Getting Into Paris

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CDG, Charles de Gaulle, chip and pin, Eurostar, Getting Into Paris, Metro, Orly, Paris by Train, RER, RoissyBus, taxi, TGV

Paris has a wonderful public transit system, but there are a few tricks that it helps to know in advance, depending on how you arrive and where in Paris you’re going. (This post is a work in progress that I will update as I get more information.) If you’re just interested in my experiences in Paris, however, you can jump to the next post.

I highly recommend the wonderful RATP app, for iOS and Android. The only problem is that it requires data, so you will need to find a WiFi (which the French pronounce as “wee-fee”) hotspot if you don’t have data in France. In that case you will also want to get a navigation app that doesn’t require data access, such as:

• Paris métro (99 cents) – Not as powerful as RATP, since you have to specify your starting métro station, it doesn’t include busses, and it’s limited to Paris and immediate suburbs.  Beginners may, however, prefer its relatively simple map and the fact that the index includes only Paris métro and RER stations.
• TripAdvisor City Guides – Paris – This doesn’t navigate but it has a good, zoomable city map that doesn’t require data. It also has lots of information on restaurants and sightseeing, all of which is downloaded to your phone so does not need data access. Allow some time to download the Paris City Guide via WiFi before you leave home.

Your navigation app — or your host — will help you find out where to go on the métro and RER once you get into the city. But you still have to get into Paris.

Charles de Gaulle Airport

Most international travelers will arive at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), in a northeastern suburb called Roissy. You have three main options for getting into Paris, although the confusing CDG website shows lots of others.

Taxi

If you feel like paying 50-70 euros follow the signs for taxis. Make sure you get a real one, with a Taxi sign on top. Yankee that I am, I’ve never done this, but if I were traveling with two or three other people, or had several pieces of heavy luggage, I would. If you don’t speak French you might prefer this option, although if you’re brave and frugal read on.

Paris by Train – RER

I have always come in on the suburban train system, or RER (pronounced “Air-Err-Air,” for just under 10 euros. Follow the signs for “Paris by Train,” or you can use the CDGVAL shuttle to take you directly to the nearest train station. (Don’t go to the TGV train station, you want the RER.)

You can get a train ticket either by waiting in line for a human vendor or by using one of the many vending machines. You can use U.S. credit cards or euro bills with the human, but the machines take only chip-and-pin cards or euro coins. (Note that the chip-and-signature cards currently being rolled out in the U.S. probably won’t work in these machines. You need a chip-and-pin card like the one I got from Andrews Federal Credit Union.) If you have euro bills but not enough coins there is a change machine in an obscure corner, or you may be able to get change from the Info desk if the line is shorter.

Once you have your ticket, use it to get onto the platform. Always save your train and métro tickets until you leave the station at your final destination. All the trains will be going to Paris, but it’s worth waiting for an express train. This will not say “express,” but there will be a scrolling sign showing the stations where each train stops, and you want one whose first stops outside the airport are Gare du Nord and Châtelet.  The train will continue to Saint-Michel and Denfert-Rochereau, and other irrelevant places. Depending on your location within the city you will probably want to get off at one of the Paris stations. If you have to take the métro and/or another RER line to get to your ultimate destination just keep using your train ticket.

The RER normally takes about an hour to get into the city, but there are often delays for one reason or another so it’s good if you have some mode of communication with your host. It may also take an additional half-hour or so by métro and/or RER if you’re not staying near one of the listed stations.

Note that you cannot rely on finding escalators or elevators at Paris métro and RER stations so you may end up carrying your luggage up and down quite a few flights of steps — good practice, probably, for when you arrive at your apartment!

RoissyBus

The RoissyBus takes you from the CDG terminals to Opéra. It costs 10 euros and you pay a person so there are no hassles with machines. If your destination is near Opéra you may find this useful.You will need to buy a métro ticket, however, if you can’t walk to your destination from Opéra.

My issue with RoissyBus was one time when there was a huge crowd at Opéra and busses to CDG kept filling up. I eventually caught my flight but it seemed needlessly stressful. The train basically never fills up, though it can be standing room only.

Orly Airport

The transport options are simlar at Orly, although I have never arrived there myself. It’s closer than CDG but it still takes about an hour to travel to or from the city center.

There is a bus between Place Denfert-Rochereau and Orly that appears to operate like the RoissyBus. It currently costs 7.50 euro.

Eurostar Train

The Eurostar runs from St. Pancras station in London through the Channel Tunnel to and from Gare du Nord in Paris, which is central and well-connected. All you need to do is buy a ticket and take the métro or RER to your destination.

Note that Eurostar prices vary widely depending on when you buy the ticket, like airplane tickest. Plan ahead!

Returning to the Airport

If you return to the airport by métro and/or RER you’ll want to confirm that the relevant métro and trains are running normally before you set off. You can check this (in French) on the RATP “state of the network” website. There are frequent strikes in France against all types of transport. When the RER is affected the strike usually takes the form of a reduced number of trains rather than a complete interruption of service. But if this is happening you will want to allow more time to catch your train, or you may want to switch to the RoissyBus.

A Look at London

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British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Changing of the Guard, Chunnel, Eurostar, flâneur, Gordon's Wine Bar, London, Millennium Bridge, Pret à Manger, St. Paul's, Trafalgar Square, Victoria & Albert Museum

June in Paris has been so exhausting that I needed a break! Three days in London seemed like the perfect get-away.

Not really, of course. My London vacation-within-a-vacation was more about friends and sightseeing than relaxing. I had met Michael Åhs several years ago, when he was a grad student, through the Harvard Humanist Discussion Group. He visited me in Paris for long weekends each of my first two years here, when he proved to be a curious and intrepid flâneur. On his first Paris trip Michael introduced me to Dan and Rick, a gay couple with a place in London, with whom I have also became friends. This year, Michael already had plans to stay with them for a few days towards the end of June, so we arranged for me to visit also for the first two nights of his stay. I don’t think Michael has many other gay friends, but he’s so secure in his own heterosexual identity that the orientation of friends is a non-issue.

I had been excited by the idea of a tunnel under the English Channel since I was a little kid, when it seemed like a distant dream, so it was a thrill to take my first trip through the Chunnel, on the Eurostar high-speed train. I have to admit, however, that apart from speed this was really just a reasonably comfortable train trip. As a French acquaintance pointed out, you can’t see anything while you go under the Channel. What did she expect:  Sharks? Nuclear subs?

Apart from changing planes I had not spent time in London since a family trip in the ’70s, so I could make no pretense of being anything other than a slack-jawed tourist. Michael didn’t arrive until Monday evening so Dan took the day off to show me around town.

Dan in Trafalgar Square.

St. Paul’s and Millennium Bridge.

The squares and buildings were of course impressive, but the single most memorable experience of the day was a glass of wine at Gordon’s Wine Bar, in a cellar lit only by candles.

Dan at Gordon’s Wine Bar.

That evening Dan made a home-cooked meal for Rick, Michael and me. It looked as good as it tasted but you’ll have to take my word since I was too much in the moment to remember my camera.

Michael and I got an early start the next morning and set out to explore London on our own, while Dan and Rick worked.

A fanciful building I liked near the Houses of Parliament.

We just happened to arrive at Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. Honest!

One excellent feature of London is that nearly all of the museums are free. This not only saves money but it eliminates the psychological effect of the “sunk costs fallacy” — i.e. “I paid $15 to get into this place so I have to see everything.” Dan and I saw one exhibition at the Tate Modern and a few choice rooms at the National Portrait Gallery, then in each case continued on our walk when we were ready to move on. Michael and I did the same thing the next two days, at both the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum. Our only miscalculation was arriving at Tate Britain well before it opened.

That evening the four of us set off for dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant. We happened to run into two gay friends of Rick and Dan — Simon and David — so naturally we invited them to join us.

Michael, Dan, Dave, Simon and Bob. With Rick taking the photo.

Fluffy was unable to join us for dinner, but she was a full participant in a mini birthday celebration afterwards.

Fluffy preparing to pounce.

My train back to Paris wasn’t until 7 pm on Wednesday, so Michael and I had time for another city walk. We started in Bloomsbury at Russell Square, which I remembered fondly from our family trip decades before. We spent most of the day, however, at the British Museum. I had seen photos of the Great Court by Norman Foster, but I was blown away by it in person.

The Great Court of the British Museum, with the Reading Room (and Michael) on the right.

Michael and Pericles compare beards.

That afternoon we just had time for a beer with Dan before I headed out to catch the train back to Paris. At each end the station was just a few stops on the subway — a huge convenience over air travel.

I’ve posted two photo sets for those who want to see more:  2013 London People and 2013 London Places and Things.

Mot du Jour: « Pret à Manger ». The most common fast food chain in London (though only five locations in Paris): “Ready to Eat.”