Transport from CDG into Paris

about 60Euro--try www.parishuttle.com

Sheila, go to this website: europeforvisitors.com/paris.cdg and you will find all the various ways to get to & from the airport. Perhaps the best way for you since you want to avoid the metro would be to take the Air France bus or the Roissy bus (see the above noted website for details) and then a taxi to your hotel.

Shelia,

I had the same concerns especially at th airport RER. I choose the Rossy Bus and it was not as nice as a taxi but a great way to get into the city.

I had a bad experience with www.parishuttle.com. It was absolutely chaos trying to actually get onto a van, seemed very disorganized, and took me much longer to get to my hotel. There were groups of us waiting outside the airport and it seemed like they had overbooked the shuttles and had too many people. When we finally left there were some pretty angry people in the van. I wouldn't recommend them, but I'm not sure what the other options are.

I used Blu Van and they were great!

I took the Roissybus in to Paris my first day and the RER B out of Paris my last, and had no problems.

No crowding, no potential pickpockets or theives that I noticed (though I did keep one hand on my luggage at all times).

We took a taxi from Rue Cler to CDG my last visit, and we paid between 50-60 Euro.

Sheila,

You might want to check either the France 2009 or Paris 2009 Guidebooks, as they contain a fairly good description on the various ways of getting from CDG into Paris.

If you're going to be travelling with a substantial amount of heavy luggage, the Airport Shuttle would probably be the best option.

I was in Paris at the end of May and used the RER "B" from CDG to Gare du Nord, and then the Metro to Rue Cler. It was very easy. However, one point to note is that to obtain tickets for the RER from the automated machines, a "chip" credit card is needed. There is a ticket office, but the queue's are often LARGE.

Cheers!

I am leery of relying on public transportation to/from the airport due to the unpredictability of strikes in France.
The last time we flew into Paris, there was a strike of all public transport. Luckily, we had arranged private transportation, otherwise we would have had some real problems. Traffic into Paris was very congested, and I think would have run up quite a taxi fare.
On that same trip we were waiting for a train to take us to Bayeux. While waiting for the train to arrive, we learned that the train crew decided to conduct a strike on their own. We had to hustle to make other connections.

Private transport costs more, but is less stressful. We always use public transport everywhere else when available.

Many people have had bad luck with the shuttle busses from CDG into Paris. They are now about as high as a cab and fairly unreliable. We tend to take a cab. If you do take a shuttle I would take one into the city, and not to the airport . I have many friends who have missed their flights because theshuttle was late, did not come at all, or had so many people to pick up that they missed their flight.Cabs are cheaper to CDG from Paris center than from the airport to the city. . I do not know why, but it is true.

We just got back from a trip to Paris. There is a metro/rail (I think it is RER) connection into Paris. It is very convenient and drops you right in town. From there you can connect to the Paris metro system and easily get around Paris. I think it was around 10-15 euros a person. Sorry I don't recall the exact amount. It was about a 40 - 45 minute ride. There is an information desk where you can find out the exact cost. I have done this before and have been happy with the connection.

Sheila, last September we paid 43 euros for two adults and two suitcases from CDG to Rue De Quatrefage which is approx a 10-15 minute walk from Notre Dame. If you look on a Paris Metro map the Rue Monge Subway station was just around the corner from us. Just find where you are staying on the same map etc and that will give you an idea of the average cost. Very quick and efficient and it was cheaper than using the shuttle companies. Shuttles companies wanted approx 135 euros for a return trip to and from CDG where as we paid 43 and 44 euros respectively for both journeys, quite a saving
Pete