Taking a train/taxi from Charles De Galle airport in Paris?

Question

I am going on my own to Paris for two weeks in June and I am freaking out a little because I need to get to my homestay accomodation by myself and I do not know how to do it or what's the cheapest way.

One suggestion was to take train to Gare

Du Nord (North Train Station in Paris)and from there take a taxi.

Another was to just take a taxi straight from the airport to my accomodation.

1) What trains are they referring too ? Is it the high speed trains that I read somewhere about? How much does a trip cost from airport to Gare Du Nord? Would I have a problem if I am carrying a huge luggage? Do I have to book the ticket before hand or can I just buy it on the spot?

2) Are taxis very expensive in Paris? Let's say from Airport to Gare Du Nord..how much would it cost me? I need a rough gauge.

The original airport transfer to my accomodation quoted to me by the language school I am going to is US$96 ONE WAY. Which is so expensive!!!!!!!!!!

HELP PLEASE!!!!

Answer 1

Yes, they're talking about the TGV. But I'm not sure it goes to gare du Nord. Here is the link you can check, it's in English

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvH...

You can also take a shuttle. Cabs are a rip off in Paris, and careful, if you call one on the phone to pick you up, they'll charge the trip to go to your hotel too. But there are taxi stations at every corners, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Bon voyage

Answer 2

theyre talking about TGV in CDG airp. thats towards one of the ends of the airport its very long so u cant really miss it, and usually TGV is also linked to a subway metro station, i recommend you start looking at a subway map of paris its a little confusing, on ur computer or well maps.google.com should work, CDG airport is actually about 20 min from paris, its definitely not 96$ probably less than 20 bucks id say, metro is like a dollar cant remember, but itll get u anywhere and everywhere, ive never used a taxi in paris thats how good it is, just familiarize urself a little a print out of a map would be nice too, on the map gare du nord is 2.5 miles north of notre damme, AND IS A METRO STATION, dont leave the train/metro stations until ur at ur destination it will be cheaper than a taxi, not all lines go there, but they connect so just look at what stations you need to transboard, good luck and i envy you paris is awsome anything else just mail me ive been there a couple times

Answer 3

The train from CDG into Paris is an ordinary commuter train (not the TGV) and specifically the RER B line. The distance from CDG to central Paris  is roughly 28 km or 17 miles. It takes about 25 minutes to get into the city.

You could then take a taxi or simply transfer to the Metro (the subway). If you give me the exact address you are staying at I could give you precise directions.

The tickets for this train are available at the airport station and cost 8 euros. (Make sure you take along some euros with you)

If you are carrying a lot of luggage this might be a bit of a trial since there aren't any porters so you'll be slogging your bags around by yourself.

Taxis aren't really all that expensive but its a fairly long trip from the airport so a cab will run something on the order of 50 euros.

A somewhat cheaper alternative are the airport shuttles that will take you directly to your destination. These will cost something on the order of 25 euros. The places where these shuttles pick people up is reasonably well marked. You may also book these shuttles in advance over the internet.

One suggestion is to NOT carry huge luggage. I travel to Paris a lot and can spend a couple of weeks with only one carry on.

I know this sounds a bit austere but you can always buy more clothes in Paris (which is part of the fun of being there) and everything from shampoo to toothpaste which you might think of lugging around is readily available so why take it with you?

At the end of your stay you just package everything that won't fit in your bag that you want to keep and mail it home. Admittedly it will take next to forever to arrive back home but its better than carrying it around.

Answer 4

Best to travel by train - taxis are very expensive in the Paris region.

By train:

Journey from Charles de Gaulle Airport is RER line B (Direction Robinson or St Rémi les Chevreuse)

Change at Châtelet-les-Halles in the centre of Paris then...

RER line A (Direction Marne La Vallée/Parcs Disneyland). NOTE: Take care not to get on the RER line A train bound for Boissy St Léger.

You might find buying a "Carte Mobilis" is the cheapest way of making the whole trip via the RER train system. This is a day card with unlimited travel based by zone. So if you have spare time in the centre of Paris you can use it to hop on and hop off buses/métros/RER as much and as often as you wish.

This is available at both SNCF/RER and RATP kiosks/stations.

The links below provide additional info:

Answer 5

The train from CDG to Gare du Nord is NOT the TGV, it is the RER, the suburban train. The RER is kind of like the metro; you just buy your ticket beforehand, there are no reserved seats. The trip costs between 8-9 euro (sorry, I don't have the exact amount) and will take about 40 minutes. There are escalators and maybe elevators in the two stations, so a big hand luggage won't be a huge hassle. CDG is also the first stop so you'll have no problem getting a seat and posing your luggage somewhere. There are trains for Paris every few minutes.

Yes, taxis are quite expensive in Paris! From CDG to Gare du Nord, about 40- 50 euro (I paid 50 euro for a similar trip in moderate traffic).

Your language school - wow, what a rip off! Another option is an airport shuttle like Airport Connection (link below). You will have the peace of mind of being able to book in advance, it's only 27 euro (about $36) and the times I took AC, the drivers were very nice! The downside is if you are the last stop for the driver, the ride can be long, like an extra 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

If you are courageous, the cheapest option would be to take the RER into Paris, then the metro the rest of the way. I did this my first time in Paris as a backpacker and while it was a bit stressful not understanding a l**k of French, I made it through alive! And so will you. The total cost is 8-9 euro as the RER ticket you buy at CDG is good for any metro in Paris. Don't throw away your ticket, though, when you get off the RER, you'll need it to get out of the RER turnstile and into the metro turnstile!

If you know which metro is closest to your homestay, you can add this to your question and someone can tell you the whole RER/metro route from the airport to your lodgings.