FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 398

Paris Webservices actually works well from the airport to Paris, because they meet
you inside the terminal and will wait for you if you're late (tel. [phone], fax 01 53
01 35 84, www.pariswebservices.com , [e-mail] ) . For a one-way
trip they charge about €30 for one person, or €44 for 2 people. Booking a round trip costs
about €160-180 for up to 4 people. Claim a 10 percent discount by mentioning promo code
“PWS52K13”whenyoubook,thenshowingyourdriveracurrenteditionofthisbook.They
also sell Museum Passes with no extra fee (order ahead) and offer excursions (see here ) .
By Commuter Train: The RER, Paris's suburban commuter train, is your cheapest
(though not most convenient) option for getting between the airport and the city center
(€9.30,runs5:00-24:00,4/hour,30minutestoGareduNord).Itrunsdirectlytowell-located
RER/Métro stations (including Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, St. Michel, and Luxem-
bourg); from there, you can hop the Métro to get exactly where you need to go. It's handy
and cheap, but it can require walking with your luggage through big, crowded stations.
Fromtheairportterminal,follow ParisbyTrain signs,then RER signs.(Ifyou'relanding
at Terminals 1 or 3, you'll need to take the CDGVAL shuttle to reach the RER station.) The
RERstationatT-2isalsoacrowdedtrainstation,withlongticket-windowlines.It'sfasterto
buyticketsfromthemachines(usethegreen-coloredmachinesthatread Paris/IledeFrance,
coinsrequired,breakyourbillsatanairportshop).Bewareofpickpockets;wearyourmoney
belt, and keep your bags close.
By Taxi: The50-minutetripcostsabout€65(moreiftrafficisbad).Taxiscancarrythree
people with bags comfortably, and are legally required to accept a fourth passenger for €3
extra(thoughtheymaynotlikeit).Largerpartiescanwaitforalargervehicle.Expecttopay
€1/bag handling fee. Don't take an unauthorized taxi from cabbies greeting you on arrival.
Official taxi stands are well-signed.
For trips from Paris to the airport, have your hotel arrange it. Specify that you want a
real taxi (un taxi normal) , not a limo service that costs €20 more (and gives your hotel a
kickback). For weekday morning departures (7:00-10:00), reserve at least a day ahead (€5
reservation fee payable by credit card). For more on taxis in Paris, see here .
By Car: Car-rentaldesksarewell-signedfromthearrivalhalls.Whenreturningyourcar,
allow ample time to reach the check-in desks, especially if flying out of Terminal 2—its im-
perfect signage can make it especially confusing to navigate.
Orly Airport
This easy-to-navigate airport feels small, but is good for rental-car pickup and drop-off, as
it's closer to Paris and far easier to navigate than Charles de Gaulle Airport (for flight info
from French land-lines dial 3950, from the US dial 011 33 1 70 36 39 50, www.adp.fr , air-
port code: ORY).