Staying near Gare de Lyon area.
After a long flight from Houston to CDG, most probably won't be able to officially check-in at hotel until 2 pm, what are your suggestions for sight seeing?
Besides loads of coffee, and more coffee? Thinking of getting the Mobilis card so we can zip around the city.
Not interested in museums on a tired day, but wouldn't mind churches, parks, interesting neighborhoods.
What time do you arrive? You can at least drop your bags off at your hotel as soon as you get in, even if your room isn't ready.
Starting from your hotel, I would walk down to the Seine, and head for Notre Dame. Depending on your energy level, it's well worth the walk along the Seine (maybe have lunch around here), past the Louvre (even if you don't want to go in), through the Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, then up the Champs Elysees. At any point, if you feel so inclined, you can cross the Seine and head over to the Eiffel Tower (but you'll be able to see this along your walk). You can even head as far up as the Arc de Triomphe. This total walk is probably 1.5 hours of actual walking, but you can (and should) obviously take stops to see and do stuff along the way.
When it gets closer to dinner time, I would take the metro to Montmartre, see Sacre Coeur, and find somewhere to eat in that area (lots of good places just west of Sacre Coeur). Walk around Place du Tertre. See the sunset from up here Montmartre is on a hill). Take the metro back to your hotel and crash.
Again, this depends a lot on when you arrive and your energy level, but I am usually raring to go when I land. Have a great time!
Don't worry about check-in times; if the room is not ready (and it may be), you can leave your bags at the hotel. That is, as long as you are staying at a hotel and not an apartment.
Rick's Historic Paris walk (the print version is in his books, and you can download it as an audioguide with map from his app or this website) is a great introduction to the city, and perfect for arrival day, as you don't have to go inside any place if you just want to stay outside to fight jet leg.
Do you arrive CDG at 830am on Air France AF639 ?
Where is your hotel ? Is it your first time in Paris ?
When and how do you then leave Paris ?
If this is your first visit to Paris and you are going to be staying for more than the one day, I would probably get on the "hop on/off" bus and take the complete circuit so you could get orientated to Paris.
RER "B" from CDG to Gare du Nord, then change to RER "E" to Gare de Lyon. Or taxi if you have lots of bags and/or you're tired and/or willing to spend the money. Hotel should take your bags whenever you get there, check in later.
Steve's suggestion is a good one if you're up to the walking and the weather cooperates. Or head up to Bastille, Place des Vosges, and the Marais on your way to the Ile and wherever. Gare de Lyon also has a lot of bus lines if you want to see more than on the Metro. The #63 bus runs from there across the river and through the Left Bank, ending up in Passy. You can't use it as a "hop on hop off" bus unless you buy a new ticket for each leg, but you can use the same ticket for a connecting bus. Or Mobilis as you suggest.
United and getting in around 9:30 am. We will stay at a hotel and did plan to drop bags off.
Not first time, but it's been a few years.
Mobilis not necessary?
Walking and being outdoors is always the best way to cope with immediate jet lag, and in Paris it always lifts your senses to be 'on the street'. I would buy a carnet of metro tickets and use what I need as I go.
"Mobilis not necessary?"
With the current prices, you have to take 5 trips on a Mobilis to break even with carnet ticket prices, and 6 to make it a better deal than carnet tickets. On your first day, given arrival time, jet lag, and the fact that you will most likely be walking around rather than zipping around, it will be hard to make a Mobilis pay off. Of course, on some other days, it's a good deal, particularly if you're taking the Montmartre funicular, which requires a separate ticket (so metro to Montmartre, funicular up, funicular down, and metro back to the center equals 4 tickets right there).
We have a younger person who never is affected by jet lag (due to lots of college partying, no doubt), and was the one wanting to zip all over
The city! But I like the idea of walking around to help with jet lag.
Merci.
