barely_working

My wife and I will be flying into Paris' CDG airport on Thursday, Nov. 12 and will be staying for three nights at the Hotel Floride Etoile, 14 Rue St Didier, Paris 75016. We will be on a budget. My question is what is the most economical and most direct way to transfer from CDG to the Hotel Floride Etoile on Rue St Didier in Paris? Is the AirFrance Bus to the Arc of Triumph and then transfer to the metro the best way to go, or would a taxi be just as economical?

Also, do you suggest I convert some dollars to Euros at the airport or is a Visa credit card generally accepted for taxis and at eateries, etc. in Paris?

Thanks.

letsgo39

Of course you need some Euros.

barely_working

Perhaps I was a bit too vague with my question regarding having some Euros. Of course I would have a couple hundred dollars in Euros, but my question was more about whether I can expect to use a Visa credit card in most of the cafes, stores, etc.? In other words, is credit card acceptance about the same in Paris as it is in New York City? Keep in mind, this is my first visit to France, so what might be well known to a frequent visitor is totally new to me.

amwosu

Use a debit card to withdrawl money from ATM cards for a better rate than exchanging dollars to euros.

Even on a tight budget, I take a taxi from CDG to central Paris on arrival. Jetlagged, lugging suitcases, defenses down I don't want to hit the metro (and I love the metro!). Not economical, of course but I adjust my budget elsewhere like eating take out from a grocery or an inexpensive sandwich shop or crepe stand.

ParisAmsterdam

Your Visa will be accepted almost anywhere as long as your purchase is more than a few euros. Be sure to contact your bank and Visa and let them know your travel dates.

People have different opinions... some say don't get any Euros until you land at the airport... I always prefer to have a couple hundred in my pocket from home and it's worth the poorer exchange rate to me to do this. A taxi or the AF bus will want cash.

If you punch in your hotel address at http://maps.google.com you can see you're pretty close to Etoile (ie the Arc de Triomphe) where the Air France bus will let you off... if you're traveling fairly light with roller luggage you can walk it. It's slightly downhill too. If not, have a look at the map and notice the small circles with an "M" in the middle. Left click one... you'll see the metro information along with the routes in color. You could grab a metro on the M6 line for 3 stops. Get off at Boissière and it's a short walk.

Rob

Seamus

The Air France bus will cost 30euro for two, from there the taxi will add about 5-10 euro. A taxi direct from CDG to the hotel should run around 50 euro or a bit less, but you will not have to get from your arrival point to the Air France bus stop nor transfer from the bus to a taxi at Porte Maillot. Unless every penny is critical, agree that the few extra euro is a good invesment to start your visit to Paris.
If you do need to watch every penny then a slightly cheaper and probably faster option would be to take the RER (the suburban trains that operate like the metro within the city) line B from CDG to St Michel Notre Dame station and cab from there to your hotel.

As to using your credit card - yes, you can use at most merchants and restaurants (not most taxis, though) but fees are usually steep (fees imposed not by merchants but by your bank - they charge a foreign currency conversion fee plus service charges.) You are much better off withdrawing euro from an ATM in Paris; there may still be fees but less than with credit cards.

fmpden

Seamus means using a debit card for the ATM and NOT a credit card will be even more expensive. Certain credit cards like Capital One do not add currency conversion fees and generally credit union debit cards do not add fees. You need to check the fee structure of your credit/debit cards very carefully. And do not under any circumstances allow any credit card changes in Europe to be make in dollars -- it is called dynamic conversion but should be called dynamic rip off.

barely_working

amwosu,

Thanks for the debit card suggestion. I'll plan on taking one along for that purpose. I've about decided you are right to suggest a taxi from the airport directly to the hotel. I'm sure I could save a few euros, but hauling luggage around on public transport and making numerous transfers is never an exciting idea.

Have you had any experience at Charles De Gaulle airport? I've heard it is an extremely rough airport to navigate (due to bad, non-existent or incorrect signage) and to allow plenty of time, especially for departures (3+ hours).

barely_working

Wow! Thanks to all who responded before I uploaded my last post. Your travel savvy and personal suggestions are greatly appreciated. I plan to check with my credit union tomorrow on their debit card/ATM usage fees, etc. and with my Chase Bank for using my credit card at ATMs.

Thanks also for all the airport to hotel transfer tips. I'll have to check it all out before I make a final decision.

amwosu

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/cred...on-fees-1.aspx
I just googled "credit cards charging currency conversions" and came up with the above. Be sure to look at pages 2 & 3 to see a list of current charges by various cards.

Don't forget to call your banks and let them know you are going to Europe and when. I take two different cc cards, and one ATM just in case something happens to one account- they freeze it, I lose it or it gets stolen. Don't keep them all with you at the same time and don't even keep two in the same location on your person.

amwosu

CDG may be bad for layovers and trying to make it from one gate to another but as a starting or ending point I don't think you'll have problems. I take a taxi to the airport and haven't had trouble getting where I need to be.

I agree that for stress free travel you should allow plenty of time to get to the airport and check in. I have experienced long lines to check bags at CDG but no worse than other locations.

Luisah

<<I've heard it is an extremely rough airport to navigate (due to bad, non-existent or incorrect signage) and to allow plenty of time, especially for departures (3+ hours).>>

CDG has a bad reputation, but it's primarily for making connections. I made two connecting flights easily last month (1.5 hours to connect both ways) and had no problem with signage. I think it may be better now than the past couple of years.

You shouldn't have any problem since you're not making a connecting flight. There's a taxi queue right outside the exit door when you leave the customs area.

I usually allow three hours and have never had a problem checking in and have had plenty of time to wander the shops before boarding.

TimS

The ride on the RER B from CDG to St-Michel Notre-Dame, as suggested by Seamus, costs 8.50 EUR. A taxi from there to your hotel wouldn't cost a whole lot.

However, for the same 8.50 EUR you can continue on to Boissiere, the closest metro station to your hotel. Take the RER C from St-Michel Notre-Dame to Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel, walk through the connecting tunnels to the Bir-Hakeem Metro station, and take Metro line 6 to Boissiere.

For detailed information, including photos, on how to take the RER B from CDG to Paris, go to www.parisbytrain.com.

Michel_Paris

Here is what I do for cash. I have a few euros (say 50) to get me to my hotel. Any more than that and I am starting to think about the extra conversion costs.

From then on I use my ATM card to get cash from my bank account, never a problem finding a machine. I get enough for several days. I may occasionally use a CC for larger purchases. My hotel is paid before going. I do not do cash advances on my CC.

The above is the most cost efficient IMHO

By increasing cost...

RER + Metro
Roissybus + Metro
Air France bus + Metro
Shuttle bus
Taxi.

Fastest...and cheapest...RER + Metro.

There is an argument that never ends here about whether taking the RER is a good idea when you land (tired, luggage) or is "guided" transport better. It is a personal preference, but I think it is not an impossible task. If you have 4 kids and baggages, might be different story. Take your time, work with us to plan your stops, and you will be fine. We'll even give you hints on minimizing jet lag

The closest Metro to your hotel is Boissieres on Metro Line 6

For RER B to Chatelet Stn, switch to RER A to Etoile Station, then transfer Metro Line 6 (Direction Nation, 2 stops). There are many routes you could take.

For Air France bus...to Etoile or Montparnasse, then take Line 6 (direction Nation if at Etoile stop, direction Etoile if at Montparnasse stop)

For Roissybus...to Opera, then Metro Line 9 to Trocadero, transfer and then one stop on Line 6 (Direction Etoile)

Hope this helps

Mike

TimS

If you will be flying across the Atlantic from CDG, then it is indeed a good idea to be at the airport a full three hours before your scheduled departure time.

Seamus

barely - I am a Chase CC and ATM user, too. Their fees are higher for CC than ATM usage and lousy for both (foreign transaction fee + foreign ATM fee + currency conversion fee + anything else they can dream up.) If you do use your ATM best bet is to withdraw the max allowable each time rather than doing repeated withdrawals.
I actually opened a separate checking account at a credit union expressly for use when traveling outside the country. I got a debit card linked to the account and have had no problems using it in Paris or anywhere else in Europe.

cynthia_booker

CDG may have a reputation, but I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer and had very little problem except that for a moment I forgot that the machines that sell tickets on the RER do not take American chip-less cards. No problem, the ticket booth is right there. Believe me, if I can manage the RER into central Paris and then the Metro to my hotel, you can, too. That leaves more Euros for whatever else you fancy.
Have a wonderful trip.

barely_working

Many thanks, again, to all for the great info and advice. We are certain to benefit from your collective personal experience. Although my wife and I have only three nights in Paris before we journey on to Benin, West Africa, we plan to make the most of our time there unapologeticly making many of the typical tourist spots. We do plan to spend the better part of a day or so browsing our way through the Louve and Rodin musuems. In that we probably will only make those two musuems, I don't know that it makes sense to purchase Musuem Passes. But we will definitely get the prepaid Metro passes to facilitate our getting around the city.

Michel_Paris

For three days, I might consider a carnet of metro tickets (10 tickets). Might be the cheapest and most convenient option.

amwosu

If you have the opportunity to add more museums my two favorites are the D'Orsay (Impressionists) and L'Orangerie (Monet's gigantic waterlily walls which take on different tones under skylights depending on the outside weather conditions).

You can see both museums with even just a little bit of time. The Museum Pass allows you to skip significant lines at both. I couldn't believe the line at L'Orangerie and I just skipped right in with my pass. Here is some interesting history on L'Orangeire if you are unfamiliar with it. http://www.discoverfrance.net/France...rangerie.shtml