Rouen area car freindly hotel ... or cool lodging

I have a thought! If you plan to drive from Rouen to CDG, return a rented car, and be at the terminal early enough for an 11:30 am flight you will have to get up really early. Consider doing all that the day before your flight and spending the night in a hotel at the airport.

Cool lodging is our primary requirement when in France. You should have no worries getting to CDG the morning of your flight as I'm sure the French gate agents will hold the flight once they know you are from Chicago, have to deal with returning a car, and are arriving from cool lodging near Rouen. In fact, you might call ahead and let them know you are on your way, just to be sure they are aware of your schedule. They love to accommodate Americans and might even upgrade you to first class if you give them ample warning that you are on your way and mention that you are from a big city in the US. Showing up around eleven-ish is just fine.

Are you flying back to the US? If so, I think they recommend getting to the airport 3 hours before your flight. It's a long drive from Rouen to CDG. Viamichelin shows around 2 hours (I rounded up on what they showed as fastest as you go right around Paris) or more. Add margin for traffic, other problems that could come up, getting gas, returning car. Rouen doesn't sound like a workable final night.

Wow, thanks for the snarky replies.

Our goal is to get to the airport (AA - terminal 2) by 9am, 2.5 hours early. Google has me at 1:40 from the place I found (Chambre Billy), meaning if we leave by 7 we should be ok but we will likely aim for to be on the road by 6:30 to be safe.

We are experienced travelers, I speak decent French and have executive status on American (for some check in line preference).

Peace,
Tom

A 9:30 arrival at the airport, especially CDG, for an 11:00am flight is being very optimistic, executive standing with AA notwithstanding. The agents at the long, long line at Security care not a fig about executive standing, plus your children are guaranteed to need the bathroom. I myself would spend the last night at CDG but then I hate stress.

Norma, that is a 9:00am arrival for a 11:30 departure. A full hour more than you cited.

Sorry, I mis-read the times but he still is arriving at the airport with only two and a half hours leeway. Arriving 9:00 for 11:30 departure. CDG is a devil of a place when you are short of time and 3 hours would be my absolute minimum.

I've been to 40 countries and never been three hours early to an airport, unless I got my flight time wrong :).

We aren't talking getting through security in Tel Aviv (which involves an intensive interview if you don't have a special exit letter, at least on business) or greasing palms to speed up the process in West Africa where I once bribed my way out of a security check with chocolate (when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer).

Upon the advice here we'll likely stay closer to CDG that night, maybe in Giverny, so we don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get going in the AM. Thanks!

40 countries!!! Goodness gracious me. 40!