Overnight In Paris

I would suggest continuing on to CDG and get a hotel there. Take a fixed price cab to a hotel at CDG from St Lazare. There are several in your price range.

hey hey rlcspence
how many in “this family” and ages? what type of mobility issues, what are your dates?
I would look at booking.com, see availability and amenities needed, how early is morning flight and where to: USA/Canada/another European country?
check-in is usually 2-4pm, check-out 10-11am. rooms are usually small for 2 or three, elevator/lift, $300 is really low budget nowdays, may need 2 rooms, check in is usually 3 hours ahead of flights. (passport/immigration), lines to wait in, do you need wheelchair for parents (book ahead with airlines) or can they walk a long ways to gates.
If in paris center, take cab or two for your family (flat rate usually 55E, depending where you are staying, airport hotels probably more and see if a shuttle to airport. lots to think about and research the best option for you. good luck & enjoy
aloha

I stayed at the Novotel at the airport. The train connects to all terminals. Clean room. Surprisingly quiet. Didn’t hear any planes. Good breakfast.

If parents have mobility challenges (been there), I agree that it would be easiest to take transport from Gare to CDG. CDG has a number of just fine for one night hotels that are convenient using the in-airport train to the terminals. I would suggest the Sheraton hotel which is right in the terminal that they call the United States terminal because all flights to America go out of it. You can just walk from the Sheraton to the gate. This would eliminate the need to wait for a train, board a train that is mostly standing room, shuffle around when others board, then getting off the train, taking an escalator, etc.

Are you going to Normandy for it's WWII history? Try to be at the American cemetery late afternoon when they play taps and lower the flag. It's really moving.

Enjoy the trip!

I second Cynthia’s suggestion to stay at the Sheraton in Terminal 2 at CDG. You’ll pay a bit more for rooms there compared to hotels near (but not in) CDG, but you will save on the reduced stress. The fact that you have an AM flight only reinforces the importance of staying at or near the airport (vs. staying in central Paris).

In June 2023, we stayed at the CDG Sheraton the night before our 10:45 am flight, which meant we needed to check in at 7:30 am. It made life much easier and less stressful. And you absolutely need to arrive 3 hrs before a flight departing CDG! It’s a necessity, not a suggestion.

I also concur with the other suggestion to be at the American Cemetery at the end of the day for the flag lowering cemetery (either 5 or 6 pm; exact time may vary by season).

Thank you for all your suggestions they are much appreciated. I have long been interested in visiting Normandy, and my wife and I planned to visit in 2020, but alas. After reading a book or two my father wanted to go to. His father was in one of the first infantry waves on Omaha. Sometimes it's difficult to point to specific days in history when your life changed. For us, that day changed our family. Something has drawn me there.

Our flight out of CDG is at 11:45 am, and we will be in Paris at about 2 pm the day before so that is why I was inquiring about the hotel location. My wife and I would like to spend some of that time enjoying the city. Very much like a typical Rick Steves show about wandering off the beaten track to see what we can see.

Our party is four adults, the "kids" (me and my wife) are in our late 40's. Thanks for your expertise and experience its very helpful.

Thanks for the tips about the flag lowering we will be sure to catch that.

I am in the camp of staying in Paris. I'd get 2 rooms so the 'rents can chill & you & your wife can go out & return (late!) without disturbing the others. It's an hour cab ride out to CDG. I'd do that instead of the train just because it's a bit easier. When you arrive St Lazare in 15 minutes by cab you can be at Notre Dame. another couple minutes to Marais/Latin Quarter.

We have noticed in our travels that the area around train stations can be a bit rough sometimes. I think your range of places to stay are as wide as you would like. If your wife would like to see Paris I would make it happen.

*it has been almost 2 years since we have been in Paris & I think about going back virtually every day.

Hi. I travel with my dad who is a very energetic but now limited in how far he can walk. We just visited Paris . Depending on what exactly your parents challenges are and if you also want some alone time...we love the hop on hop off buses. We get on and stay on for a loop. NotreDame us where you can get a lot if them. We also booked a Seine River dinner cruise and took an uber to the dock. The maitre d arranged a cab for us to return to the hotel after. It was lovely. Uber and taxis are our friends!! Enjoy

Based on your arrival time of 2 pm and your flight at around noon the next day, I would absolutely stay in Paris. I stayed at Citadines St Germain last spring. It’s right on the Seine, some rooms with a view of the river. You will likely need two rooms. It is very rare to find a room in Paris that sleeps 4 on real beds. Take a taxi from the train station.

The location is perfect if your parents want to stroll along the river just a bit. And perfect for you to explore the city further. You could also hire a taxi or private driver to drive you around the city. There is also a river cruise not far away: Vedettes du Pont Neuf. Especially lovely at sunset.

Take a fixed price taxi to the airport in the morning.

Stay at the Novotel at CDG. It’s clean, quiet, easy to reach from the train station into CDG and has a nice restaurant and bar. Removes the stress of getting all the way out to CDG in time for your morning flight. You could split up. The older couple could stay at the airport and the younger couple could stay in the center city then leave early in the morning for CDG. Or travel separately out to CDG. Send your luggage with the older couple to the hotel at the airport and then the younger couple can stay in the city and catch a late train or a taxi to the hotel. If everyone can get themselves up early enough to arrive at CDG at least three hours before the morning flight then you could stay in the city but you risk missing the flight if you stay in the city. You don’t have to be together the entire time. The older couple can sit for hours at a cafe ( with the luggage) while the younger couple explores the city. Then have dinner together “early” in the city and go to the airport hotel later in the evening. Personally I would not risk getting to CDG from the city in time for a morning flight. My choice would be to have dinner in the city and arrive at the airport hotel as late as 11 to midnight. While I would choose the pricier Novotel because of its proximity to the train station at CDG the Sheraton is also very close to where you need to be. I would plan on leaving the airport hotel room four hours before departure. Add at least an hour if you opt to stay in the city. The lines at CDG can be very long.

I understand the desire to have a night in Paris (one of my favorite cities), especially if your wife has never been. Just be prepared for an early departure the next morning to arrive at CDG by 8:30 am for your flight check in. If going by taxi, I wouldn't leave any later than 7:30 AM. Logistically, a taxi for the 4 of you makes the most sense, but one never knows what kind of traffic you'll face on the road. That could be an argument to take the Metro/RER to the airport (rather than a taxi), which may bring to bear on your choice of hotel location, i.e., ideally one that is near an RER Metro stop. That would be more logistically complicated than a taxi, especially with mobility challenges, bags to schlep, stairs instead of elevators at the Metro station, whether you'll need to change trains, whether you can all find seats, etc. But, the advantage of the RER is that you will not be impacted by traffic on the ground. (Disclaimer: I've never taken the RER to/from CDG. Maybe there are elevators or escalators in the RER stations. I just don't know.)

Now for a cautionary tale (and some context for my comments): upon our arrival at CDG in May 2023 (around noon on a Tues), we took a taxi into central Paris and it took TWO hours. Perhaps our experience was an outlier, but every time I've headed to CDG from Paris, the traffic gets worse. Thankfully, we had nowhere to be (other than our hotel), no train to catch, etc. But, if we were headed to the airport under those circumstances, we might have missed our flight.

Perhaps some of the Paris locals on the forum can advise re: traffic to CDG at that hour. Also, it might depend on which day of the week you'll be headed to CDG. I suspect weekdays are likely worse.

It’s just me, a nervous day-of-departure traveler, but after a few trips I’ve come to understand that all good things must come to an end, and if that end is a few hours early, well then that’s how it goes. So I too would get to the airport, especially when traveling with older parents ( been there, now older myself). After a great trip I’m now ready to sacrifice the last few hours for a stress free travel day. If Mom and Dad recognize their limitations might they feel the same? Walking out of a hotel and into the airport is one of the great pleasures of travel I discovered rather late in life. If your train is scheduled to arrive at 2 PM how long to transport to the Paris hotel, check in, catch your breath, “freshen up” and walk out the door? How much time would you really have, knowing you’ll be up by 6 AM at the latest for showers, packing and dressing, breakfast and transport to CDG? And I do believe 3 hours is minimally mandatory for CDG. I now reckon time not before departure but 3 hours before boarding begins, but that’s also just me. Or at the least, could you store luggage at the station, wander, perhaps early dinner, and still taxi to the airport to sleep? Just my two cents. Have a wonderful trip and safe travels.