Paris CDG airport...how to access from city center??

If your goal is to avoid train and subway transfers, then cabs and shuttles are your options. A cab in will be about 50E. Shuttles have varied prices and charge by the person. The prices are close to, if not more than, a cab.

So, if you don't want to take the RER into Paris (17E for two) and then connect to your hotel by Metro (another 3-4E for the two of you), I think a cab is the easiest on your way in. You can take the public transport back out to the airport after you've become used to the system.

I think I may have mislead...my goal is NOT to avoid the train, just many transfers. In London I took the train from Heathrow and had 3 transfers to get to where I was staying and it was really a hassle after hours and hours on the plane...AND the ATM machine at the airport "ate" my card! :-)) That didn't help.

Maybe I should ask this way...is it possible to take a train from CDG airport to city center and find accomodations close to the train stop? I love taking in the train, it is all the transferring that gets me when I am tired and lugging around my suitcase, even though it is only one small rollaboard. Any suggestions?

To keep your budget intact, consider taking the RER train into Paris, getting off at the stop closest to your hotel, and cabbing it from there. The RER B line that serves CDG cuts a rough north-south line thru the center of Paris. Station stops include Gare du Nord (8,9,10, 11 arrondissements), Chatelet-Les Halles (southern parts of above arr. plus 1,2,3,4 arr. and northern parts of 5,6, & 7 arr.) and Denfert-Rochereau (southern parts of 5,6 & 7 plus 13,14, & 15 arr.) Check with your hotel or use Google Maps to find the closest station on the RER B line to your hotel. Find the RER and Metro maps at http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/index.php . You could also check with your hotel about shuttles...some may offer you a "deal," but be ready for Paris traffic!

If you don't mind ONE transfer, then you should be able to link up from one of the RER stations to a Metro line that should get you very close to your hotel. Again, Google maps (http://maps.google/com) is a great resource, with all the metro stations listed....cross reference that with the RER and Metro map listed earlier.

Great info...I wondered which arrondissements the train from CDG entered. I am sure that website will be very helpful. Knowing WHERE the train from CDG stops in the city gives me the option of looking for accommodations in those areas. I don't mind a bit of a walk at all. I have worn the wheels off one of my TRavelPro rollaboards and that means it covered many miles, cobblestones, curbs and countries! I am not a pampered traveler. I love staying in smaller inns, B & B's, etc. Again, many thanks.

PS Norm....we don't have a hotel yet, do you have a favorite or is your budget larger than mine. :-))

I recommend that you visit www.easycdg.com, a very helpful site with maps, transportation options, etc.

The fares Doug quoted you for the RER & Metro are incorrect. A single ticket from CDG to Paris on the RER costs €8.20 and includes transfers to other RER lines and/or the Metro so long as you don't exit the system. That single ticket will get you to within a few blocks of any hotel in the city.

Margaret....Actually, I prefer the Ibis Tour Eiffel Cambronne, a modern yet inexpensive hotel at Place Cambronne in the north of the 15th, close to the 6th and 7th. It's a few steps from the metro on a direct run from the Denfert-Rochereau RER-Metro station. Not exactly "Rue Cler," but you're likely to be the only American (I assume you're American) tourists there in a typically Paris neighbourhood. Depending on when you go, room rates for 2 can be as low as 49 Euro/night. See their website at http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/fichehotel/gb/ibi/1400/fiche_hotel.shtml . Part of the huge Accor chain of hotels.

Hi again Norm...I looked at this little hotel and I think it looks great..could that be a view of the Eifel I see in the photos?? I like out of the way. 20 years ago we stayed at a great little place in the Jewish quarter...wish I knew the name of it. Not fancy but so clean and people so nice. Tiny room...yep, but tiny price too.

Do I understand from this hotel it is just a metro ride to the RER to get to CDG? Which station..gare du nord? That is very doable. If you have time,let me know. Thanks.

Tim - Of course I always enjoy being corrected by you, but I estimated the RER fare as 17E for two...

And, yes, I forgot that the fare would include a Metro transfer.

Doug - If my comments sounded "nit-picky," I apologize. There certainly isn't much difference between €16.40 and €17. My main concern was to say that a single ticket includes transfers at no additional cost.

Margaret - If Norm were replying to your last post, he would tell you to take the RER B from CDG to Denfert Rochereau, transfer to Metro line 6, and take it to Cambronne. He would also tell you that the RER B line divides northeast of Paris. When you return to CDG, be sure to get on a train that is going there.

Tim,

My husband came from ND (wee tiny Burt) and I have family still in ND...Jamestown....you are good people! Thank you for all your input and wise advice. Please know how much appreciated it has been. Marge

Margaret , I have gone to Paris with my 14 yr old son, and left hubby at home to, and I must say,Paris is a lovely city to do this in, I never felt "out of my depth" ( mind you I had been before serveral times).
You can catch the RER into Paris, get off at St Michel, and just walk upto the street and to many hotels in that area. I did this past August. It is nice to stay in a central area with lots of cafes etc, and close to main sites. The 5 and 6th arr. are perfect. Our hotel last time was the Hotel Le Regent on Rue Dauphine, which was about a ten minute walk from St Michel. I don't know your budget, but we also stayed at the HOtel Brighton , which is in the first arr. and had an INCREDIBLE view. Go on the site and see the photos. Just google it, it is listed under " hotels esprit Paris " I think, or just do hotel names.
Paris( the central touristy areas you will want to be in anyways) is very safe so don't worry.

Marge - Now that you've given me some points of reference, I found Burt. While it does show up on Highway 21 between Mott and New Leipzig, it definitely was omitted from the list of towns with map coordinates given.

Pat,
Rhis is VERY helpful, I can feel my stress level lower. When I travel in Europe I generally just get something when I blow into a city so that I am not restricted by destination but after a long flight, I want a place to lay my head waiting for me! Another kind fellow traveler suggested the same districts so I will check out the hotels at St. Michaels. (sp?) My budget is 100 to 150USD so I should be able to find something. I'll look over the two you have stayed at as well. We aren't in the room that much so if it is central, clean, safe that is the most important but that view sounds worth looking into! Again, thanks.

Pat...I checked out Brighton...fabulous views and looks elegant and wonderful...but my budget can't take $250 a night sadly. But, if I were to splurge, this would definately be the one! Thanks for sharing the "dream" hotel. Now..back to reality. :-))

Margaret , look up this hotel. I have not stayed there, but I may , my stepmother has stayed there and like it, and the reviews on other sites on it are good. And price is right!!
I googled it, and it even has directions on how to get there from CDG, where to get off , and it sounds easy to walk to from St Michel ( Notre Dame).

Hotel du College de France .

Looks good !

I flew in and out of Paris in July-August of this year. When I arrived, I took the train from the station under the airport from CDG to Bordeaux, so I can't help with the first part of your question.

However, when I returned to Paris, I stayed in the Rue Cler area for 3 nights. I decided to go home earlier than planned, so I took the subway to the Opera (EDIT: Old Opera - not Bastille), where an express bus runs straight to CDG.

The bus ride cost me around 8 Euros, and it took around an hour to reach the airport. There is plenty of room for luggage on the bus. I believe it runs every 45 minutes (EDIT: every 15 minutes, per the post below) or so - there's a schedule by the Opera building. Good luck!

Erik: which Opera, Garnier or Bastille (the newer one)?

Margaret - in August we stayed at Hotel Marignan in the Latin Quarter. It was small, nothing fancy, though we had a toilet in our room, breakfast was great, and the map they gave us was priceless. The location was awesome - 5min walk from St Germain/St. Michel metro stop and 5-8 min walk to the Notre Dame. Also, it was our first trip to Paris and the first stop on our 21day tour of Europe - we got to the city via the RER and only had to make 1 transfer. It was very smooth...now finding our hotel was a different matter, but that is because we did not realize that street names are on the side of the buildings and the things that resemble street signs are point the way to attractions (we now can laugh about that). Once we figured that it was simple. As for safety, we were 4 single girls - the proximity to the metro station was awesome and I felt safe walking back after dark.

Here's the link. http://www.hotel-marignan.com/index.htm

Kent: The Roissybus operates between Opera Garnier and CDG. Buses run every 15 minutes and the fare is 8.60€.

It is the old Opera (not the Bastille). And every 15 minutes is certainly better than every 45... ;-)

I always take the Roissybus to the Opera and then Metro from there. I have never returned to CDG via Roissybus so I dont know if it works as well outbound. When returning to CDG I have my hotel arrange a shuttle. Even the basic places in Rue Cler are happy to do this for me. At the end of my trips I dont want the "unforseen" factor of public transportation and find it more relaxing to take a shuttle.

The problem with shuttles and buses is that they are using surface streets and can be subject to traffic delays. I always take the RER/Metro combo to my hotel from CDG. A compromise would be to take RER to Gare du Nord and taxi to your hotel from there. I did the reverse of that last fall during the transit strike: taxi to Gare du Nord for about 14Eu from Rue Cler to catch the Eurostar train to London. If you stay in the Republique area, it is only one metro ride from Gar du Nord. Most hotels will inform you how to get to their place from CDG by various means.