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Getting to and from the airport in London and Paris

Posted by on

Hello!

My husband and I will be going to London and Paris this summer. We are flying into Heathrow and staying in the Kings Cross area.

We will also be taking the Eurostar to Paris and will need to get to the 5th Arr.

Then, we will be leaving from the 5th Arr in Paris and will need to get to the Charles De Gaulle Airport.

How do you recommend we get to/from the train station/airport from these locations? Do you feel that taxi is best since we are unfamiliar with the areas? Or are there shuttles we can book that are reliable?

Posted by
14980 posts

Hi,

I'm doing likewise on part of your trip, ie flying to London LHR, staying also in the immediate area of Kings Cross, where I always stay in London, then taking the EuroStar over. The EuroStar stops only once in Paris, ie , Gare du Nord, that's the terminus. I stay in the Nord area, ( the 10th Arr,) in a small hotel.

Depends on when you arrive in Paris Nord and how much luggage, you could take the taxi outside the Nord train station. Be prepared to wait in line 30-40 mins since everyone else is thinking likewise. I've waited in the taxi line (the worse time to do that is Friday afternoon at rush hour in the summer), and have taken the Metro

I don't believe there are shuttles.

Posted by
11294 posts

Do you have Rick's books for Paris and London? He describes the various ways to get between the airport and the city, and you can decide which is best for you.

For Paris to CDG, you can decide once you're there. You'll be familiar with Paris transit, so you'll know if you feel comfortable with the RER (€10 per person) or prefer a taxi (€55 per car). Shuttles in Paris (meaning shared vans, like Super Shuttle in the US) have a reputation for being unreliable. There are reliable coaches to CDG, but they don't go near the 5th, so you'd need to take the metro or taxi to get to the bus, and at that point can just take RER or taxi all the way.

For LHR to London, if you will want a taxi, these are expensive if you get into a regular taxi at the airport. Much cheaper is a "minicab," which is Brit-speak for a pre-booked car service. Just Airports http://justairports.com/ and Simply Airports http://www.simplyairports.co.uk/ are two that are often recommended (no personal experience). At least for Just Airports, they have MUCH lower prices for cash compared with credit cards.

Posted by
8889 posts

Nobody has said the obvious so far.

  • Heathrow airport to King's Cross: Tube, Piccadilly line. This will be the cheapest, and the second fastest. This may be the least comfortable (not much room for luggage), but you do not have to change as the Piccadilly line goes direct to King's cross in about 50-60 minutes. Heathrow Express + tube/taxi is faster but more expensive. By day, tube is quicker than road. By your name, I guess you already have an Oyster card to pay for this trip.
  • Eurostar leaves from St Pancras Station which is next to King's Cross, so walk from your hotel.
  • Eurostar arrives at Gare du Nord, cheapest option to your hotel is métro, you need to research which is the nearest métro station to your hotel.
  • To get to Charles De Gaulle Airport, if you can get back to Gare du Nord or one of the other stations on RER line B, then the RER is the easy way.
Posted by
4088 posts

You can DIY: Heathrow's website shows transport options. www.parisbytrain will show you how to get around (show: he has photos of main train terminals.) Google Maps is getting good at transport options with its maps, using the Directions key..
The first stop for any train research (and often the last) is www.seat61.com

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