Need advice: CDG arrival...avoiding A.M. rush hour
 

Next month I will fly ORD-CDG with a friend and my sister. We arrive Friday, 23FEB, at 08.05 and will have checked luggage.

This will be the first time I have arrived CDG since March, 1975! All of my other trips to Paris, since that time, have been via ORY or on Eurostar or Thalys to Gare du Nord.

What can we expect as far as time required to clear Immigration/Customs and retrieve our luggage on a Friday morning? I intend to take one of the door-to-door shuttles or a taxi from CDG to our hotel in the 7th Arr. and I'm trying to plan around the morning rush hour into the city.

For example, if Immigration/Customs/Baggage Claim usually takes an hour it would mean we would be ready to leave CDG around 09.15.

Should we delay our departure from CDG until later? Our hotel rooms are not likely to be ready until past noon anyway, so I would prefer starting our journey from the airport later in the morning over spending an hour stuck in traffic.

Thanks - I will appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Dear BBinchi,

Although I have not done it as yet, I would say that you should investigate the RER subaurban train lines that run directly from CDG to parts of Paris. I noticed that there is one a block away from the Hilton (Eiffel Tower area). The next time I go, I will take it!

Inasmuch as the Hilton is on the cusp of the 7th and 15th Distiricts (I so much prefer the Left Bank!), you might consider this your best alternative.

Any questions re Paris, I am all ears!

If you're arriving on Air France or American, you'll arrive at one of the Terminal 2 halls, where 90% of the time you can be in a taxi 45 mins after the door is opened. On UA, you arrive at Terminal 1 and you can usually count on a somewhat longer process, so 90% of the time you'd be out in 55-60 mins.

Traffic in Paris is still nasty if you leave CDG at 9am, and the 7th Arr. in the SW of Paris is an especially awkward location to reach from CDG, which is NE. You can plan to spend plenty of time on the Peripherique. OTOH, if you leave CDG at 10, you're likely to have a smoother trip into town.

p.s.: I would certainly advise against taking the RER. The RER has no baggage facilities (and you said that you'll have checked baggage), the trains are crowded at that hour of the day, you'll have to make at least 1 connection, you'll have stairs to climb, and then you'll still have a walk to your hotel.



[This message has been edited by wideman (edited 01-29-2001).]

DOC 2 BE:

I appreciate your suggestion. I should have mentioned, in my original post, that I had considered the RER trains and other options (Roissybus, Les Cars Air France).

However, I don't want to deal with hauling luggage up/down stairs (RER) and would prefer a one-shot trip from CDG to our hotel, avoiding a transfer from Roissybus or Les Cars Air France to either a taxi or Métro (again, the stairs issue) to get to our destination.

Thanks,

Bill

wideman:

Didn't see your reply until after posting the one directly above. As you can see, we're on the same wavelength regarding convenience and avoiding the hassles of the morning rush. Many thanks for your advice!

Is the RER that bad? As I said, I was considering taking it next time I was in Paris as it is very close to the Hilton, but if it is that bad, I will probably take the Air France bus to the Air terminal instead?

Your comments at your convenience would be most appreciated.

Thanx!

If you are arriving at terminal 2, then once
you get off the immigration/customs; head
towards exit 6. There is a line for taxi cabs. It will probably cost you approx $35 to
get to Arr 7.

This is based on a trip we took earlier this month. It took us approx 20 minute wait for the cab. The line at immigration for nonEU was long (approx 35 minutes).

Our cab took us to 5e, and the hotel had the room ready for us. YMMV

I live in Paris.

If you arrive at terminal 2, nothing better then the RER. Anyway, taking a bus, you will have to manage with your luggage the same way. After 9:00 in this direction, the rushhour will be over. train departs at 8:57, 9:03 and every 15 minutes after (9:12, 9:18....), and you are in Les Halles in 25 minutes. With taxi, Bus, hope there wil lbe no rain, otherwise....you'll be in trouble.

Passing the custom is easy if you do not have any luggage (for me, takes between 2 and 10 minutes at 8:30 arriving on Delta from US). If you have (seems it's your case), you will have to compete with other planes. Could take 30 minutes then.

If arriving in Terminal 1, that's a bad case, as you need a bus to go to the RER, and this is not comfortable. In this case, take the shuttle...if you find it.

For RER, the worse may be to get a ticket, could take between 1 minutes and 15 minutes depending on the queue. If terminal 1, bad case, if terminal 2, could be better.

Just remind to those who are not aware, you have the TGV (high speed train) in the same railway station, you can go to Lille (border with belgique) in 1 hour, to Lyon in 2 hours, to montpellier, avigonon, Marseille in 3h30 to 4h30. This is rather good for low rate (compared to Air France).

First of all, unless it is absolutely necessary, I would strongly suggest that you avoid checked baggage. Most of our trips to Europe last year involved reroutings (and once an unexpected overnight stay in LA) along the way and we were very glad to have our baggage with us. Without fail we merely whizzed through customs and were on the train to town while the masses were standing around awaiting the arrival of their bags. Additionally, minimal luggage certainly makes navigation within Paris far easiser.

The trains are great and can speed you from point to point within the city in a mere fraction of the time it would take via taxi, but you do need to be able to handle your own luggage in some cases up and down several flights of stairs.

A careful planner can easily pack a two week wardrobe into a carry-on, simply washing lingerie and tops along the way. I find that silk, knit tops are great for travel as they dry fairly quickly, are very versatile and don't require any ironing.

With a black jacket, one black knit skirt, one pair of black knit pants and several tops and scarves, I can go almost forever, and, if I run short, they do sell clothes in Paris. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif One can always buy another bag and check it on the way home when you really don't care if it gets delivered in a few days. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

We took the RER into Paris and to the Hilton 2 weeks ago. There is a change to the C line at Notre Dame which could be difficult with large luggage - carry on was no problem.

I've taken the bus, taxi, shared van and RER and prefer the RER if you can manage it.

Thanx for the info DRTRAVELS! Approx. how long did it take you point to point?


BTW, what did you think of the Hilton?

[This message has been edited by DOC 2 BE (edited 01-29-2001).]

Sorry

[This message has been edited by DOC 2 BE (edited 01-29-2001).]

Another fairly simple alternative is the Air France Coach (although probably not for bbinchi, given the concern about luggage, stairs, rush hour, etc.). It stops right outside each terminal and makes two stops in the city, the second of which is the Charles de Gaule Etoile (Arc de Triomphe). There is a taxi stand right by the bus stop. You can then cab it over to the Hilton or, if you are a little more adventurous, take the metro from the Arc de Triomphe to the Bir Hakeem stop (just around the corner from the Hilton). As a non/poor French speaker, I have found this to be the cheapest, yet least intimidating way to get into the city and the Hilton. All this will cost less than $25, quite a bit less if you take the Metro.


[This message has been edited by ILuvParis (edited 01-29-2001).]

Dear Iluv,

You can take an Air France bus to the Air Terminal near Les Invalides, and if you wish, then take a cab from there. That was what I was referring to when I noted that alternative above. Moreover, you are already on the left bank in the 7th!

Given that I am the great cheapskate that I am, depending on the weather and the luggage, I walk it to the Hilton from there!

Finally, YOU LUV PARIS and don't speak any French?

Sacre Bleu et Quelle Dommage!!

[This message has been edited by DOC 2 BE (edited 01-29-2001).]

doc 2 be:

1. I guess about an hour total time from hotel to check-in. It's a good walk from the AA counter to the RER. I gave up wearing a watch two years ago. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

2. You can see my comments and others on the Hilton Forum. Take your copy of the Hilton rules for members if you expect to receive them from the Paris Hilton - at least I had to. A hint if your room gets too hot (ours wouldn't go below about 80 F). THese are hot water radiators with a cover on them. Take off the cover and turn the intake side valve off and the heat will stop. Leave the bathroom door open and that heater will furnish all the heat you need. The hotel engineer and his fancy leather tool box (which I suspect really only kept his lunch) kept saying this was the lowest the heat can go until I finally convinced him to turn the valve off.

There is a good rest. but can't remember the name. Go out of the Hilton, turn right and go to the main street. Turn right and go about 2 blocks - believe it was #47 on that street. Open for dinner only.

Have fun