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Paris help

Posted by on

Hello,
We, family of 4, are finally booked to leave april 19 and returning back on April 27.

we are landing in Paris 335 in the evening and would like to take a train directly to strasbourg. I have read that a gap of 3 hours between landing and the train is advisable. that way, i am looking at a train around 630. Is that a reasonable approach.

I am also confused about the eiffel tower tickets. When they talk about the summit, i am assuming they mean the absolute top of the tower. Most of the summit tickets come with a guide. Is that the only way or is the summit an overkill? Would hitting the second floor be as good? Thank you for your help. It is confusing.

Please also suggest good neighborhood for airbnb in Paris

thanks as always for all the help!

Posted by
8554 posts

Not only do most of the summit tickets not come with a guide but most guided tours only include the second level. Whether you want the top or not is up to you. I personally cannot imagine bothering without going to the top, as it is being there not the view that seems important to me. Views are good at the top and at the second level. Of course when you buy ahead you run the risk it will be rainy or cloudy.

Go to the official web site of the Tower and book summit tickets about 60 days out -- or if available later. I got ours for early April about 40 days out.

Official site is: https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/rates-opening-times
There are no 'tours' on this site; sites offering tours are run by tourist agencies not the ET.

Posted by
3230 posts

Just checked the train times on www.bahn.com for 20Apr and there's a direct train from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport to Strasbourg departing at 8:14p. For the two departing earlier, 6:16p and 6:47p, you'll need to transfer in Marne la Vallée-Chessy that's twelve minutes from CDG.
According to RSs, the best view is from the second platform not the summit (highest platform).

Posted by
89 posts

I enjoyed the view from the ET best from the second level, but I’m still very happy that we went to the summit. Like Janet said, for me too it was the experience of just knowing we were at the top that made it cool, rather than the view. And since going, it’s really kind of fun to see the ET in movies or news stories and saying, “We were all the way up there at the top!” It brings back a good memory. Somehow “We were there, in the middle” doesn’t sound quite as exciting.

Posted by
70 posts

Thank you all for your reply

Mary Pat, you had mentioned on the bahn website about the trains. Is the strasbourg mentioned there the one in france or germany

thanks again.

Posted by
28082 posts

That's Strasbourg, France. The Deutsche Bahn has schedules for a large percentage of the trains in Europe. I occasionally find trains missing (I don't know why), but the DB website is so easy to use that I often go there first. For one thing, it makes it extremely simple to see where you will change trains, how much time you'll have to make the transfer, and what other towns the train stops at.

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