratp.fr

and, the mirror site in English:
http://www.ratp.fr/index_eng.htm

My apologies! I had somehow missed the fact that "Droneklax" had already posted about the RATP site. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/redface.gif

Also, forgot to mention...I did take the Airport Shuttle from my hotel in the 7th arrondissement to CDG last March. It was, as noted above, much less expensive than a taxi although we made a stop enroute to pick up a passenger and, because the driver could not find the address at first, we wasted a lot of time before heading out to CDG. Thankfully, I had allowed for plenty of time and was not rushed.


[This message has been edited by bbinchi (edited 10-28-2000).]

Unless you have both black tie and business occasions (and even then you can get by if you are careful packing), or need a lot of sports equipment, it is a lot more convenient to just get by with one or two carry-ons that you can carry up two or three flights of stairs by yourself. It's pretty good exercise and makes for a much more pleasant trip, as you can take the subway or train and avoid nasty rush hour traffic snarls. Even going out of places like Chicago or D.C. at rush hour, it is a bit of a thrill to whoosh by all those taxis caught up in gridlock as you are speeding out to the airport on the train.

I also love the freedom to change my routing mid-trip without having to worry about luggage

Whoops! Double post. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/redface.gif

[This message has been edited by Punki (edited 10-28-2000).]

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Eiffel Tower a number of times. Here is how to get there the fastest and the most economical way: from the arrival floor of Terminal 1, go to the Gate 28 and take an elevator down to the 2-nd floor. It is marked "Boutique", and there will be a lot of people getting off there to catch a shuttle to the train station. The shuttle bus stops accross the street from the elevator exit and it is marked "SNCF/RER Station". Bus driver typically speaks English. At the station, buy a combination ticket for RER and Metro ( about 50 FF one way ), and take RER B3 train ( Roissy Rail ) to central Paris. Get off at Denfert- Rochereau Transfer station. Change to Metro Line 6, going West ( the train will be marked Ch.de Gaulle-Etoile, the last stop on this line ). Your stop is La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle. I think it is the seventh stop after you get on the Line 6 train. Save your Metro ticket to exit. Once on the street, your are facing McDonald's and Monopris (supermarket). Turn right and walk under the overhead Metro line. The hotel is about a block and a half from there.
Although it sounds quite complicated, it really is NOT. Everything is well marked and very efficient. Be adventurous, try it !

Thanks again. Do you think the market on Saturday in front of the hotel is worth the time?