Navigating Paris

You shouldn't have any trouble driving in Paris at 11 pm. However, arriving at a hotel in Beaune at 2:30 in the morning would not endear you to the hotel owner. So why don't you drive out of Paris and reserve a hotel just south of the city, near Orly or another town on the way south. You can arrive at the hotel towards midnight and be ready to drive on to Beaune the next day.

Second suggestion: ditch the car in Reims and take the train into Gare de l'Est. Stay at the Ibis or another hotel next to the Gare de l'Est or the Gare de Lyon. Then take the train to Dijon the next morning from Gare de Lyon and pick up another car there. You can take TGV trains for both trip segments. By the way, driving is much slower than the TGVs.

I'll run this one up the flag pole.
You take the 8:40 pm TGV from Champagne-Ardennes to Paris Est getting there at 9:20 pm. Walk across the street and book a room at the Holiday Inn (actually, book this in advance), drop your overnight bag and walk back to Est and greet your daughter when her train arrives, Spend the night in the Holiday Inn and check out the next morning and both of you take a TGV back to Champagne-Ardennes, where hubby will pick you up at the station and you all head to Beaune.

Darn that French efficiency. Your daughter's train will blow right through Champagne-Ardennes station at about 10:30 pm without stopping.

Good one, Sam. This is getting like House Hunters with the checks and Xs. The only drawback here is paying for two hotel rooms, but all the rest is check marks. I had wondered about going so far west to Paris, only to go southeast again.

I think Sam has nailed it for you. There are other hotel choices near Gare de l'Est, but the basic plan makes sense. And I don't see why you're paying for two hotel rooms if you can cancel that shortened first night in Beaune. Plus you get to see the countryside in daylight on your way there.

That said, I don't think driving into Paris late on a weeknight would be a problem for anyone used to city driving in general. Traffic shouldn't be bad and you won't be heading right into the center of the city. Get off the Peripherique at Ave. Jean Jaures, which becomes Rue La Fayette after Place Stalingrad. You'll have to figure out the exact approach to the station (try Via Michelin for general directions and the Gare de l'Est page in Paris by Train for where to pick up passengers). You might have to park or drive around for awhile if you get there before the train arrives. And if you sleep in Paris you have to park the car overnight. On balance, I think the only advantage of driving is not moving your bags from car to train to train to another car. Maybe you could avoid that by just leaving the car at Champagne-Ardennes and taking the train both ways, then driving from there to Beaune the next day.

Or, if your daughter is very agile, she could leap off the train at Champagne-Ardennes and you could whisk her straight to Beaune that night. Another reason for packing light. ;-)

Or, if your daughter is very agile, she could leap off the train at Champagne-Ardennes

Train will be doing about 200 mph, so she would need to be very agile indeed:)

Sam's idea was one parent in Paris and the second in Reims, hence, two hotels. But parking thé car at Champagne Ardennes and taking the train into Paris for the night and going back to pick up the car the next day is good.

I just thought a single hotel room with mother-daughter would be more comfortable. Hubby could batch it for a night in Reims.
"Waiter, more Champagne, sils vous plait!" :-)

Why does your daughter just not meet you in Reims ?
Where in Germany is she coming from ?

I'm assuming its a "what time I get off work and get ready" issue. The train connections just aren't good from Germany to Reims, even though there are many TGV's that barrel right through without stopping. It is a French thing. You must go to Paris first!

Thank you everyone for the laughs and great advice! I pictured a scene straight ourt of Raiders of the Lost Ark with my daughter perched on top of the train ready to jump!

I like the idea and hubbs especially, of taking the train from Reims and just staying across from the train station. I was making it way too complicated and trying to get in a day at Versailles or somewhere and just really overthinking things.

My daughter is coming from Kaiserslauten and there are many train changes and looks like about 11 hours to get to the Burgundy region. Straight to Paris was the only option we could come up with.

Thanks again!

Or how about daughter comes into Paris, spends the night at an adequate/inexpensive hotel next to Gare de l'Est, and takes an early train to meet parents. We stayed one night at a nearby hotel full of student groups, clean but nothing special.

It looks like her train makes a stop at Lorraine TGV at 21:42. It would be much easier to meet her there.

Agree with David, easy drive frome Lorraine to Beaune.