Things To Know About Paris, France

Paris, France is one my favorite cities.  There is something about it that just says chic; like any other city though, it has its bad points.  Here are a few things to bear in mind for your next trip.

First and foremost, always say “Bonjour” [hello] or “Bonsoir” [good evening] to everyone as it will make your trip so much better; trust me.

Where is Paris Located?

 

How To Get Here

Paris is accessible by multiple modes of transportation as it a major European city. Let’s take a look at the multiple modes.

By Air

Paris is served by three airports, Charles de-Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais. It’s important to know which terminal your airline uses at each airport. The Aeroports de Paris Web site has a comprehensive listing. This is really important as if you make an error you can and will miss your flight. This can be costly in several ways.

If you get stuck, use this handy guide I created about how to get back from Europe to North America.

Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris France (CDG)

Here are the airlines serving Charles de Gaulle Airport

AccessRail (9B), Aegean Airlines (A3), Aer Lingus (EI), Aeromexico (AM), Air Albania (ZB), Air Algerie (AH), Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Air Cairo (SM), Air Canada (AC), Air Caraibes (TX), Air China (CA), Air France (AF), Air India (AI), Air Malta (KM), Air Mauritius (MK), Air Serbia (JU), Air Tahiti Nui (TN), Air Transat (TS), AirBaltic (BT), All Nippon Airlines (NH), American Airlines (AA), Arkia Israeli Airlines (IZ), Asiana Airlines (OZ), ASL Airlines France(5O), Atlantic Airways (RC), Austrian Airlines (OS), Azerbaijan Airlines (J2),

British Airways (BA), Brussels Airlines (SN), Bulgaria Air (FB), Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), China Eastern Airlines (MU), China Southern Airlines (CZ), Corsair International (SS), Croatia Airlines (OU), Cyprus Airways (CY), Czech Airlines (OK), Delta Air Lines (DL), EVA Airways (BR), EasyJet Airlines (U2), El Al Airlines (LY), Emirates (EK), Eqyptair (MS), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Etihad Airways (EY), Eurowings (EW), Finnair (AY), FlyOne (5F), French Bee (BF),

Georgian Airways (A9), Gulf Air (GF), HC, Hainan Airlines (HU), ITA Airways (AZ), Iberia Express (I2), Icelandair (FI), Iran Air (IR), Japan Airlines (JL), Jet2.com (LS), JetBlue Airways (B6), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Kenya Airways (KQ), Korean Airlines (KE), Kuwait Airways (KU), LATAM (LA), LOT Polish (LO), Links Air (W2), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Luxair (LG), MD, Middle Eastern Airlines (ME),

Neos Air (NO), Norse Atlantic Airways (N0), Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Nouvelair Tunisie (BJ), OE, Oman Air (WY), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Play (OG), Qatar Airways (QR), Royal Air Morac (AT), Royal Jordanian (RJ), Rwandair Express (WB), SAS (SK), SATA International (S4), SF, Saudia Airlines (SV), Singapore Airlines (SQ), Sky Express (GQ), SriLankan (UL), SunExpress (XQ), Swiss Airlines (LX),

Tarom (RO), Thai Airways (TG), Tunisair (TU), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), UK, UU, United Airlines (Star Alliance) (UA), Uzbekistan Airways (HY), VLM Airlines (VG), VR, Vietnam Airlines (VN), Vueling (VY), WestJet (WS), Xiamen Air (MF)

Ground Transportation

• Take the RER B from Terminal 3 Roissy Pole or Terminal 2 into the center of Paris and beyond. Decide the fare you will pay based on the number of days you are staying and how you plan on getting around. Its pretty pricey, but taking the RER B into the city is the most inexpensive way to do it.
• You may also take the Air France bus from outside Hall F, which will take you to just outside the Arc de Triomphe. Show your airline ID on entry as you may get a discount.

Paris-Orly, Paris France (ORY)

Here are the airlines serving Orly Airport

Air Algerie (AH), Air Caraibes (TX), Air Corsica (XK), Air Dolomiti (EN), Air Europa (UX), Air France (AF), Air Malta (KM), Azul Brazilian Airlines (AD), Chalair Aviation (CE), Corsair International (SS), Eastern Airways (T3), EasyJet Airlines (U2), Edelweiss Air (8R), French bee (BF), ITA Airways (AZ), Iberia Airlines (IB), Jetairfly (TB)

La Compagnie (B0), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Royal Air Morac (AT), TAP Portugal (TP), Transavia (HV), Transavia France (TO), Tunisair (TU), Twin Jet (T7), VLM Airlines (VG), Volotea (V7), Vueling (VY), Wizz Air (W6) and, Wizz Air Malta (W4).

French Bee has nonstop service to the U.S. Check the schedules to the right for frequency. Air Caraibes and Air France also flies from here to the Caribbean.

Ground Transportation

• You can find information on all access modes here (there are many)
• If in a hurry,  take the ORLYVAL shuttle train to the RER B stop, Anthony, then take the RER B into the center of Paris. Note this is the same train that takes you to CDG.

Paris-Beauvais, Tille France (BVA)

EasyJet Airlines (U2), Ryanair (FR), Ryanair UK (RK), VLM Airlines (VG), Wizz Air (W6) and Wizz Air Malta (W4) are the primary tenants at Beauvais. They seem to be always adding airlines there.

Ground Transportation

There are several ways to get to/from Beauvais. More details on a shuttle service to/from Paris is located here.

By Bus

If you’ve never taken a bus to Paris, you should. I’ve taken the BlaBlaBus from London-Victoria Bus station to Paris-Bercy Bus station and then a short walk to the Metro and then I’m in the center of Paris in no time. You can read about my bus review here. It was actually fun and I saved a hotel night :-).  Note that Paris-Bercy is not the cleanest station, so don’t be too alarmed.

By Train

Paris is very accessible by train as it has many train stations with trains arriving from all over Europe. The main one is Paris-Gare du Nord. This station is very busy and confusing, so be on your Ps & Qs while using the station. here is a list of the international train stations in Paris:

• Gare de Bercy
• Gare d’Austerlitz
• Gare de l’Est
• Gare Montparnasse
• Gare du Nord
• Gare Saint-Lazare

The main train company in France is the SNCF. Check their web site for tickets, schedules and routes. You can also use Eurail, In addition, you can take the Eurostar train from Kings Cross Station in London to Paris-Gare du Nord.

By Sea

You can take a ferry from the U.K. to France. It goes from Dover, U.K. to Calais, France.

If you go to Dover, you can visit the original site where the flight by Bleriot in 1909 from Calais to Dover landed. It’s a little walk from the town, but it’s worth every step if you’re an airline geek. You can find more information about Dover here.

Getting Around Paris

It’s quite easy to get around Paris as they have a combination of the Metro and the RER trains as well as buses. There are also different kinds of passes to get that will allow you to ride on each transportation mode or all of them. The services are run by RATP. User their website to get information. You can buy tickets at the airports.

Hotels

There are many hotels in this fine city. Start your search at https://www.passrider.com/hotelscombined  or your favorite hotel Web site. Once you find where you want to stay, contact the hotel by phone to see which rate is better; the industry rate or the online rate. Try to stay somewhere that is close to public transportation. You may also use this handy map to book your hotel as well.
 

 

Things To Do In Paris, France

 Paris is a treasure trove of things to do. The obvious ones are not the only ones to see. Yes, go see the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame, etc. But take sometime to walk Paris and enjoy the cafes. One of my favorite thing to do is to walk along La Seine just next to Notre Dame St. Michel. In the summertime, you can see the Parisiennes having cheese and wine there. You may also take a cruise as well.

Check out Viator for pre-arranged tours of Paris and/or museum tickets.

 

Museums

Paris is home to many museums; the two most famous are:

• The Louvre
• Musée d’Orsay

One suggested route:

Start at the Musée d’Orsay, then head for the Louvre, then walk across the Jardin de Tuileries, across the Place de la Concorde, down the Champs-Elysées atop the Arc de Triomphe, then down to the La Defense (take the train :-)) climbing to the top.

Here is a map of your route.

  

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Arc De Triomphe 

Sacré-Cœur

A Roman Catholic Church in the heart of Paris with amazing views as well as catacombs. 

The Grand Arch of La Defense

This structure is not visited by many but well worth it. You can see from the Champs-Élysées and from the Arc de Triomphe.

Champs-Élysées

This is a major stretch in Paris with some of the most expensive stores in the world. It stretches from the Louvre are to the Arc de Triomphe. Just go for a stroll; you’ll love it. 

Chateau Versailles

This is one of my favorite places in Paris. You can take a whole day here to visit inside the palace as well as the grounds. There’s nothing quite like it at all. 

 

The Eiffel Tower

Nothing says you’re in Paris, like this structure. You can get all the way up to the top, but it may take you half a day as the lines are usually very long. You can see it from all over Paris. It’s quite amazing. Go first thing as it opens if you can book your tickets for that time.

 

 

 
So go, enjoy Paris!  Please leave a comment below and let me know what’s your favorite place to go.