Bindery

Hi,

My wife and I are going to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in September.

We arrive 11:30am on a Monday and plane leaves the next Monday at 12:30pm

My plan is to take an official taxi from the airport to our AirBnB in the 11th Arrondissement, which should be 53 Euros plus tip. I don’t want to take the Metro into Paris, but would it be better to take the Metro back to the airport on a Monday morning? We would have to be there at least by 10am.

Would that be rush hour and traffic would be horrible? Google maps has it 40 minute drive from out AirBnB to the airport. It has the Metro taking 1 hour.
Side note-my wife is paranoid about missing flights.

Thank you for your help.

StuDudley

""We would have to be there at least by 10am."

In Pre-COVID times for a 12:30 flight, that would be cutting it tight - worse is if someone is paranoid about missing a flight. With COVID, last December and this past May (2 RTs to Europe), Delta told us to get to the airport for our international flights 4 hrs before departure. We didn't need that much time, however.

So if you have a 12:30 flight - you should be at CDG at 8:30 and leave Paris at 7:45. You could depart at perhaps 7:00 & miss commute traffic.

PS - returning home, we always take a cab and depart on a Sunday - no commute traffic. We will do that on Oct 2 this year.

Stu Dudley

janisj

Ditto what Stu says. In this day and age . . . and at CDG . . . 2.5 hrs is not enough time for a US bound flight. I'd want an absolute minimum of 3.5 hours

StuDudley

Read this very recent post by BMarieL. Look for her second post where her traveling companions arrived at CDG 2 1/2 hrs before their flight - and missed the flight & had to take a later flight.

Security and Check In United Airlines at CDG July 20, 2022

Stu Dudley

Sarastro

If your flight is transatlantic, arriving 2+30 before your flight is not sufficient time. 3+30 would be much better.

Taxi drivers are not tipped. I usually just round up the fare to the nearest 5 euros.

The metro does not go to/from CDG. The RER B/metro fare is 10.30 euros. I always allow 1 hour en route to CDG. I would depart for your 12h30 flight by no later than 08h30 no matter which transportation option you chose.

lavandula

Can you stay at an airport hotel the night before? I personally would prefer to eat a leisurely if early breakfast and roll my bags into the airport rather than freak out if my RER train stops for too long along the way. The hotel you take depends on which terminal you leave from.

Lavandula

Seamus

No, it would not necessarily be better to take the Metro on Monday morning. Taxi both ways is, IMO/IME your best bet. Flat rate from the 11th to CDG is 50 euros. Rush hour traffic Monday morning will be coming into town rather than going out to the airport. You are correct in taking only a licensed taxi from the queue at CDG. You can prebook your return taxi. G7 taxi lets you book up to 30 days in advance.

cheska15

Another vote for staying at a hotel at CDG. You could quickly drop your bags off on arrival, catch the train into Paris spend the day, and return to the hotel knowing your departure the next day will be easy.

burta

Another vote for staying overnight at an airport hotel (we like the Hilton) before you leave. This eliminates your worries about traffic, strikes, and whatever that would delay you and cause pre-flight stress.