Travel to Paris may mean arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), the largest airport in France, the second largest in Europe, and the seventh busiest in the world, serving more than 65 million passengers a year.
Flights heading to other points in Europe and onward to Africa and the Middle East from the U.S. often stop here to catch connecting flights and for such travelers there is a plethora of shopping, dining and erstwhile distractions to make the waiting worth it.
Those with a sweet tooth will find pastries aplenty. In fact, the famous macaron maker Ladurée has a shop there for those who want to purchase some as souvenirs. Those with a penchant for caviar can satisfy the urge in style at the Cavier House & Punier seafood bar at the airport. Also Those without access to a lounge through their business class or first class airline ticket can opt to purchase a day pass for around $40 at several lounges located in Terminals 1 and 2.
Shopping at CDG: Travel to Paris
There are many duty-free shops where you can shop. On terminal 2C, you will be able to find a lot of boutiques to purchase stylish clothing and cosmetics. Popular French brands, such as YSL, Chanel, Dior and a “Buy Paris” collection make the browsing easy and without the pomp that goes with shopping along Av. des Champs-Élysées.
Art Visit
Find the Espace Musées at the airport by gates M of CDG’s Terminal 2E to see rolling exhibitions by acclaim contemporary French painters and sculptors. Admission is free.
Travel to Paris from the Airport
The airport is located around 17 miles northeast of Paris. Passengers heading into the city center have three transfer options: train, bus or taxi. The regional RER train is a smart and affordable option that takes around 50 minutes to reach the city and costs only 10€. The RER B (blue) train line has stops in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of the airport. Do note: Terminal 2 has seven sub-terminals, but all sub-terminals can be access by foot or by free shuttle buses. There is also a free shuttle train between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, where it is possible to catch the RER B
For those opting for taxis transport, a fare to the center of Paris will cost more than 50€, and even more at peak or overnight times, and the ride can take more than an hour, depending on traffic.
Things to do in Paris: Travel to Paris
Paris requires days, and for those who organize and strategize, much can be pack in.
Eiffel Tower
One of the most visits places in Paris is the Eiffel tower, the circa 1889 toast of the Paris World’s Fair costs around 25 euros per person to ascend the 1,000 feet by elevator, accompanied by throngs of others with similar ideas. There will be lines (up to two hours in summer), but the views are worth it (as is the knowledge of having accomplish this bucket list task). It’s recommend (and free) to book a time online and avoid the wait. For visits during peak months, buy those tickets months in advance.
Musée du Louvre: Travel to Paris
A visit to the Louvre is another must that also takes planning in peak times to purchase tickets and see the more popular exhibits. There are some 30,000 art pieces dating from the 15th to 19th centuries, old along with the antiques and Renaissance sculptures. Most visitors head straight to the Mona Lisa, also known as the Gioconda, the da Vinci masterpiece that is possibly the most famous painting in the world.
To see the Mona Lisa, buy your tickets in advance, to avoid the very long line at the security entrance, then wait in a shorter ticket line (shorter) inside the lobby. Visitors who do this will receive their tickets electronically and can show their tickets on their smartphone to a guard at the front of the pyramid entrance. There is a separate line for e-ticket holders, and visitors must still pass security, but end up in a more advantageous spot near the front of the line allowing them to go right through. A specific time slot on the ticket allows better planning for that precious time in Paris.
Entrance to the Louvre is €9. But visitors can go at 6 pm on a Wednesday or Friday, when entrance is reduced to just €6 and the museum stays open until 9:45 pm.
Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris
The famous gothic cathedral is located in the middle of Paris, in the Latin quarter abutting the Seine. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture with particular attention placed on the innovative use of rib vault and flying buttress architecture employed during its construction: 1160 to 1260. The cathedral was popularized by Victor Hugo in his novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831. It remains the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris. As 12 million people visit Notre-Dame yearly, it is most visited monument in Paris. Entrance is free, no tickets required.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
If all roads lead to Rome, all that is quintessentially Paris leads to the Avenue des Champs- Élysées. The 1.2-mile boulevard between the Place de la Concorde and the Place de Charles de Gaulle and L’Arc de Triomphe is the epicenter of luxury hotels, high fashion, dining, and exquisite gardens dating back some 350 years. Find Louis Vitton, Dior, Chanel and more chain store lines like H&M and A&K. Enjoy a café au lait at a sidewalk bistro or head to Starbuck’s. It’s all there, packed into a mile of style and rich historic beauty.
Travel to Paris: Tips
Litter Not
Paris does not tolerate littering on the street – and that includes tossing the butts of smoked cigarettes. Fines are possible.
Selective Restaurants
Paris is expensive and that is especially true when dining at a restaurant or café. That said, not all dishes are worth the price. Recommendations from a concierge can assist in making a dining venture worthy.
Language issues
We all know the cliché of the American tourist struggling to ask a question in French and the French respondent answering in perfect English. Still, embarrassed or not, do try to speak the language. It may not be appreciated but learning some key phrases will go further in a social interaction than not acknowledging the French language at all.
August
The month of August is vacation time for Parisians. That is good and bad news for visitors – streets are less crowded but some shops and businesses may be closed.
Paris Pass
If you want to optimize time and budget in Paris, a Paris Pass is well advised. They include free entry to the top sights – including the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, hop-on-hop-off bus touring, fast track entrance to beat the lines at top attractions and discounts on a number of top experiences and tours. They come in multi-day durations starting at 131 euros for a two-day pass.
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