Good places to stay near the CDG airport

Hi,

I plan to stay in Paris for 2 days in March on my way to asia and I%26#39;m looking for good and inexpensive places to stay near the CDG airport. Can someone help me with this? Also, I was looking at the RER map to see how far the station is from the airport and how long it takes to get from CDG to tourist sites like the Eiffel tower but wasn%26#39;t able to get this information also. Can someone help me out with that? Do you recommend that I rent a car while in Paris or use the metro/RER.

Thanks for your help,

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You can get all the info of the RER in the following website

www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/aeroports.php

There are two stations of RER in the airport and you can get to/from itineraries in the same website.

Renting a car to drive in Paris is like renting a car to drive in Manhattan. Doesn%26#39;t make any sense and more so with the excellent and cheap public transportation system available.

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Must you stay at the airport?

You could take the Roissy bus from airport and stay at a hotel near Opera where the bus picks up and drops off.

That RER ride especially at commuting hours can be added strain to your trip.

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Thanks for the information. I don%26#39;t need to stay near the airport but

(1) I don%26#39;t know the city/country at all - I wasn%26#39;t sure how far I can get on the bus with 2 big suitcases! That%26#39;s why I wanted to stay close to the airport where I can dump my bags and then be free to look around.

(2) How long is the commute between the airport and the opera? I plan to leave the hotel in the morning and get back only in the evening after I%26#39;m done with my sightseeing - those two commutes should be manageable, right?

Thanks,

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I must agree with aphotographerinparis, you should try to stay in the city, how large are your suitcases?, if they are wheeled you could easily catch the Roissybus and try to reserve a hotel near the Opera area or you can get a shuttle (bluvan.fr) with door to door service.

But if you really prefer staying in the airport area then you might use the RER instead ,as been luggage free you can better manage yourself in a train situation. The train runs from 5:00 am to midnight every 10-20 min +/-.

Of course you can always catch a taxi from CDG to the city but its about 50 euros + tip and if you stay in the airport area its going to be to costly to go back and forth from the airport to the city.

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Thanks for the advice. My suitcases are too large for me to wheel them myself (I%26#39;ll have two, and each is about 1.5 metres in diameter at least and will weigh about 25lbs).

My reasoning is this:

1. If I stay in the city, I%26#39;ll need a cab to get in when I arrive and one to take me back to the airport when i return (costing me about 100 euros at least, total?)

2. If I stay near the airport, I can use the complimentary shuttle to take me to the hotel. I can use the RER to get into the city each day (only 2 RER trips/day - 1 to get to the city and the other to get back to the hotel). The 4 RER trips shouldn%26#39;t cost me more that 50 euro total, right?

How long is the RER ride from the CDG to the city? 45 minutes? Is the area around CDG safe?

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You can still get a door to door shuttle for +/- 50 euros roundtrip including tip and stay in the city. Remember the train only runs until midnight and if you miss it then you are going to have to catch a taxi. To return to your hotel at midnight is too early for Paris and also having a room in the city gives you a chance to refresh yourself to better enjoy Paris nightlife.

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Staying at the airport is a waste of your time it will take you to get back and forth each day.

I would take the bluvan.fr For one person it is 22 Euros each way

( flat fee) and a slight discount for RT. They speak English and there is no charge for luggage. (Airport to hotel door.)

I have used it many times and never had any problems.

A Taxi will run about 40 + Euros and if you run into traffic the price goes up and up. I paid $65.00 one way the last time I was there. Taxi charge for luggage.

I would stay in the Latin Quartier. There are lots of students there and there are lots of sites to see from this area.

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I would not rent a car to drive in Paris! It is a waste of site seeing time and money! Parking is horrid and expensive! Buy a book of ten Metro bus tickets it is chaepest way to go( you can save the unused ones for another trip).

The taxi, bus or shuttle takes about an hour to get to and from the airport. I do not remember how long it took on the RER and the metro -- I think it took me 50 minutes to get buy tickets, transfer from RER to Metro and then walk to my hotel!

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I%26#39;ll chime in with the opposing view here - I think where you stay does not depend on the charm of Paris and its hotels. The choice comes from your comfort level with getting around a foreign city and making flights. I have planned a trip in the spring and will stay one night at the airport when I arrive. There is one hotel in the airport, the Sheraton, and numerous hotels nearby. My husband stayed recently at the Hyatt near the airport and thought it was comfortable. He even liked the food; a little pricey but delish!

I%26#39;ll stay at the hotel again before my flight home.

I%26#39;d like to aim for a somewhat low stress level when I arrive. I%26#39;d like to be free from the worry of missing my flight when it is time to leave.

This is not to say that once in Paris, I won%26#39;t go into the city for a walking shopping stroll and test out the commuting as soon as I have got my bearings at the hotel. Even though Paris restaurants serve dinner later than what I%26#39;m used to, I also want to go to bed early. Someone told me I should stay at a hotel in a charming busy area - I%26#39;m not - during the bulk of my visit. I want to come back to my hotel, take a hot shower after a long day of walking and go to bed and watch French TV or read. My goal is to get a good start each day and walk a lot, not to experience the night life.

Someone else might stay out late and still be able to take a taxi back to the airport. There is a very late bus that goes to different areas of the city, I have read, but it has a limited area that it services and I%26#39;m pretty sure it doesn%26#39;t go to the airport; otherwise, I%26#39;m sure I would have heard about it by now.

Do what makes you the most comfortable, in my opinion. You%26#39;ll enjoy yourself more! You can make another trip and spend more time and stay in a different place next time ... sounds like you like to travel.