I am planning a trip to paris and need some help!??

Question

i am planning a day trip to paris, and was wondering which would be a better option, going by the eurostar or by a plane. i was thinking of taking heathrow to paris, but then how far is the paris airport from the city (e.g. eiffel tower), and how would i get around the city coz i dont know where anything is..? and im not that great at french either... :S

Answer 1

I recommend using RyanAir or EasyJet. They fly into an airport about an hour outside the city, and you can take a bus. I think that it is still cheaper to do than taking a train. Buy a very good map in advance, and once you get to a popular or recognizable location, you will be able to use the map to get you anywhere else. There are also bus and Metro maps.

I would suggest staying for more than one day. There are hostels and such that cost less than 20 euros a night, and I think it would definitely be worth it.

Answer 2

go to www.frommers.com for tips and advice. Helped me alot when I went in May.

Answer 3

Eurostar is much quicker and less hassle and is very easy to use because it is international.

Answer 4

Eurostar is more central. And one you are in Paris, all the landmarks such as the Louvre and Eiffel Tower are fairly close together, but not sure how much you will get to see in a day..if you can, stay at least a night.

Answer 5

I would say the eurostar is the best even by Parisians.  Follow the above advice on maps, etc. Make sure you enjoy a chocolate crepe once u get to the Eiffel Tower.  If you're a Brit your money will do just fine b/c of value so not too much too worry on cost 4 u lucky one.  Take pictures and have a journal.  Enjoy your day trip in Paris!!

Answer 6

I flew to Charles De Gaulle airport and have to say it's about 45 mins on the train to Paris and a bit of a hassle.  You may as well get Eurostar.

If you're doing a day only then you should buy a Batobus day pass, it's hop on hop off at the major attractions.

http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm

We managed to cover Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe/Champs Elysee, Notre Dame and the Louvre in a day, but that was because we were staying overnight so we were still up the Eiffel Tower at 11pm.  You can get a lot done but it's tiring!

Answer 7

We went to Paris on Eurostar a couple of years ago, we arrived near the centre of the city and I expect the taxi fare was a lot cheaper than it would have been from the airport.We stayed near to the Boulevard St. Germaine in a Best Western hotel, can`t remember the name but it was something or other`Jardin`

It was Jardin de Cluny, Best Western,not far from Notre Dame

Answer 8

I think the Eurostar is the better option as it takes you from city center to city center and therefore, when the entire trip is considered, probably will take less time than flying.

Time getting  from the airport in Paris into the city depends on which airport you arrive at. There are three, DeGaulle, Orly and Beauvais. The trip from DeGaulle is very easy, Orly only marginally more difficult but Beauvais is quite a long trek.

Getting around Paris is very easy. The Paris public transport system is much denser than that in London (for example.) Paris has more stations but is considerably smaller. So there are few addresses in Paris proper that are more than a few hundred meters from a Metro stop.

If you're on a day trip just buy a one day travel pass called a Mobilis. Metro maps are available at ticket windows and easy to understand. In many stations there are large maps equiped with lights. You just press the button next to the name of the stop you want and the route lights up! Easy as pie.

All the French you need to know is "Sortie" for exit and "Correspondence" for a transfer point. Bus and trains are clearly marked with their last stop. "Direction:La Defense", for example, means that the Metro/RER/Bus has its last stop at La Defense.  Buses have their route marked on the side and bus stops display route maps also.