Hi! We are leaving Tuesday for our first trip to Paris. For me, it%26#39;s also my first trip out of the country (I know, crazy, isn%26#39;t it?). So I%26#39;m starting to get nervous! I have a few questions...
-What is the best way to get to Paris from the airport? We%26#39;re flying into CDG on Air France.
-Is there anything in particular I should or shouldn%26#39;t pack? I know I should pack light (which goes against every inclination I have!)...it%26#39;s hard to decide what to actually bring!
-Will jeans and sneakers be acceptable to wear? (during the day, at the musuems, at dinner...) I am planning on packing a nicer outfit or two for a nice evening out, but for the rest of the nights jeans would be much easier!
-Do you have any other recommendations? :)
THANK YOU thank you thank you!! :)
Mara
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Alot depends on your age, and the type restuarant you plan to frequent for dinner.
If you are young( under 30 or so) and hip and wear trendy exspensive jeans, then you can pretty well carry that off in most places allowing of course nice shoes or boots( no runners at dinner at least) and a nice blazer or blouse.
If you are talking %26quot;mommy jeans%26quot; and sneakers, then sure, wear them, but you will definately not be mistaken for a local( which is fine if you don%26#39;t care)lol.
There are a few nice restaurants where I would not dare wear my jeans, nice or not .
As for day wear, just be comfyf( no high heels for walking the streets for me) , take an umbrella , just in case, and I personally scan the weather forcast just before I leave.
Do pack light, youll find you tend to wear just a few favorites again and again.
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Wish I could learn to pack light! Dark colors, esp black are common in Paris; easy to mix and match, which helps. Skirts seem to be popular at night, or a nice slack outfit. I noticed a lot of heels at night. Jeans are worn at night in casual settings but they are skinny tight jeans, with nice blouses, and again heels.
The museums are full of tourists dressed every which way, and I would wear comfortable shoes. If all you have are sneakers than thats what you wear.
Easiest way to get to Paris is a taxi-38 Euros per ride for a party of three with 3 bags and carry-ons this past summer when traffic was light. The Air France and the Roissybus bus shuttles are also easy if your hotel is close to their stops; 8-12 Euros per person(?). Hotels can arrange a ride but will cost dearly. RER and Metro are cheapest but not the most convenient way if you are not familiar.
Have fun,
T
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What%26#39;s the adress in Paris? Then people can tell you how to get there.
Jeans are very popular, sneakers much less so, except on children.
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Here%26#39;s a little tip if you take the tax:
Have your hotel name and address written on an index and keep it handy so that you can easily communicate your destination to your driver. My friend told she had to pass up 5 taxis becuase they could not understand her pronunciation or they did not know where the hotel was located. I always carried the card with me and just took it out every time we had to take a taxi back to the hotel.
The sights were filled with tourists in jeans. Comfortable shoes are a must. Paris is such a beautiful walking city. We walked just about everywhere. We just returned from our first trip and we can%26#39;t wait to go back some day!
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I definitely recommend taking a taxi. It has been written about ad nauseum on this forum, but, since you asked...when you pick up your baggage, you walk out any of the exits and the taxi parisien stand will be right there. You may have to look a little left or right, but they won%26#39;t be far away. Depending on which day/time you land, there may be a short line but it goes fast. Any (and I mean ANY) difference in price between a shuttle and a taxi is more than worth it in convenience.
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Welcome, maranara!
Do take an umbrella and rain jacket or raincoat. Probably a sweater or comfortable warmer jacket too. Take clothes that will let you dress in layers, Especially at this time of year the weather can vary from warm — even hot — and sunny to cold, blustery and wet and everything in between, all within the same hour almost. PACK LIGHT!!!
You have basically three options for getting from the airport to your hotel:
1. Taxi: Most convenient and most expensive. Count on somewhere between 40€ and 60€ depending on time of day, traffic conditions, and your final destination etc.
2. RER (suburban light rail system) to the center of Paris, and then probably change to métro (subway system) or take a taxi to your hotel. 8€10 each for the RER/métro option, probably 7€ to 15€ for a taxi on top of that if you use that option. (The métro *may* involve many stairs and sometimes long walks between trains.)
3. Air France or RATP (Paris public transport system) coach to one of a number of places and probably either métro or taxi from there. About the same cost as option 2, possibly 2 or 3 €€ more.
Which of 2 or 3 would be best for you depends mostly on where your hotel is located. Without that information we really can%26#39;t give you more specific info. Don%26#39;t be afraid of any of the options. They are all perfectly safe and really not complicated once you get the hang of how the RER/metro works.
I am old enough and wise enough to know better than to tell a woman what she should wear. The most important thing IMO is to take REALLY comfortable walking shoes. You%26#39;ll probably walk four or five miles every day, possibly much more.
I understand pink berets trimmed with maribou are de rigueur for men, however! And a touch of red...
(That was a joke, in case you are wondering...)
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HappyGoin -
I%26#39;m a HUGE fan of the RER option to/from CDG. I%26#39;d rather splurge on dinner or a bottle of wine than a taxi. Somehow I never seem to be going where Roissybus and the Air France coaches go or I%26#39;d use them.
But the key thing about taking the RER is that I travel light...
I wouldn%26#39;t take a shuttle under ANY circumstances...
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Actually Irish, I have taken the Air France shuttle a couple of times, but that was about 5 or 6 years ago. I always had a good experience with it, but I stayed in hotels then and always planned a hotel around either Arc de Triomphe or Porte Maillot (sp?) so I wouldn%26#39;t have to schlep my luggage too far. The very first time I went, we stayed at the newly opened Marriott on the Champs d%26#39;Elysee and, as us two frazzled, jet-lagged, bedraggled girls walked down this beautiful grand boulevard, my sister said to me, %26quot;We must look like the Clampetts coming into town%26quot;...She was likely right.
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For a first timer , esp. on an overnight flight. I would also suggest a taxi, using the tips mentioned above. Unless your hotel is very convenient to the Opera area(Roissy bus) or Etoile or the other areas close to AF Coach(not shuttles) stops.
Pack light. Besides the schlep there is not alot of room for luggage in hotel rooms, elevators, or even some hallways/staircases!
If jeans are your thing by all means wear them for sightseeing and very casual dinners. A pair of black slacks/skirt with nice shoes and top will take you most places. But do pack the nicer oufit or two and see how you feel once you are there..if you want to have a nicer dinner, go someplace where you see more dressed people..whatever. That%26#39;s a key to enjoying Paris...be prepared to go where the mood/spirit/events take you!
Don%26#39;t consider it being nervous...excited is more like it!
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The first two years I went to Paris I pre-booked the Blue Van for the ride from the airport to the hotel. They were OK and cost 50.00 e.
But starting last year, and this year, too, we simply called the hotel we were staying at and asked to have a van pick us up. They took car of it and whichever service they used cost us 36.00e.
Pjk
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