7 Helpful Tips for Traveling through Paris

Traveling through Paris – 7 Helpful Tips

Photo by Philippe Lejeune

I’ve never encountered major problems arriving or departing from Charles De Gaulle but sometimes I hear or read negative comments about this airport. If you need to stop in Paris on your way to Corsica, these tips will help make your trip an enjoyable one.

The following review appeared recently in the airport section of www.airlinequality.com. In this post I will show how a bit of preparation can help prevent or minimize some common problems.

Complaint	Suggestion
“A few days ago it had been snowing, …. Paris CDG shut for 3 hours”.	Expect major delays during snow season (or avoid traveling in winter if you can).
“It then took 2 and a half hours from landing to exiting the gate (nearly three times longer than the actual flight from London). One hour of this was spent waiting for the airport to send some aircraft steps to the plane… ”.	See tips # 3-5 below and be sure to carry some snacks with you.
“As it was getting late, the last RER (suburban rail) train to Paris was due to leave soon”.	Avoid arriving late at night unless you have someone to pick you up. This applies to almost any location.
“Yet the ticket machines did not accept international bank cards – and many English passengers were panicking as the machines didn’t accept Euro notes either. None of the ticket offices were open. … the ticket machines weren’t accepting French bank cards either. So ticket machines would only accepting Euro coins at an international airport late at night – this made buying a ticket impossible”.	Bring enough cash with you (100-200 Euros) and some small denomination bills (5, 10 and 20) and avoid arriving late at night.
“How the hell are passengers meant to have 10 or more Euros in change at night when all the shops are shut?”	Apparently the issue here was not only the lack of cash but the fact that shops were closed. Try to arrive early in the day when shops are still open.
“And if all the ticket machines aren’t even accepting French bank cards, why aren’t ticket offices staffed?”	Again, try to arrive early in the day or be sure to have enough cash.
Another passenger wrote: “you can have a 40 mn flight from London, taxi in CDG for another 20 mn and wait an hour for your luggage if you get it”.	This is true. Again, plan for these delays. See tips #3-5 below.

It is not my intent to make fun of these travelers or minimize their frustrations. If you are not accustomed to the French way of life you need to know that speed and efficiency are not top priorities in France.

Managing Delays

CDG airport does not have conveniently located food courts with dozens of fast food outlets to choose from open day and night. If you arrive at CDG on an empty stomach at 10:31 AM you may find it is too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. For this reason, I always carry some snacks in my carry-on luggage or daypack.

When your plane lands at CDG you may have to walk down steps to the runway, then wait for a bus to take you to a terminal where you can retrieve your luggage. From the time you exit the plane until you are reunited with your luggage you may have to wait 45 minutes or more. If you’re changing planes or airlines, or driving to Orly, leave at least a 3-hour cushion between the time you land at CDG and your next flight.

If you’re on your way to Corsica and you miss your connecting flight, there are many planes connecting Paris to Corsica daily. As I mentioned in a previous post, if you’re traveling with Air France just relax and wait for the next flight. There are other airlines that provide similar service to and from Corsica so if you miss your scheduled flight you should have little difficulty finding an alternate one.

Helpful Tips

To Summarize:

Avoid arriving in Paris late at night unless you have someone there to pick you up.
Expect delays during bad weather.
If you’re stopping in Paris on your way to a Mediterranean cruise, give yourself some extra time, otherwise you may miss the boat or experience unnecessary stress.
If you’re meeting a hiking group in Calvi or Ajaccio on a Sunday morning, plan to arrive in Corsica at least the day before. Better to pay for an extra hotel night than miss your tour.
Avoid traveling on weekends or during major holidays. This may seem extreme but I usually fly from Tuesday-Thursday.
Bring a change of clothes in your carry-on, at least a clean shirt and underwear, in case your luggage is lost, misplaced or delayed. (I have not lost any lugagge yet. Maybe because I try to avoid weekends and major holidays though I have flown in July and August, the two busiest months).
Do not carry non-replaceable items in your luggage (medications, camera, electronic equipment, precious photos or important documents). This is true anywhere you travel.

One Last Tip
If you can, try to arrive in Paris around 6:00AM or before sunrise. If you fly from North America or England, you will first see the coast of Normandy and then, a few minutes later, the city of Paris will appear in all of its glory, with lights in every direction as far as the eye can see. You’ll start the day on a good note and be out of the airport before noon traffic.

We travel to France to experience art, beauty, great food, and to remind ourselves that there is more to life than work.

Bon Voyage!

Have you had a similar or different experience when traveling through Paris? Do you have some tips you’d like share with us? If so, please leave us a comment and thanks for visiting!

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