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This is the view from Batoboat. There are a good deal of beautiful things to see along River Seine.
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Batobus
Batobus is a boat service on River Seine. It's my favorite choice to get around. It takes you to many attractions because most major attractions are by River Seine. Watching the scenery of Paris from the boat is a wonderful experience you shouldn't miss, the river view is truly stunning. It makes 8 stops in front of those tourist destinations. It usually takes 15 minutes to wait for the next Batobus to come in summer. If your hotel is right next to River Seine, you will be very happy taking Batobus back and forth to commute.
Check out Batobus website to see the stops and maps
Taxi
It's probably cheaper to take taxi in Paris than in North American cities. If you don't feel comfortable taking metro at night, taxi would be a great option. Let's say you want to see Eiffel Tower at night, after a night out appreciating the beautiful lighting display and enjoying your photo op, just take a taxi back to your hotel. Taking taxi within central Paris is not that expensive. Another reason to choose a hotel in central Paris, isn't it? From Eiffel Tower to Saint German (where I stayed), it costs around 9 euros during the evening traffic.
Here are the calculators for Paris taxi. Keep in mind it might cost 2 to 3 euros more than what the calculator estimates if there is traffic.
Paris taxi calculator
Trains (Metro, RER)
Metro takes you to the destination fast. And it's the cheapest transportation in Paris. But you come to Paris to see Paris and you don't see anything underground really. It can get claustrophobic when you are in underground tunnels.
This is one of the oldest metros in the world, so it does show wear and tear and is kind of depressing. Pickpocketing is common because you are in a crowded tight space. Some tourists complained they saw purse snatching. It got me really nervous and paranoid when I took metro. Anyway, don't stand near the door when you are on a train to avoid someone taking your purse and running out while the train stops and the doors open.
Truth to be told, taking metro or RER is really stressful because you have to watch out for pickpocketing and purse snatching in a dingy train station. You take it only when other options are not available such as you have to take RER to Versailles, which is 45 minutes outside Paris.
Paris above ground is beautiful and magical, Paris underground is really what they call "urban decay". Well, let's be fair, every country has "urban decay". In Paris, underground is where nightmare happens.
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| Paris Metro & RER Map |
Note:
Gare du Nord, "North Station", is the busiest railway station in Europe. It connects several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro, RER and Buses. Gare du Nord is where you take trains to Northern France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. It is in a very sketchy neighborhood. I would avoid this train station unless it's absolutely necessary.
At Gare du Nord, pickpocketing goes to the next level. They blatantly bump you to steal. Avoid women flocking outside the train station and asking you to sign a petition, they are the ones who would aggressively shove you and reach your pockets really fast.
Some guidebooks are very political correct, they don't warn readers about bad neighborhoods. I find that rather silly because every country has bad neighborhoods, the tourists are going to find out anyway, more precisely they are going to find out the hard way. Informing the travelers which area is not safe doesn't demonize a country or any group of people. It simply helps travelers make better decisions and travel smart so they can stay safe and go home happy, raving about the city they visited without any sad incident.
How to get to Paris from the CDG Airport?
RER
Take RER line B from CDG airport to Paris. It departs every 15 minutes and takes 40 minutes to reach central Paris. For purchasing a ticket, you need exact change/coins or a credit card with smart chip and 4 digit pin number to work on these blue ticket vending machines. If you don't have both, you just have to line up to buy tickets at the ticket counter. Don't worry, the staffers can speak English. It costs 9.75 Euros per person.
Note:
I followed the advice from other guidebooks to take RER from the CDG airport to Paris because they make it sound like it's easy breezy to do so. Well, it's not. Keep in mind that the train is very crowded and it takes a long time. They say RER is underground so it avoids traffic. But it still takes much longer than I thought. I think it's because the train has to make many stops along the way. Standing on a overcrowded train for another 40 minutes after a long flight seems like eternity. That's not exactly something you look forward to. Also, if you have a lot of luggages, you have to drag them downstairs to take the train, there is no elevator. After you get off the train, you need to find your hotel, which can be tricky sometimes. You need to put all these elements into consideration. The ticket is 9.75 Euros, you can do the math on how much saving you can get for your group and decide if it's worth the hassle.
As you can see, if you are dead tired after a long flight, it is very painful to take RER because you need to get the tickets (it can be confusing for first-timers) first, drag your luggages downstairs to catch the train, stand on the train for 40 minutes, get off the train, and then try to find the hotel. Don't forget you have to watch your belongings carefully on the train to avoid pickpocketing. I think it's too much for first-time visitors. It might be doable for experienced returning travelers because they know their way around, realize they should travel light, and are aware of how to prevent pickpocketing. Anyway, you just don't want to lose anything on a crowded train on the first day. That will put a dampener on your trip.
TAXI
Find the taxi stand outside CDG airport and get in line. You should only take a taxi that has a "TAXI PARISIENS" sign on the roof. Tip 3% to 5% of the fare or round up the charge.
It costs around 57 Euros to take a taxi from CDG airport to central Paris. If you have three or more travelers or too many luggages, taking a taxi is a better idea. As RER costs 9.75 Euros each, you won't save much with 3 people. If you have too many luggages, it is just not feasible to take RER.
Use this Paris taxi calculator to estimate the cost from the airport to your hotel.
Roissy Bus
It departs every 15 minutes and takes you directly from CDG airport to Opéra Garnier, which is in central Paris, in one hour. You can buy tickets from an RATP vendor near the gate before boarding. A one-way ticket costs 8.90 Euros each. Taking a taxi within central Paris is not that expensive. Use this Paris taxi calculator to estimate the rate from Opéra Garnier to your hotel. Roissy Bus goes directly to Opéra Garnier and makes no stop elsewhere. There is also space for luggages.
Shuttle
Air France runs two shuttles "Cars Air France" from CDG airport to Paris. Just follow the signs to "Cars Air France" at terminal 2. It departs every 30 minutes and serves 4 stops in Paris.
The first shuttle stops at Etoile (on the Champs-Elysées, 1 Avenue Carnot)and Porte Maillot (Blvd. Gouvion St. Cyr), both in Western Paris. It costs 16.20 Euros one-way and takes about an hour.
The second shuttle stops at Gare de Lyon and Montparnasse in Paris. It costs 16.60 Euros one-way and takes 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Check out Air France shuttle website.
Unless your hotel is right next to where the shuttle stops at, otherwise, the saving is small for 2 or more travelers because the shuttle is already pricer than RER and Roissy Bus and you also have to pay for a taxi to get to your hotel. The inconvenience is not worth the small saving, and that's just my opinion.
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