Paris overnight

I think you had better book a hotel at the airport. If your plane lands at 10:30 pm and is not late, it will be 11:30 pm or even later by the time you disembark, go through passport control, etc. Then in the morning you need to start the check-in process at LEAST 2 hours before your flight, so that would be 8:55 am. Not much time for anything but sleep, it seems to me.

I agree with Norma. If you're flying in and out of CDG, see my post on this thread for hotel suggestions.

but aren't the light in Paris suppose to be magnificant? we don't mind just walking around...maybe a cafe' or a drink..... just taking it all in what do you think?

Okay. If it's more important to you to get a glimpse of the City of Lights at night than to get much sleep, I won't stand in your way! Book a centrally-located hotel so you'll have a place to store your luggage while you walk.

If your plane is on time, you'll be able to catch one of the last RER B trains to Paris. (The very last one departs at 23:56.) The fare is €8.50 and includes unlimited transfers to the metro and/or other RER lines until you exit the system.

Check into your hotel. If necessary to save time, take a taxi to a good starting point and hit the streets. Take a taxi back to your hotel. Grab a few hours of sleep.

If your 10:55 flight is to somewhere in Europe, plan to arrive at the airport two hours in advance. If you're flying home, get there three hours in advance.

If you take the RER to CDG, be aware that the B line divides northeast of Paris. Be sure to get on a train that is going to the airport.

OR ... plan to go to Paris another time so you can actually see & enjoy it.

Why don't you book a hotel by the airport, check in upon arrival, then just make a quick trip into Paris to see the lights, etc. You can return to the airport hotel and you will already be there in the morning. My experience trying to get to the airport in the morning is the trains are quite full. Why lug your bags into town if you don't have to?

Andrea's idea is better than mine. Why haul bags around? However, by the time you check into an airport hotel you will probably have missed the last RER B train. You'll need to take a taxi to Paris. To save money you could take a Noctilien (night) bus back to CDG rather than a taxi.

Thanks for all your input the airline will have our bags so we don't have to worry about that....I wish that we had more time in Paris,but we will be on our way home from a Cruise from the Greek Isle....Question how far is it from the airport to Paris?

It's a 40-minute ride on the RER B from CDG to St-Michel Notre-Dame which is the station closest to the cathedral and a good point from which to begin your walk.

For a zoomable map of the metro and RER system, go here.

The lights on most of the monuments and buildings are turned off at midnight, as are many of the fountains, which don't start spouting again till around 9 am.

I suspect the best you will be able to do is a late nightcap at a bistro and an early morning scenic walk, with a short sleep in-between.

You probably don't need to leave Paris till about 9 am, since you will have your boarding passes and just need to get thru security and passport control. OTOH sunrise isn't till about 8 am. Of course, it will start getting light before that.