# Best way to get to centre of Paris from Charles de Gaulle? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233 "2012-01-30T22:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lagavulin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@Lagavulin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lagavulin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/1 "2012-01-30T22:21:13Z")
Hi I’m going to Paris in April, flying into Charles de Gaulle. Does the Metro run from the airport into Paris or is it better to take the RER train? Many thanks ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/2 "2012-01-30T22:26:04Z")
There’s an RER that runs right into Paris. IIRC, the Gare du Nord? Then, it’s just a matter of hauling suitcases up and down stairs and through turnstiles to get the metro you need to your hotel. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/3 "2012-01-30T22:46:03Z")
[Roissy Bus to / from Place de l’Opera](http://francetravelplanner.com/go/paris/trans/air/roissybus.html) Technically Notre Damn cathedral is, by definition, the “center of Paris”. But I assume you mean the center of where most stuff is. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/4 "2012-01-30T23:27:18Z")
The RER is simple; with the new electronic ticket booths for both the RER and the Metro, it is very very easy to do (we did it with 2 kids under 7 while carrying backpacks and car seats). ---
**Author:** ![Lagavulin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@Lagavulin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lagavulin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/5 "2012-01-30T23:41:15Z")
My b&b is very close to Notre Dame so that’s where I need to get to. I’ve been poking around and it looks like my best bet is the RER to the closest station, then a short walk. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Walther\_Ego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/6 "2012-01-31T07:05:44Z")
RER is always better for that long distances and the metro network does not go that far. For Notre Dame, the St Michel station is just across the river, get out, walk across the bridge, no exchanges required. When I lived in Paris, the B3 came in fast and slow varieties, the difference being number of stops before Gare du Nord. And since you’re going to Notre Dame, don’t get out at Gare du Nord. Also, don’t take a bus to the Opera, you’ll need another metro from there too. The bus works ok otherwise. Well, not on rush hours… ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/7 "2012-01-31T14:20:06Z")
Very useful thread to me - we’re headed there in late March, and staying in the Marais, near the St. Denis station. If we’re going to be there for a full week, is the Visite pass worth it? Since we’re flying in to CDG, we’re obviously going to need zones 1-5, but I don’t know if we’ll make it out to Versailles. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/8 "2012-01-31T16:04:32Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > The RER is simple; with the new electronic ticket booths for both the RER and the Metro, it is very very easy to do (we did it with 2 kids under 7 while carrying backpacks and car seats). I couldn’t get my (Canadian) credit card to work with the electronic ticket kiosk, and there was a long line behind me while I was futzing with it. So it wasn’t totally stress-free in my case… ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/9 "2012-01-31T16:44:45Z")
Well, depending too much on a North-American credit card in Europe is a risky strategy. Unfortunately, assuming you don’t have a European bank pass, you’re down to cash, which machines often don’t accept either. My advice: if you can, go to a booth with a person. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/10 "2012-01-31T17:00:42Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Well, depending too much on a North-American credit card in Europe is a risky strategy. Unfortunately, assuming you don’t have a European bank pass, you’re down to cash, which machines often don’t accept either. My advice: if you can, go to a booth with a person. The RER kiosks accepted cash, although I’m not sure if they accepted large bills. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/11 "2012-01-31T17:36:29Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > [Roissy Bus to / from Place de l’Opera](http://francetravelplanner.com/go/paris/trans/air/roissybus.html) > > Technically Notre Damn cathedral is, by definition, the “center of Paris”. But I assume you mean the center of where most stuff is. Notre Damn ? Damn that dame ! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/12 "2012-01-31T19:55:05Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > Very useful thread to me - we’re headed there in late March, and staying in the Marais, near the St. Denis station. > > If we’re going to be there for a full week, is the Visite pass worth it? Since we’re flying in to CDG, we’re obviously going to need zones 1-5, but I don’t know if we’ll make it out to Versailles. If you’re there a full week, you might look into getting a Navigo pass. They do them for weekly/monthly/annual travel (they replaced Carte Oranges, if you’ve been to Paris before) and you can get them from any Metro station, if you have a passport photo. You can get non-resident versions called Navigo Decouverte (you pass a small fee - maybe 5 Euros? - to get the card and don’t need an address in the Ile de France; otherwise it’s the same as the normal version for residents). As to whether it’s worth it or better just to get carnets of metro tickets (packets of 10 individual tickets), depends on how much you plan to use public transport. Saint Denis is quite far out (not near the Marais, which is very central) so if you’re out there, you might well end up using public transport a fair amount. (If you’re staying in the Marais - Saint Paul, maybe? - I’d get single tickets for CDG and get a zone 1-2 pass for the rest of the week. You don’t have to get a ticket that covers all of zones 1-5 just for the sake of two journeys, and there’s quite a big price difference normally, over a week.) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/13 "2012-01-31T20:50:55Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I couldn’t get my (Canadian) credit card to work with the electronic ticket kiosk, and there was a long line behind me while I was futzing with it. So it wasn’t totally stress-free in my case… Did the card have a chip? I’ve read that chipless cards may have problems. Of course, I’ve also read that some merchants may refuse overseas or even non-domestic cards just because. There’s a thread on FlyerTalk that may be [relevant](http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1288661-locations-do-not-accept-foreign-cards.html). ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/14 "2012-01-31T20:57:08Z")
My Chase card worked fine in the ticket machines most of the time and I was just there 6 months ago or so. I say most because it didn’t work once or twice, but I think that had more to do with the machine; there were several times when they wouldn’t accept perfectly crisp Euro bills, too. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/15 "2012-02-29T20:50:32Z")
> [@nicole1912](#): > > If you’re there a full week, you might look into getting a Navigo pass. They do them for weekly/monthly/annual travel (they replaced Carte Oranges, if you’ve been to Paris before) and you can get them from any Metro station, if you have a passport photo. You can get non-resident versions called Navigo Decouverte (you pass a small fee - maybe 5 Euros? - to get the card and don’t need an address in the Ile de France; otherwise it’s the same as the normal version for residents). Sorry for the bump - I let this thread slip, but the date approaches. First off, we’re staying near the _Strasbourg_-Saint Denis station. Are there any advantages / disadvantages in buying the Navigo Decouverte versus the Paris Visite pass, other than the price? It appears that RATP makes it very, very difficult for non-French speaking short term tourists to get the Navigo. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/16 "2012-02-29T22:08:31Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Did the card have a chip? I’ve read that chipless cards may have problems. Of course, I’ve also read that some merchants may refuse overseas or even non-domestic cards just because. There’s a thread on FlyerTalk that may be [relevant](http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1288661-locations-do-not-accept-foreign-cards.html). (Just noticed this.) It was a chipless card and it was five years ago. I was very happy with the Carte Orange when we visited; we were staying in Asnieres, not Paris proper, and we used them frequently. ---
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/17 "2012-03-01T19:48:42Z")
> [@black\_rabbit](#): > > Sorry for the bump - I let this thread slip, but the date approaches. > > First off, we’re staying near the _Strasbourg_-Saint Denis station. > > Are there any advantages / disadvantages in buying the Navigo Decouverte versus the Paris Visite pass, other than the price? It appears that RATP makes it very, very difficult for non-French speaking short term tourists to get the Navigo. The Paris Visite pass gives you discounted entry into some tourist attractions, I think - so that’s an advantage ([http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c\_22265/advantages/](http://www.ratp.fr/en/ratp/c_22265/advantages/) has details). It’s a bit more expensive, I think, but it is a lot simpler to buy if you don’t speak French. (Don’t feel that the RATP is particularly picking on non-French speakers, they hate everyone more or less equally, in my experience…) My in-laws usually buy Paris Visite cards when they come to visit us and they find them easy to use. (Remember to stamp the tickets each time you get on the bus - there’s a little machine by each set of doors - it’s often easy to miss, but it is a requirement of the ticket, and you never know when you might get a bad-tempered inspector.) ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/18 "2012-03-01T19:55:52Z")
Hmm. We’re planning on getting the museum pass anyway, but the 10% off at Lafayette may convince my wife. The €20 off the hoochie coochie dance has already convinced me. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/19 "2012-03-02T14:04:04Z")
If you do want to get out to Versailles, I’d recommend getting tickets in advance of arriving there. If you head to the train station, you can buy your ticket to Versailles and the train ticket together. It will save you at least a half-hour in the lines. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233/20 "2012-03-02T14:09:53Z")
You can book a fare on a mini bus that will take you to your hotel. Cheap, clean and easy if you have hopped off a plane. Just google Paris Transfers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-get-to-centre-of-paris-from-charles-de-gaulle/611233.md?page=2)