Hi all,
My parents will be arriving ahead of me in Paris in early May. Their flight gets in before 7am at CDG but our hotel in Marais doesn't offer check-in or luggage drop until 1pm. Any suggestions for these jet-lagged 60 year olds for their first morning in Paris- what to do, where to go, what to do with their bags?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.
The option I suggest is to find a different hotel. It must be the only hotel in Paris which won't let guests leave luggage until check-in time.
Hey Norma, thanks for your response! Any other suggestions since that isn't an option for us?
If you could tell us where the hotel is located, perhaps we could tell you which train station is close by. Most stations have luggage checks they could use. They could then see something outside to keep them perked up. It would only be for a couple of hours because it will probably be around ten when they get into the city, and they'll retrieve their luggage around 12:30. A 1:00 check in is pretty good.
If your parents take the RER to Paris and get off at Gare du Nord, they could store their luggage at the train station. If I am remembering correctly, a HO/HO bus picks up right at Gare du Nord so they could always do that and end up back at the same place and pick up their baggage for the taxi ride to the hotel.
It's always worth asking at the hotel if you can check in early. Our flight to Paris arrived at 7:00am and we got to our hotel around 9. We asked the front desk if we could check in and they were very nice about that. They weren't busy so they had time to get the room ready in 30-60 minutes.
I frankly have never heard of a hotel that won't let you drop off your bags before check in. Some small hotels don't have much room sometimes and the bags tend to be held in a closet or just behind the desk. But it's pretty typical in the industry. So they told you directly that they won't store a bag?
We actually booked with an AirBnb to save a couple hundred for a two room place, so we were aware of the potential sacrifice! Now we're just trying to find a low key option for that morning. They're tough, so bringing their bags with them to a venue and then to the AirBnb in Marais is an option versus dropping them Gare du Nord. Thank you for the suggestions so far!
How much later are you arriving? There's a great caviar bar at CDG.
I'm getting in at 13:45, but to Gare du Nord. So they could potentially kill time at CDG, but there is flexibility too!
Regarding the AirBnB in Paris, has anyone heard anything about new laws with fines/sanctions against people renting their apartments in the city? We booked our place months ago before it came up, but now I'm a little nervous.
Just make sure that the 'venue' they go to has the facilities to store luggage. Personally if it was me (60+) I would leave my bags at a train station so I could venture around Paris unencumbered until the room is ready. Just a personal choice.
And I would definitely contact the airbnb location and verify that everything is still a 'go'. Not all rental apts through airbnb are illegal.
Lara, there is certainly a bit of a crackdown by City Hall happening. The bottom line is that an individual owner could get hit with sanctions, but with so many rentals and the fact that it has been going on for the last several months, as opposed to years, means that the chance of something going wrong for you is relatively small. It will be tighter and more difficult in the coming years as it gets sorted out.
I would recommend staying in solid contact with your AirBnB host/hostess. Hopefully you were careful and rented a unit with lots of positive reviews, and have an owner who is engaged and available in case of issues. Some buildings will have more vocal opposition to other owner owners renting short term, and this is where a problem can occur. I wouldn't worry too much about this, just keep in touch with the host.
Also, some have taken to making cancel-able hotel reservations as insurance. I personally don't think it's fair to the hotel, but it is happening and I wouldn't blame you if you did just that ;-)
Paris is full of cafes, as are CDG and the train stations. They will be used to people babysitting their luggage. Let them sit and watch the French go by for a few hours until you guys connect. You only need to buy one coffee to rent the table for hours.
Are they coming from the West coast or East? Lots of luggage or do they travel light? The HOHO bus is a good idea. Not sure if museums will let you put luggage in their bag check - but maybe you could check websites.
No, absolutely no luggage can be checked in a museum. They take nothing larger than a day bag. I've watched disappointed tourists turned away who had counted on visiting a museum before catching a train.
Why did you call it a hotel when it is an apartment? Seems like a weird mistake to make. Anyway, your parents can take their luggage to CityLockers which has locations all over the city and there is one at Rue des Gravilliers, which might be relatively convenient to your rental. Also, short term apartment rentals have been illegal in Paris for years but supposedly enforcement has picked up in the past few months. I have been told by friends who live in Paris that enforcement appears to be focused on owners of multiple rentals and in buildings where neighbors have complained. Complaints are more frequent in tourist heavy areas like Le Marais but with the number of inspectors and the number of rentals, the risk of a last minute cancellation because of an investigation is probably pretty low. The long and the short of it is to keep in mind that you may get a last minute cancellation and have thought about what to do if that happens.
Also with respect to passing the time in a cafe, I have seen wait staff and management refuse to allow people with luggage into cafes because of limited floor space. If your parents are light packers, they should be fine. Ideally, though they should look for a large place, maybe with outdoor seating so they can put their luggage down without causing problems.
Lara.. when I read your post my immediate response was I too have never heard of a hotel that would not allow you to check luggage in.. so, frankly I think Normas post was spot on.. I would have changed hotels too..
So .. now reading through the thread you then say its an apartment.. I think you could have just as easily said so in your original post instead of getting your feathers ruffled at a perfectly sensible reply.
A museum is out of the question.. a café to while away a few hours.. perhaps.. but the train station lockers are best bet if you really cannot get into apartment for 5 hours after arrival.. I know that would be too long for me to sit in a café( well.. unless it was the evening and I was drinking.. lol )
They should go ahead and head toward their apartment, but take their comfortable time. Time will be eaten up with deplaning, border control, finding their way in the airport and the slow train into Paris. They should have a snack in the airport, perhaps buy your train tickets or passes for your visit. If they still get to their flat early, just plop down in any outdoor cafe for a drink and sandwich.
The problem will be if they have more luggage than can be easily handled down the sidewalk by themselves. Another option is the airline clubs in the airport. If not a member, for the American Admirals Club, for instance, you can buy a one-day pass for $50.
