Amsterdam to Paris

Hi travelers,

Can someone please guide me on how to get from Amsterdam to Paris? Im staying at a hotel in Montparnasse and I know there is a station there (Gare de Montparnasse) but I%26#39;m not quite sure how to get there? What form of transportation do I take? Thalys train? Eurorail? TGV? This is my first trip to Europe so I am completely unused to taking the rail (Im from California :P Which station should I take and which rail? Im on this website:

raileurope.com/train-faq/…index.html

But it keeps sending me to Paris Nord station, not Montparnasse! I would appreciate anyone%26#39;s help. Thanks!

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Train travel is different than airports. You have to go in the direction of the tracks. thus to get north, you head to the Gare du Nord to get to Northern countries (England, Belgium, Netherlands). Montparnasse station serves south and southwest destinations (Bordeaux). Your hotel should have access to buses and metro which can get you to Gare du Nord. www.ratp.fr for all public transportation within Paris.

Thalys is a nice way to travel to Amsterdam. Try going directly to thalys.com.

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There are six major train stations in Paris - all are terminus stations. The trains to and from the North (Belgium, UK, Netherlands) all leave from/arrive at the Gare du Nord. The gare de Montparnasse is for trains to and from the west and south-west of France.

So if you arrive from Amsterdam by train, you will always arrive at the Gare du Nord (unless you take an enormous detour). From there, you can take the metro (or RER, the train that connects the suburbs to Paris) to your destination in Paris (or to another train station if you%26#39;re only passing through).

The fast speed train to/from Belgium and the Netherlands (also some German cities) is called Thalys. Reservations are required, ticket sales start 90 days in advance. Ticket prices vary according to availability and conditions of sale - the cheapest tickets are non-refundable and cannot be changed, more expensive tickets offer more flexibility in case you have a change of plans.

www.thalys.com

The Thalys website links you through to the RailEurope website if you%26#39;re trying to order from the US - but the RailEurope prices are significantly higher. I think the trick is to order the tickets via the Thalys site, and pick them up after your arrival in Europe (instead of having them sent to your home by RailEurope). Do a search on this forum for more detailed hints.

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The train from Amsterdam is going to take you to the Gare du Nord station. Thalys train direct from Amsterdam to Paris: I will be taking the same ride in October but from Paris to Amsterdam. The ride is between 4-5 hours and you will take the train from the Amsterdam Centraal Station to Gare du Nord in Paris. And I would book directly with Thalys and not raileurope which is awfully confusing, and I find th tickets less expensive.

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Wonderful info. Thank you all so much!

Accomodation in Paris

Hi

I will be spending 4 days in Paris in July, and want to book a place to stay. I am looking for informaton on what area I should consider, it should be connected to the public transport, not very far from the tourist attractions and not very expensived as well.

I see that there is an option to stay in hotels or bed and breakfast or hostels but I am not sure what to expect and how much to pay for it. Is there a reliable website to get this information?

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perhaps posting in the Paris forum would get some useful results.

Dinner cruise in Paris on the river Seine

Are the dinner boat cruises good? Can someone recommend one along the Seine?

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Yeah, I thought they were good. I think I would just take a cruise, w/o dinner, then go to a nice restaurant.

Here is a website:http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/la-fete-se-celebre-aussi-dans-lassiette/

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I am in Paris right now and took a dinner cruise Monday night. It was the best part of our trip so far. Go to Mygenieinparis.com and book the cruise. Choose the Premier level, it has seating along windows ($135euros per person) Dinner was great and very romantic.

overnight at charles de gualle airport hotel. any sites?

We are transiting through Paris. Will arrive 11:30 am and depart next day at 10:50 am. Staying at airport hotel. Pretty much only have afternoon and evening available. Have visted Paris before. Wud appreciate advice on whether to go into the city, or anything in terms of good restuarants/sites in the area around the airport?

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I suppose after baggage claim and customs, you wouldn%26#39;t be able to check into your hotel before 12:30 at least - but you still have enough time to get into the city.

I would allow 35-45 minutes for a taxi or RER into the city. I don%26#39;t really think there%26#39;s much to do around the airport (but I could be wrong).

So you could concievably get into the city by 2:00-2:30 PM - see a few sites, relax in a cafe, have dinner and catch a taxi back to your hotel in time to get some sleep before your flight the next day.

I%26#39;d go into the city, even for an afternoon/evening - I would never waste a chance to spend time in Paris!

Another Eurostar Ticket Question

We%26#39;ll be flying into Paris from Venice this fall and want to take the Eurostar to London, returning to Paris 3 days later. Because the flight might be delayed, I%26#39;m reluctant to book a nonexchangeable ticket on Eurostar. With the semi-flexible option, I can exchange %26quot;before departure%26quot; for a fee. Does this mean before the scheduled departure of the train I%26#39;ve booked or before I actually leave Paris? For example, if we book a train leaving Paris at 1400, but find that our flight from Venice will be 3 hours late (or worse, cancelled due to bad weather)such that we can%26#39;t make that train, do we need to change the ticket before 1400, and if so can it be done by phone? Or can we just show up at Gare du Nord sometime after 1400 and get a ticket for a later train?

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You would have to phone them beforehand.

Make sure the airline knows you have this connection to make, and chase them for any extra cost you may incur. Provided always that you have adequate time to make the transfer from aircraft to Gare du Nord. And be at Gare du Nord half an hour before train time.

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You can find answers to your questions on the Eurostar website (and it%26#39;s always best to rely on the official source).

If your tickets are exchangeable, you have to change your reserved travel time BEFORE departure. There is a fee, PLUS you have to pay the difference between the fare you booked and the whatever fare is still available for your new departure.

How to rebook depends on how you originally booked your tickets. If you book them online, you can make changes online (and pay the fee and additional fare), or there%26#39;s a phone number to call if you won%26#39;t have internet access. Note that you can do this only once.

If you don%26#39;t book online, you have to contact the agent with which you originally booked your tickets.

I%26#39;m wondering why not just fly to London from Venice, rather than fly to Paris, get yourselves to Gare du Nord, then take the train to London?

You%26#39;ll pay a significant premium for Eurostar tickets that can be exchanged, especially if you are booking round trip. And, then there%26#39;s a fee, and probably additional fare, if you do need to rebook.

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Actually, I checked the air fares and it really does makes more sense to fly to London and back to Paris than it does to take Eurostar.

Thanks to all for the responses.

b and b in france near invidales &th and and ruc clar

am am trying late april to early pay and would a nice boutiquie b$ b tht would give ne the feeling of some staying wit nice old relaivies.i am not one for hi tecg gagdgetc, althouh acomputet would be ncie to catfch up with loved one.lathough we do not generally spend nuch of our time in our room while sightseing, paris just seems to beckin us to have nice, mut not over the top bedroom...i%26#39;m thinkin alsong the lines of country french. what a lovely secene to fome homw to every night!we do like the hotel champs de mars and would prefere to stay in the eiffel and invalides area. any ideas wouod be greatly appreciated.

thanks so much for your time

andrea

CDG Airport to Gare de l’Est

What is the best way to travel from CDG Airport to Gare de l’Est? How long does the trip take?

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Hi;

The best way,IMHO, would be a limo...

But using public transport consider taking the RER B line from CDG to Gare du Nord and changing there to either the metro line 4 direction Porte d%26#39;Orleans or line 5 direction Place d%26#39;Italie, one stop to Gare de l%26#39;Est.

The distance between Gare du Nord and Gare de l%26#39;Est is about 500 meters so you might consider walking.

From CDG to Gare du Nord is about 25-30 minutes.

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I can%26#39;t remember, but does any one know if it is standard practice to leave the RER and actually have to exit a booth into the metro? It would be hard with bags.

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Anyone ever take the RER?

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Can someone help me..I am also arriving at CDG on 6th June and need to go to Gare du nord

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Hi;

When in the terminal look for signs that say

%26quot;RER Paris Centre%26quot; or just RER.

That is the name for the regional train system from the suburbs of Paris to the City.

From CDG take the RER right into Gare du Nord. It will take you about 25 minutes and cost you under 9 euros.

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From my blog:

Bus

There are two bus options:

Roissybus (http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/aeroport_roissybus.php ):

Travels between CDG and Paris Opéra Garnier (rue Scribe and rue Auber). It takes 45-60 minutes. It runs every 15 minutes between 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes between 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. Cost: 8.90 euros. You’ll need to take a taxi/métro/bus from Opéra Garnier to your final destination.

Air France Bus (http://transfer.airport-paris.com/air-france-coach-service.htm ):

There are 2 routes to/from CDG:

Route #2: CDG-%26gt;Porte Maillot-%26gt;Arc de Triomphe. Cost: 13 euros 1 way, 20 euros return (R/T).

Route #4: CDG-%26gt;Gare de Lyon-%26gt;Montparnasse. Cost: 14 euros 1 way, 22 euros return (R/T).

There are signs in the airport as to where the bus will pick you up. Pick up locations at CDG are close to gates B1 and C2. Pay the driver in euros when you get on the bus. Travelers with heavy luggage, disabled persons, or families with small children in tow may find this option to be uncomfortable.

Private Shuttle

There are a variety of private shuttle operators at CDG. They are usually chauffeur–driven vans or min-vans that will take you directly to your hotel, sometimes with stops in-between. The cost for a single person is usually about 30 euros with further discounts depending upon the number of people in your party. It is important to make reservations with a shuttle service prior to departing on your trip. Make sure that you have a firm agreement on the price before you contract with a private shuttle company. Shuttles are good options for people with heavy luggage and/or limited mobility.

RER Train

This is probably the cheapest, fastest, and most reliable choice. It runs about every 15 minutes from 5 a.m. until about midnight. It is 8.40 euros (5.80 for children 4-10). The express trip is about 22 to 30 minutes, depending upon your destination.

Route: CDG Terminal 2-%26gt;CDG Terminal 1-%26gt; Gare du Nord-%26gt; Châtelet-Les Halles-%26gt;St-Michel-Notre Dame-%26gt;Luxemborg-%26gt;Port Royal-%26gt;Denfert-Rochereau

When you arrive at CDG, take the 10 minute walk down to the direction of the “gare” (train station). There is a shuttle bus but it isn’t worth waiting for and dragging your luggage on and off. Go downstairs and you will see a ticket office with a line of other travelers waiting. You will see other people purchasing tickets at the ticket kiosk, but unless you have a credit card with a computer chip in it (American credit cards don’t have these), you cannot buy your ticket at the kiosk. Purchase your one-way or return RER ticket to Paris. The ticket will give you a ride to the RER terminal in Paris and a métro ride (if necessary) to your destination. Hold onto your ticket, you may need it to exit the station.

The upside of taking the RER is that it is cheap, reliable, and quick. It will get you close to your destination in Paris. The downside is that there is some walking and escalators/stairs involved. If you have lots of heavy luggage, it may not be a good choice. Sometimes on the RER you will encounter beggars and buskers.

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A taxi will cost 50 Euro, plus/minus. I just stayed at a Parisian friend%26#39;s apartment, on the same street as the station. He and I took a taxi, from CDG, to his apartment, on a Wednesday at around 6-6:30PM. Happy Travels!