Le Bus Direct - Time at customs/baggage and advance tickets?

Not sure if you buy in advance if you are stuck with the ticket in case the flight arrives late and would have to buy another. Here is the site where you can buy tickets http://www.lebusdirect.com/en/

Passport control and baggage claim times vary 30 minutes to 2 hours; it all depends how many people on duty; how many flights arrive at the same time as yours.

Some would suggest you take the taxi to Gare De Lyon from the airport which costs a flat rate of 55 euros

Le Bus Direct tickets are not departure time specific.

Ah, I have looked at the website now! I see they are valid for one year. There will be 5 adults, a 3 year old and a 1 year old so taking a taxi would be more challenging then all hopping on a bus. This seems very straight forward.

Thanks!

With a group this big you would be better off booking a transport service that provides car seats. Try Shuttleinter and see what it would cost for a private transfer with car seats for your group. My understanding is that they don't charge in advance.

If your kids are at the booster seat stage, there are inflatable travel boosters that could be used in a cab; there are cabs from the airport that hold 7 -- the price for that would be 62 for a group your size.

You can use G7Taxi's website and request child seats and a mini van which will hold 7 passengers and luggage. Thère is a small reservation fee, and the flat rates from the airport applies for 4 passengers. Each additional passenger pays 4 € and there is no charge for luggage.

This might make more sense, since depending on your drop off point, you could be waiting longer than you would like and might have to haul your luggage to your lodging.

Getting through Passport Control - you don't go through Customs - can vary, depending on how long it takes to unload luggage. After that, it depends on how many tour groups there are ahead of you.

For the price differential and option of car seats, I would book with G7Taxi.

With a group that big, you'd do better to take a taxi. It will be cheaper per person, and as Chexbres mentions, it will get you to where you need to go, rather than your having to then get to your destination after arriving at Gare de Lyon.

For anyone watching this post and wondering, tickets for Bus Direct, as someone correctly mentioned above, are NOT time-specific, so there are no worries there. They are, furthermore, CHEAPER if you buy them in advance on-line, so it's worth it if you plan to take the Bus Direct.

If you are actually going to the Gare de Lyon to connect to a train, LeBus Direct may be simplest. About 105 euros I think, everybody travels together, and plenty of room for luggage. I would just bring the euros, pre-counted in an envelope. (American credit cards don't always work in their machines.) And that way, if you want to switch to taxis at the last minute, no problem. (For example if it's raining or the little ones are tired) On the other hand, the van suggestion is a good idea if you want to pre-book. However, luggage can be a big concern in the G7 vans. Be sure to specify the size and number of bags when you book. (I speak from experience, there may not be enough room for bigger suitcases...and with all 7 seats filled, not enough room to pile bags on the seats/floor). G7 may suggest 2 taxis instead.

Le Bus Direct is going to cost you 85€ for this trip. Shuttle Inter will be around 90€ and you can request car seats. Seems like the best solution to me but I have a thing for using car seats. If it were not for the car seat issue, I would say take. a taxi even if you ended up needing two for 100€. It would be 15€ more for convenience.

Great discussion - thank you! We are staying at My Open Paris / Maison Zen, which is a 5 minute walk from Gare de Lyon. I figured the wait at the airport would be bearable and then we would just walk. Obviously if it's raining...that makes me pause. Guess the poncho and rain cover for the carrier will come in handy, right? ;)

I may contact the taxi company to see what quote I can get anyway. Thanks again!