Paris transport questions

First, Gare St Lazare; have you got your tickets? If so 15 to 20 minutes in a station you don't know, to work out where the departure board and screens are, find your train and get on. 5 minutes if you know where you are going. If you haven't got your tickets add 20 minutes to 30 minutes depending on your choice of ticket window or machine.

Second, where is the flight to? Conventional wisdom at most airports is 3 hours for long distance international flights, especially North America, 2 hours or 90 minutes depending on the airline for domestic and intra-European flights; plus add more because CDG is such a basket case and huge.

Second, part two, dunno.

Third. G7.

G7 is indeed the way to go. Here's their website for booking: https://www.g7.fr/en/book-taxi. You can also call them - they have English speakers. They should be able to give you a sense of a good pickup time. It can take a LONG time to get to or from CDG in rush hour. We've definitely spent well over an hour in transit between there and the 1st.

Jess,
We were advised to arrive to CDG at least 3 hours prior to departure for our International flight via AA.

We arrived almost 4 hours before departure, mainly because I didn't want to take any chances ;-)
Keep in mind that they start boarding the plane about 50 minutes prior to departure.

CDG is a very crowded airport & there were several lines we had to wait in, before arriving to the boarding gate.
If you will be checking in your luggage, you may have to wait to use an automated machine, where you scan your boarding pass & the luggage tags are printed. You then wait (for your turn) to give your luggage to the attendant, who checks your boarding pass before you can place your luggage on the conveyor belt. You then wait in the security line & the passport control line.

We took a taxi from the northern part of the 5e & there was a ton of traffic trying to get out of the city.
The taxi ride took about an hour.

Since your flight is at 10AM, you should arrive at 7AM for an International flight.

We witnessed a very upset passenger who missed his flight to JFK!

And if the automated machine mentioned doesn't spit out your documents but tells you to see an agent for help, you have another long line. Of course if you are in business class, none of these airport steps apply. You'll have a red carpet waiting.

You probably need to be at CDG around 7 a.m., so you'll leave Paris between 6.00-6.30. There won't be a lot of traffic in the city and you'll be going in the opposite direction of rush hour traffic.

Consider taking the shuttle bus run by Air France (Les Cars). It leaves from Gare de Lyon, which is a short taxi or bus ride from the 4th.

You do not need an advance booking for a taxi going from the airport which will surely cost you more money.

Taxi companies such as G7 Taxis and Uber are not allowed to pick up pre-booked passengers in the regular taxi stand. They have to park in short-term parking lots, which are often full, so you will have to arrange to meet them. It is common to miss your driver, even if he is supposed to be holding a card with your name on it, especially if you do not have phone/internet service upon landing.

It is very easy to follow the overhead signs to the TAXI line, where you won't have long to wait.
There are set fees for taxis running to and from both CDG and Orly airports.
If you're staying on the Right Bank, you'll pay 50 EU for 4 passengers and their luggage. If on the Left Bank, you'll pay 55 EU.
Hand the driver the complete printed address of your destination, including the Postal Code. If you need to pay by credit card, ask before getting in the taxi.
Travel time between 6:30 or 7 AM will be approximately 30 - 45 minutes, but it would be safer to plan for one hour.

When you plan to leave Paris to go home, it would be a good idea to pre-book a taxi with G7 Taxis. The set fees apply, but there will be a 7 EU charge for the convenience of booking ahead. You can book online or by phone in English, and should do this the day before departure.

For reference, Orly passengers pay 35 for the Right Bank and 30 for the Left Bank.

As for the trains -
Getting to the station 20 - 30 minutes in advance is a good idea, so you can get your bearings and maybe get a cup of coffee, etc.
The trains and platforms are announced 20 minutes before boarding time.
Be prepared for delays and cancellations this time of year.
If your train is delayed or cancelled, you can use your tickets to get on the next available train, though you will not be assured of getting a seat. The person holding the ticket for this particular train has priority.

chexbres, she is leaving Paris for CDG, not the other way.

We just used Paris Private Shuttle Tourism and Transport service from our hotel near Odeon Theater to CDG. He picked us up at 4:30 am for our 8:30 am flight. It was a young man in a suit and tie with an immaculate minivan. We 3 were the only passengers, but could have fit 6 people plus driver. It was 95Euro, higher than the norm because of the hour. Would definitely book them again. The gentleman working the desk at our hotel arranged it for us. (0033)06 67 33 32 67
Parisprivateshuttle.com
Also, we arrived at 5:05 am and had to wait 30 minutes because no AirFrance/Delta countered were open yet.

95 Euros! What a waste of money. You could have had an immaculate taxi at the same hour for 55 Euros from the left bank. Of course the hotel got its cut, too.

such a waste of extra cash...I agree

Yes, another comment to underline that with the fixedprices now to/from the airports and Paris, the shuttles make less and less sense.

50 euros to/from CDG to the Right Bank
55 euros to/from CDG to the Left Bank

30 euros to/from Orly to the Left Bank
35 euros to/from Orly to the Right Bank

extra charge beginning with the 5th passenger, and if you're in town and reserving your taxi ahead to go TO the airport, you'll pay 7 euros to reserve ahead, or 4 euros to reserve for an "immediate" taxi. (I.e. 7 euros if you call the night before, 4 euros if you call the morning of, when you're ready to go.) The fees to me are a little outsize compared to how reasonable the the taxi fares themselves are now.

Always book the cab the night before. It is possible that a last minute cab for 5 people won't be easily located the morning of.

CGD is a nightmare airport. Get there as early as you can. We opted to fly back out of Amsterdam for that very reason.

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful information! Much appreciated.

Like Jerry and Stelly we usually book our European trips to fly out of Schiphol; Amsterdam is also a great 3 night town.

You know, some of you are pretty obnoxious with your judgements. What is worth $95 Euro to me is totally up to me to determine. Getting a reliable pickup up at 4:30 in the morning is one of those things. If you don't agree with that, don't do it. You do have the option of scrolling on by without denigrating someone else's choices.

Of course it is totally up to you. You can spend your money however you wish. It is your money to do with as you want.

It would be doing a disservice to other readers not to point out that the choice you made cost €40 more than a similar ride in a similar car - maybe minus the suit. It is certainly true that if you were paying the official price you probably wouldn't have had a suit.

This blog contains an illustrated photo guide to St-Lazare that might make you feel more comfortable: http://parisbytrain.com/gare-saint-lazare-train-station-photo-guide/

Here are basic tools for getting around Paris on public transit:

http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/homepage

http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_21879/visiting-paris/

Have you considered taking the RER train from Paris to CDG airport? It costs less than 10 euro each and takes about 35 minutes. The train stops in several stations in Paris (I'd find our where via a Google search). The train is nonstressful way to get to the airport.

Sherrie. If I were a newbie taking your advice I would feel pretty cheated if I paid 95 for a 55 Euro ride to the airport; the G7 cab is certainly as reliable as any shuttle, provides private door to door service and costs a lot less. Shuttles have a very bad reputation for reliability in Paris. Of course usually they show as yours did, but if they don't you can be in a world of hurt heading for a pricey flight. We always book G7 and have never had a hitch, but we also always have a plan B for a high stakes trip -- ours is usually a spring for the RER B. We have never had to use our plan B though as G7 is reliable and they have lots of cabs. The problem with shuttles is that if their driver doesn't show they may not have backup.

The function of the forum is to provide the best possible advice and so when people disagree they point out the other options.