My teenage daughters and I are flying into CDG from Canada, arriving at 8:05am. On our first day we are planning to walk around Ile de la Cite and the Latin Quarter, taking in a Seine river cruise if we are up for it. I also booked a timed entry to Sainte-Chapelle at 11:30am so we could go early in the day, rather than later, to give us the flexibility to check into our hotel and nap if needed or just wander around. Our hotel is a 10 minute walk away, so we can drop off our bags first easily. But now I'm wondering if I should have made a later reservation? Is a feasible to make an 11:30am reservation for Sainte-Chapelle, assuming the flight isn't too delayed? Hopefully we can get there before noon when the time slot ends. Will they refuse us entry if we are late?
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
181 posts
Some questions that may assist in answering this:
1) Will you have checked bags?
2) How are you getting to your hotel?
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13904 posts
I generally assume it will be 3 hours from the time I step out of the door of the plane to where I’m dropped at my Left Bank hotel. Sometimes it’s less time. With some luck your plane might catch a nice tail wind and get in early!!
I don’t think you can change your reservation so you’ll just have to see if it works. If it does excellent. If not, you’ve donated some money to upkeep. I don’t think anyone can say with certainty what the line security folks will do on any certain day about late-comers.
I do recommend the CityMapper app which will give you the walking route from your hotel to Sainte-Chapelle.
Posted by
35 posts
Timing for getting into Paris from CDG can be all over the place! Normally I plan on 2 hours, and this last time everything went so rapidly that I surprised the person I was staying with while they were still in the shower. I had to cool my heels getting coffee and a croissant (I know poor me!). So my first reaction to your post is “good plan”, but maybe doable and maybe not. If you can change it, I would try for at least an hour later, if not…… Let it ride and see how it goes.
Not use about the refusal if you are late, but I would say probably.
Posted by
Upstate NY, USA
815 posts
I flew in on the 16th from YUL, although via AF. US, Canadian passport holders in 2E use the auto gates (not sure if any of the other terminals have it, which is why I am specifying AF/2E). Passport control, at 6 am, was under 30 minutes, probably closer to 20. Then baggage, which didn't take too long. I rode the RER in, so I was at my hotel within 3 hrs easy, if not 2.
But, there can always be delays, so I would think 11:30 is a little early, I'd be more comfortable with a 1 or 2 pm entry.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver, BC, Canada
10 posts
Thank you for the replies. We will have checked luggage and our hotel has a shuttle that will pick us up.
It sounds like we may or may not make it for an 11:30am time slot at Sainte-Chapelle. Fortunately both of my daughters are under 18, so they have free admission, and the admission fee to Sainte-Chapelle isn't expensive for just one person.
This is our first time in Paris and I'd like to see Sainte-Chapelle. We are in Paris for 7 days, staying just 10 minutes away, so I could book another time slot later that day, or another day, just in case? Or is it possible to make another booking for a time slot at the last minute during July?
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13904 posts
“Or is it possible to make another booking for a time slot at the last minute during July?”
I’d start watching the ticketing calendar and see if it looks like dates are filling. I think this question is hard to answer. Paris is always popular and it seemed like there were scads of tourists last week.