FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 397

Transportation Between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris
Buses,airportvans,commutertrains,andtaxislinktheairport'sterminalswithcentralParis.
If you're traveling with two or more companions, carrying lots of baggage, or are just plain
tired, taxis are worth the extra cost. Ifyou're arriving ona weekday morning, however,taxis
aremuchlessappealing,astrafficintoPariscanbebad—inthatcase,thetrainislikelytobe
a better option.
By Bus: Roissy-Buses make the 50-minute trip to the Opéra Métro stop in central Paris,
arriving on Rue Scribe. From there, it's an easy Métro ride to anywhere in the city. To get to
the Métro entrance or nearest taxi stand, turn left as you exit the bus and walk counterclock-
wise around the lavish Opéra building to its front (€10, runs 6:00-23:00, 4/hour until 20:45,
3/hour after that, 50 minutes, buy ticket on bus).
“Les Cars” Air France buses run at least twice hourly from 5:45 until 23:00 (tel. 08 92
35 08 20). Bus #2 goes to the Etoile stop on Rue Carnot, near the Arc de Triomphe (€16.50,
45 minutes) and Porte Maillot (with connections to Beauvais Airport, described later). Once
at the Arc de Triomphe, catch city bus #92 (one block away; see map on here ) to the Rue
Cler area. Bus #4 runs to Gare de Lyon (45 minutes) and the Montparnasse Tower/train sta-
tion (€16.50, 1 hour). Bus #3 goes to Orly airport (€19, 1 hour). Buy tickets from the driver
(round-trip tickets or 2 persons traveling together save 20 percent) or online, which saves
you an additional 10 percent ( www.lescarsairfrance.com ).
From Paris to the airport, catch Air France buses at Etoile/Arc de Triomphe (on Avenue
Carnot—the non-Champs-Elysées side), Porte Maillot (on Boulevard Gouvion-St-
Cyr—right side of the Palais des Congres), Gare Montparnasse (on Rue du Commandant
Mouchotte—facing the station with the tower behind you, it's around the left side), or Gare
deLyon(followtheRueDiderotexit,thenturnrightwhenyouhitthestreetandfindthebus
stall with the tiny Les Cars Air France sign).
By Airport Van: The shuttle vans from Charles de Gaulle work like those at home, car-
rying passengers directly to and from their hotels, with stops along the way to pick up other
passengers. Shuttles work best for trips from your hotel to the airport, since they require you
to book a precise pickup time in advance—even though you can't ever know exactly when
your flight will actually arrive. Airport vans cost about €32 for one person, €46 for two, and
€58 for three. While these vans take longer to reach the airport than a taxi does, compared
totaxis they're agoodvalue forsingle travelers andbigfamilies. Haveyourhotelier bookat
least a day in advance.
Several companies offer shuttle service; Iusually just gowith the one my hotel normally
uses. Otherwise, try Paris Shuttles Network (tel. [phone],
www.shuttlesnetwork.com ) or Airport Connection (tel. [phone],
www.supershuttle.fr ).