First time I ever came to France, my friend and I used the metro. We could speak hardly any French, both had large suitcases and roll-ons, and had to transfer through Chatelet, which we could see by the map was going to be a nightmare. Maybe we were lucky, but it was no hassle at all. Could be because we arrived around 4 on an August afternoon, but I still think the RER's not too scary at all.

On the way out I always take a shuttle. Something about the energy levels having dropped since arrival

Hey ..
Dont even think abt taking a metro or an RER for the airport . The best would be the shuttle .. There are shuttles of Air France which operate to CDG airport , and of course u will find shuttles to Paris beauvois airport as well .. Never been to Orly by a shuttle , but i am sure there are shuttle's which operate between CDG and Orly ...
Going by metro or RER can be very very exhaustive , expecially if u have heavy luggage ..
Ok the good luck and hope u listen to the advice ..
chaoo and bon voyage

I agree, a shuttle or taxi is the only way to go. When we were on the metro, I would see families with luggage, hot and sweaty, trying to squeeze on between all of the hot bodies, and I felt so sorry for them. One American couple were on the metro with all of their luggage and had no idea where they were going. I helped them figure out which stop they needed and then showed them how to get to their hotel. It would have made their arrival so much nicer to have just given a taxi or shuttle their hotel address and sat back and relaxed.

Having lived here for 6 months now, I HIGHLY recommend using a Shuttle Service from the airport.

Trying to navigate the RER and metro (during rush hour, or not) is nothing short of a pain in the fanny! Between all the stairs, folks you'll bump with your luggage, and trying to get yourself AND your luggage through the entry and exit stalls, I think the Paris airport shuttles are the best deal going!

If your flight arrives during rush hour!!! Oy!!! "Gentlemen" within the metro... who will help you with your luggage, or get up to offer you a seat ... well, they are few and VERY far between, if any! Plus, when returning to CDG one never knows if there'll be a strike, or some odd delay. Who needs that stress when trying to catch a flight?

Last weekend we took the metro to Porte Maillot (sp?) to catch the RER to Versaille. Well, as we clambered down into the bowels of the earth where the RER line is, I began smelling something odd. We got down to the platform and there was smoke everywhere. We weren't the only ones standing there wondering what was going on, but I told my visiting friend "something's not right". Next thing we knew a very stressed employee came down to tell us all to get out. WHO KNOWS what was going on down there, or what was obviously on fire... somewhere in the RER line. My friend immediately let her paranoia sink in and decided terrorists were at work. (sheesh ) Thus, we exited the RER station and proceeded to have to work out the bus lines. She wouldn't have anything to do with the underground after that.

The second option (and I've used this a few times) is the Air France bus that drops at 3 major metro points accross paris. There's a bus leaving the terminals every 15 minutes. It costs 10 Euros to ride, but well worth it, considering you'd pay almost that much for the luxury of lugging your baggage through the RER and metro.

The ultimate is taking a taxi. If you're not on a tight budget, go for it.

PitterPat

Ursula

I know that you girls need only your lipstick and your powder box on your way to Paris. (On the way home you send your luggage anyway as cargo – don't you?) But when I am in Paris for three weeks in autumn I need a little bit more than what fits into a handbag. But anyway I got my baggage successfully through RER and Metro (never again if possible). A nice employee of RATP opened for me even the door for disabled people to let me pass.

Are we doing this subject in two different threads. I could have sworn we were discussing this in terms of one shuttle demanding a 5 hour delay which I said was out of the question. Still waiting to hear which shuttle this was.

Ruthanne and everyone,
It is true, I am a budget traveler plus I travel very light, never check my luggage and I can wheel it easily on the train/bus.
I have taken public transportation from the airport or train station in Paris, Nice, Lyon, London, Amsterdam, Rome and Tokyo.
As a New Yorker, maybe it just comes naturally to me.

Wow Everyone! Thank you so much for all the tips. Single female traveler + first time in Paris + limited French language + can't sleep on airplane = Shuttle! I found a BP partner that is a shuttle service, which I will support. I will take a Lot more time perusing BP before asking questions again. Thank you all for your patience and help.

Ruthanne

Don't exaggerate, Joachim! It's bad, but not THAT bad.

I always travel with a carry-on trolley. While it's not terribly convenient, I always manage to get it through the métro gates. You have to push it in front of you and not pull behind you! But then, I am not jetlagged, just kind of dizzy after a long train ride.

However, arriving jetlagged after a long overnight flight without having any idea about how the public transportation system in Paris works and with a suitcase FORGET the RER/métro! Also the RER B3 line CDG to the city is a prime target for pickpockets. That's no news!

Please, allow yourself either a cab or a shuttle and save money elsewhere, if you have to.

I can only support what Al said - I tried it myself!
The first time I went to Paris by plane I took the RER into the city. I had only one medium sized suitcase and I thought 'no problem'. Well I was wrong. The problems were not the stairs, but try to squeeze a suitcase through the entry- and exit-gates at the RER- and Metro-stations. You will have problems with anything lager than a briefcase! On the way back I took a taxi - the price depends on luck of traffic.

The second time I booked the van for both ways. It went (nearly) perfectly well. On the way to my apartment the driver could not go closer than one block - there was a change in the one way streets. He could not find the one and only mouse hole to creep in.

I still say the best way after looking over the posts and as a first timer is to take the van (book in advance on BP) and you get delivered directly to your hotel .

Mara, It may work out wery well for you, however it depends on the airline you take from New York to CDG. The majority of the American airlines arrive at "Aerogare #1". Only American and Delta Arrive at Aero Gare #2. If you arrive at aerogare #1 and want to take the RER you first have to the the navette (shuttle bus) to Aerogare #2, which can be no fun, especially if you have more that 2 cles of luggage, then it depends on your hotel. where you get off. You only have two stops that serve the Latin quater, the "St. Michel stop, which has exits only at the Place St. Michel or the Ile de la Cité, or the Luxembourg stop with exits ariund the Place Edmond Rostand. Both are on the Eastern (North-Eastern) edge of the Latin quarter, and you may have a fair amount of walking with all your luggage. Or you have to take a cab from there, which may be hard to find at that time of the morning in that area, especially if the weather is bad. One more point to consider, if you after a long exhausting flight fall asleep on the RER there are two things that may happen (neither of them good), a) you may miss your stop, and wake up who knows where, or worse, you may wake up with one or two pieces of your luggage gone, especially is you go alone! It is different for an experienced traveler, like you are. It may not be worse for a 1st time travler.

BP Chuck

Ruthanne, I fly into CDG from JFK and always take the RER into the city. Depending on the location of your hotel, it can be quite easy with no changes. And if you are a budget traveler, like I am, , the cost is about 8 €.
Have a fabulous trip! I just bought a plane ticket for October!!!

Ruthann, First of all You do have several choices to get from the Airport (CDG) to the city of Paris. Yo basically hace the RER (This is the regional transport system, and is just like the Metro, which is only in Paris and a few stops outside of Paris), and is basically a subway. Incidentally forget about the Tube, this is the equivaqlent of the Metro... in London. In Paris people will not know what you are talking about. allways talk about the "Metro". I agree with Al, you will be tired and will not want to take the RER, especially as you did not mention the name of the hotel, and the Latin Quater (Quatrier Latin) covers lots of territory, and you may or may not have to transer, and dependig on the airlne you arrive with you even have to take a shuttle bus to get to Aerogare #2, from where the RER leaves. In other words take a Limo. you hjave to reserve them in advance. or if you want to get there faster you can take a Cab (no reservations needed). The cabfare i in the range of 40 €, for one person with little luggage, to the Latin quarter.
Ilet you know tomorrow about thing in the area,

BP Chuck

Ruthanne....getting to your hotel by metro depends of course the amount of luggage you carry. To take the metro you have to climb stairs not onlyat your exit but if you have to transfer to another train. If connections are good to your hotel it shouldn't be too bad. And if your flight is from NY and you can manage a couple of hours sleep (with or without pill help) it shouldn't be too bad. But the best way would probably be by the van which can be booked right here on BP.Since your questions are not specific the best answers are already here on BP. Have you looked at the various catagories you are interested in. If you find someting that interests you then it's your advantage to come back to us with specific questions.

Chuck,

Thank you for the warm welcome! And thanks for the tip. Yes, I have several CDs that I listen to and am working my way through a graded French reader. But would like to be able to Compose as well. Anywho, leaving on 8/31. On my own for 5 days in Paris, a walking tour in Provence, and then just a few days in Nice. Staying in the Latin Quarter in Paris. Question: after a loooong flight, do you think it's worth it for me to cab it to Paris, or will it be well-marked enough for me to take the tube? There are a few touristy things I'd like to see, but would love some Inside Tips on where to go off the beaten path. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time perusing this website before I leave!

Ruthanne

Ruthanne, first of all, welcome to BP. Also to your trip (I guess wintin a few days.)
At the moment we do not have a French learning "Chat Room". We used to have one, and it went inactive. Besides thes are all in writing. French spelling is often different (for an American) to correlate with the proper pronounciation, so I would suggest that you get a good disc, and play it as frequently as you can (at home, and not in your car, as playing such a disk and paying too much attention to it, may get your into an accident, and delay your planned trip to Paris).
Where are you going to be staying? Maybe we can make suggestions where good eating places are in your area, what to see, how to get to your hotel from the airport, etc.

BP Chuck

Hello everyone! I'm Brand Spanking New to this board. So glad I found it. Will be taking my Dream Trip to France for the first time at the end of August. I have been studying French on my own, and then recently took an Immersion course through Berlitz, and I don't want to lose what I've learned. If anyone would be willing to become my, for lack of a better term, French Pen Pal, I'd just jump for joy! I can help with English if someone (with patience and prepared for a good laugh!) will correct my French. Thanks!!!

Ruthanne

Ah oui, Phyllis, c'est même génial. Bravo!

And I fully agree with you about just listen to a foreign language. Helps indeed a lot.
I often watch foreign TV channels, just for that.

Before I moved to France I would try to listen to RFI (Radio France International) each morning, because one of my local stations broadcasts their reports live for two hours each morning. It's an all-news station which reports from Paris. Kind of like a CNN of the radio. I could understand some, but certainly not all. However, just getting your ear trained to listen to French will help.

It's also a great way to mark your progress. Now I can listen and understand 95% which is certainly a great improvement.

You are right! You can't avoid them in large forums. The only thing you can do with these foul apples is: don't eat and discard. But most of the participants are very kind and helpful.

Are you interested about listening French while reading a text??
Here a website free and very commodious: http://laguinguette.com/
To the ones (as I'm) learning English, a similar (inverse) website : http://www.esl-lab.com/index.htm
To me, visiting about.com, I appraised it, although there are a few bad participants

You can do your first steps in French on the web. Look also at http://french.about.com/. This site is made for Americans who (want to) learn French with a lot of information on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and more. There is even a 20-week French for Beginners email course.

They have three forums of different levels with chat about France and French.
http://forums.about.com/ab-french3/
http://forums.about.com/ab-french/start/
http://forums.about.com/ab-french2/

You're welcome, Theresa We've got a lot of info on the resource pages with more to come. Right now I'm listening to CherieFM, which is my fave because it's mainly love songs and so slower and easier to understand. It's gone from being a string of consonants so something that I can (sometimes!!) understand. I like listening to the horoscopes to see if I can understand what mine says. More often than not, it just sounds like I'm going to have a fabulous day and find a new lover. (Or maybe that's my wishful thinking??? )

And I'm with you about the length of time. According to the Alliance, I'm at an advanced level, but I certainly don't think so. My reading comprehension is much better than my listening skills, and my tutor's always cautioning me to break my ideas down into "petits morceaux" so I don't lose the verb But it's a great language and when you can argue back with a teller at Galeries Lafayette, you know you're getting places

Cheers,
Gabrielle

Gabrielle, I did not know that bonjourparis.com had those radio station resource pages! I would have been listening to them! Thank you so much for sharing this idea

Suzy, I was learning from Pimsleur method only for quite a while before I hired a tutor. Before then, I could not read French either, becaues I did not understand the sounds of their alphabet. You need a teacher, French student, or book, that explains the sounds of their alphabet and the basic rules. Once I learned this, I feel like I can sound out most words. Pimsleur is a great way to start, and to learn enough for knowing the basics when traveling, but if you really want to speak and understand French, you will most likely need a real life person.

Final "s" is usually silent, and most other final consonants are usually silent, with the exceptions of "c" "f" "l" and sometimes "r." However, the ending "er" is usually pronounced like a long "a" sound, such as in "Olivier."

French also stress the last syllable in each group of words. Try that too

I'm still a beginner and I've been trying to learn for a little over a year now, I think Oh well, every day, I know more than I would have known if I'd never tried