We just realized that our tickets are booked for April 12 to arrive at 7:30 AM in Paris. We are going to immediately head to the Normandy beaches area for a few days. Is it a mistake to fly into Paris that day or, as we think, everybody will already be settled in and watching or running. Also, any advice on how to immediately go from the airport and get to Normandy
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16614 posts
I think the only difficult thing about arriving on this day would be if you needed to get to the South Side of Paris and cross the marathon route via Taxi.
Here is the official route:
https://www.schneiderelectricparismarathon.com/en/news/the-2025-route-revealed/232
AND thanks for mentioning this! I'm probably going in April so will keep this in mind as well.
And sorry, no suggestions for how to get to the Normandy landing beaches area. Are you staying in Bayeux?
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
9968 posts
If you avoid street traffic on this day, you will find things a bit easier. Trains for Normandy leave from Gare Saint-Lazare. You can follow these directions and use RER and avoid traffic or road closures.
"To get from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport to Gare Saint-Lazare by RER, take RER B towards Paris, get off at Gare du Nord, then transfer to RER E (direction Tournan/Chelles) to Haussmann-Saint-Lazare, which is the station for Gare Saint-Lazare, a short walk away. The journey takes about 50-60 minutes"
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
11598 posts
You don’t have to cross the marathon to get to Gare Saint Lazare. A taxi should get you there quickly on a Sunday morning.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2906 posts
We had to transit across Paris a few years ago on marathon day. We were going from our hotel near Saint-Michel Notre-Dame to Gare de l’Est. We planned to take public transit, but the station was closed. We hailed a cab then - but he drove for awhile and just let us out across the river when he didn’t feel like he could get anywhere in a reasonable fashion. We ended up walking the rest of the way lol…and it was fine. But it’s still a story we laugh about.