We will have 5 nights in Paris to start our European trip before heading to London and Rome. We will then be flying back from Rome and arriving at Orly at 10 pm our last night and then flying out from CDG at 1:10 pm the next day. My husband has requested someplace "unique" in Paris for that one night. We'll have done all our touring in the 5 days earlier, so really I'd like to find someplace unique, that is easily accessible to both Orly and CDG, near where we might get a good breakfast and perhaps walk around a little mid-morning before heading to the airport. Any recommendations?
Posted by
Paris
6916 posts
10 pm arrival at Orly means no earlier than 11.15-11.30 pm in Central Paris, and you have to be at CDG by 10.30 am the next day, latest, so leaving at 9-9.30 am depending where you're starting from in the city (and that's without contingency). Do 9 hours in Paris deserve somewhere special, or even make sense? I'm not sure... I'd head straight to the nicest CDG airport hotel you can afford; the Pullman is quite nice in that respect.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
When you break down the timing like that (thank you, by the way!) you're exactly right. The Pullman looks very nice and exactly what we need. It's hard for me to tell from the page, but are you able to walk around the hotel, find a cafe, etc? I would love to at least walk for breakfast nearby and we should have time for that.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
As an addition, what do you think about a hotel right off the RER B route, kind of between Orly and CDG? I was thinking maybe a hotel less than 5 minutes walk to the Luxembourg station. We would be centrally located to hop on the train, but could grab breakfast while we walk around the gardens before leaving? Foolish to try versus just staying at CDG that night? I’d really love for our last memory of Paris to be more lovely than the airport, but don’t want to be silly.
Posted by
Paris
6916 posts
The Pullman at CDG is, well, at CDG so there's nowhere to walk around really.
Staying by Luxembourg, while not my first choice, isn't silly / crazy, and yes you'll be able to eat that croissant in the Luxembourg gardens, but
1. check your dates, and try to check whether there is any work on the RER B (we can help if you can't find the info). There have been a few weekends without CDG airport service due to engineering work.
2. Keep in mind that a 9AM weekday RER train to CDG will be very busy with commuters still (folks start work late in Paris). No seat for the first 15-20 minutes until Saint Denis. And yes, no later than 9AM, the RER is notoriously prone to delays...
3. Take a taxi from Orly, with two people it's only 10 euros extra vs the Orlyval + RER and it will be quicker in the late evening. Really. Orly is a fixed 30 euro fare to the Left Bank of Paris, it's a great deal when you're two or more people.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Such great tips, thank you!! Is there a website to look for closure info? Our flight is on a Sunday, November 10th. Given that, do you think the same amount of time is needed?
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Also, is there a better spot along the RER B route that you would recommend? We are staying in the 5th arr for our real, earlier stay so I wouldn’t mind staying somewhere different this night.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10208 posts
Try Hotel du Parc Montsouris on the RER B. It’s a basic hotel on a tiny street of little houses and apartments with the typical fluffy croisant and baguette breakfast, but it’s next to the Parc. You can walk through the Parc on your way to the Cité Universitaire RER station.
Posted by
Paris
6916 posts
So, to try to answer your questions:
- Google "Travaux RER B novembre 2019" and use Google translate as you see fit. The RER B has its own blog (!), so far I'm not seeing any disruption but things do change.
- As for a Sunday, this makes it easier/more reliable. But still, 9.15 AM is a good time to leave the center of town; 4 hours before your scheduled flight.
- Luxembourg or nearby St Michel are by far the nicest locations by the RER B.
But on Sundays traffic is light, so you can stay somewhere else and rely on a taxi for the airport instead.
Posted by
South Florida
776 posts
Look at this for unique. I have no idea how it would work for your transport situation
Posted by
7685 posts
We stayed near CDG walking distance from the RER. It was a budget hotel, forgot the name, but it worked well.
BEWARE of the pickpockets in and around the RER.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4051 posts
Fly home from Rome. Fly into London, tunnel train to Paris, and then on to Rome by domestic plane. Use a multi-destination search function to set up the trans-Atlantic flight itinerary; it's not a set of one-way tickets. Saves lots of time, and may be cheaper if not the same as a simple round-trip fare plus the extra transports. Buy as soon as possible, including the EuroStar and other train tickets if needed, because fares in Europe will go up-up-up.
Posted by
OP
18 posts
Yes, ideally we would have flown home from Rome, however our trip is fully booked and there’s no changing now. 😢