Paris Airport Bleg:
Pardon the bleg, but I wonder if Paris-based (or just Paris-familiar) readers can help me with something. I'm flying to Israel to give a talk at Tel Aviv University Law School next week, and when I fly back to the States on Saturday, December 20th, I will have a 12-hour stopover at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport. My flight from Tel Aviv arrives in Paris at 10pm, and my flight to DC departs at 10 am. So here's the bleg: Any ideas for stuff I realistically could do out in Paris during that stopover, preferably things involving good beer? I don't speak any French and don't know Paris, but going out for a few hours seems like more fun than just sitting in the airport overnight or getting a nearby hotel room to crash.
(While I am in shameless bleg mode, I, too, know of a great apartment rental in Arlington for the Obama inauguration that is soon to go up on CraigsList — e-mail me if interested. No, it's not mine...)
(While I am in shameless bleg mode, I, too, know of a great apartment rental in Arlington for the Obama inauguration that is soon to go up on CraigsList — e-mail me if interested. No, it's not mine...)
But note that Charles De Gaulle, is a VERY inefficiently run airport. It once took me 2 hours to catch a connecting flight there, which I ended up almost missing as a result. So leave plenty of time to catch your flight to the US.
Objection: Relevance.
Besides, it's not far from Belgium, right?
If you arrive at CDG at 10pm, the soonest you can possibly be in the famous parts of Paris (without baggage) is a little before 11pm, assuming you rush for the exit and get a fast taxi right away. Tour the City of Lights by night? For a 10am flight, you must leave Paris by 6am at the very latest (the morning traffic is horrible and it's not a very fast airport).
C'est à dire, you probably don't have time to get a beer anywhere other than the airport bar nor to stay further away than an airport hotel.
In my experience CDG's services shut down around 10pm and don't recommence operations until 6am. I don't think you're allowed to stay overnight; there's certainly a law against sleeping in the public areas of the airport.
Also be aware that there is nowhere to leave baggage in CDG. If you take your bags, you will have to carry them around. I guess that's common now.
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Alaska JackJack who is not, has never been and never will be an Alaskan. I swear. Really.http://www.latlas.fr/
About the best French beer is 1664.
You could find a small hotel in the 5th Arrondissement (Latin Quarter) and wake up early to walk the ancient streets (unfortunately it will be dark until late this time of year). Or if your taste runs to luxury hotels you could stay at the Concorde Lafayette near Porte Maillot and have a drink in the bar on top. The panoramic view will give you an idea of the beauty of the city and will incent you to come back with more time, which is what you should do.
You might be over thinking this. Go with your instincts. There will be tons of locals working at the airport that will enjoy telling you (in English) what train you should get on and what stop you should get of at. If your carry on load is light, you can walk straight to the train and spend the ride into town practicing your pronounciation of "Une bière, s'il vous plaît" and deciding what kind of beer you want.
It is true, though, that on a 12 hour stopover, you should only allow for about four hours of beer in the middle to make sure the frogs don't gwinje you.
That said, if you still want to go make sure your bags are checked through for your connecting flight just ask the taxi driver to take you to St. Michel and follow the crowd into the Latin Quarter. There are lots of restaurants and bars and you will be able to see Notre Dame and walk around the heart of old Paris. This area is active until at least 2 am or so and I have never felt unsafe.
There are a number of hotels within a few minutes shuttle ride of the airport. Most of them will have bars and are reasonable. If you are on expenses, I would book a room at the CDG Sheraton (~$500/night). It is right in terminal 2, literally steps from the arrival gates, which is the arrival/departure terminal for most North American flights.
Harry's New York Bar is open 'till 4AM. (It's near the Opera House -- a pretty impressive sight.) Fitzgerald and Hemingway drank themselves silly there. Why not you? (And, as I was there on Saturday, I can say that they make great martinis, though I'm sure the beer is terrific too.)
Gerard
Brett Marston's suggestion seems good - thereafter there are all night brasseries and the like.
I would suggest, instead of stressing yourself out trying to "see" much of Paris this time, that you take another trip there at some point when you can be more relaxed. If I'm there too, I'll buy you a beer AND some wine.
That said, you'd only be able to be in the touristy parts of Paris between about midnight and 6AM, and I have no idea what is worth doing in that time.
The way airfare is priced, that would cost a small fortune.
and a taxi.
not too bad... price wise.
i've had to do it.
Check your luggage direct to the US and take a small carry on bag that you can haul everywhere.
Find a Limo service that will drive you for 3 hours of sight seeing along the River Seine and the Champs Elisee. If you are looking for a nice English Speaking place try Cafe Oz, lovely lasses with Australian or New Zeeland accents work the bar and the customers are either Angles, Saxons, or francophones who are working on learning English. All will be happy to chat. Cafe Oz is also about a mile north of Notre Dame, in an edgy but not unsafe neighborhood (think the Castro in S.F.).
USA to CDG to Seoul? You must have been very bad in a former life.
CDG is like Dulles, with cigareetes and without the cheery atmosphere.
Next to the Bastille also is the rue de Lappe, one of the most typically parisian streets the city has to offer, a lively one that is, with lots of restaurants, pubs and bars of different kinds to enjoy.
Giving directions to visitors is a natural habit to most Parisians over there, the language barrier shouldn't be too much of a challenge.
Good luck waking up the next morning.
Bon voyage!
However, taking the RER to central Paris is manageable. I wouldn't do it tired, or with a large amount of small luggage, but it's not bad in my experience (which is, admittedly, in the daytime.)
BE SURE to allow plenty of time to get back. CDG is unpredictable--I've had it take from 45 minutes to 3 hours to get to my gate.
I would strongly consider staying at a hotel near CDG. As everyone says, to get back there in the morning from the city center you would need to leave very early, especially because CDG is a terrible airport and the entire experience is guaranteed to be stressful. So, better to be at an airport hotel and eat a nice breakfast, have a coffee, etc., at your leisure.
For your arrival, all of the ideas above are good. If you are feeling frugal try to do it w/ RER out there and then a taxi back out to the airport late at night. If you have some disposable income, though, I would take the advice to hire a chauffeur to take you around and then also to take you back to your airport hotel when the night is through. As said above, they usually have about three hour minimums, which should be perfect for you, and they are the best way to do a couple of cool things, e.g., have a drink at Harry's Bar, a bite to eat at a bistro, see the Champs and Notre Dame, etc.
Good luck and have fun regardless.
Steve - Cafe Oz. Indeed, that brings back some old memories. Never thought I would see it mentioned in such distinguished company.
Ignore the nay-sayers. Your layover is perfect. Check into an airport hotel (you don't even want to think about trying to stay in town and come out in the morning), leave your bags in the room and then head into town for dinner.
Depending on your budget:
Big budget: Arpege. Alain Passard is a demented genius. You have no conception how weird -- or how extraordinary -- his combinations can be until you have tried them.
Lower budget: Cassoulet at Au Trou Gascon. This may be the friendliest place in Paris, and the food is just extraordinary. Truly exceptional foie gras as well; you can of course have Sauternes with it, but the sommelier usually has an alternative that's as delicious as it is obscure. Those around you on the plane next day may not appreciate this recommendation, but you will. One caveat: It is deucedly hard to find unless you know where you're going.
If you really want beer: Choucroute. [The world capital of food, and you should eat sauerkraut? Yes.] I am fond of Alasco. Lipp is a classic brasserie, although, in the horrified phrase of my favorite Parisian dining-mate, "Lipp est mort!"; he likes Le Bec Rouge. Alsatian beer is OK with choucroute, although I would have an Alsatian riesling. You want to go with as many people as you can collect, as you get a bigger selection of cuts with a bigger order.
One thing: New York at 8PM on a rainy Friday is cab heaven compared to Paris. Have the restaurant call you a car to take you back to the airport.
I recommend Académie De La Bière at 88-bis Boulevard De Port-Royal. Phone: +33 (0)1 43 54 66 65. They have several excellent belgian beers on tap and hundreds of bottles available.
OMG, City of Lights on steriods! GO! Even if you're stuck wandering the streets, GO!
My first trip to Paris was an overnight flight connection, too. Granted, this was pre-terrorism, when storing luggage and finding a restroom at 4 A.M. weren't such a challenge. And, perhaps more importantly, I was in my 20s. Walked and walked and walked.
Best case: hustling, bustling night life going on until past 2, followed by a few hours of walking around, topped off by a couple espressos with the early crews heading to work.
Worst case: you take a 50-Euro taxi back to CDG cuz it's cold and your feet hurt.
Check the Paris weather before you leave Tel Aviv.
Probably not your airline, but might apply to alliance travellers, as well. Assuming you take the time.
I have to correct this one. Whatever you do, don't go to Bastille looking for Les Deux Magots. It's really at St. Germain-de-Prés, a very different location (also the metro station of the same name), right next to the Flore and across the street from the already mentioned Lipp, all equally legendary (in the past). They are also not that far from the much mentioned St. Michele (with the Notre-Dame and the works) even on foot, if you know your directions. Lipp says it takes orders till 1am (hence probably closes at 2), and its competition likely does the same.
1) Saturday night/midnight is a showing of Rocky Horror Picture show on the left bank. If you enjoyed it in English, imagine it being butchered in French (different things being yelled out but still the same dancing/drenching/etc).
2) Half a block down the street is the Trois Mallets (3 Hammers) which is a merc bar full of old Africa hands and VERY high stakes backgammon games. Floor show is so-so.
3) Go to your favorite Parisian landmark (Eifel tower, Versailles, Notre Dame, etc) and watch it as the sun comes up. There are never crowds anywhere at dawn and it's nice to have the place to yourself. I've done this at the Acropolis, Petra, Rome, etc. and it is the cheapest most memorable thrill. Very easy to imagine the same setting at a different time period with less anachronisms.
Oh yeah, #4 - check out sleepinginairports.com for the best place to take a nap at any layover.
Bon Chance - Lou
I know you won't have much time while you're there, but it will be absolutely worth your while to take a cab down the Champs-Elysees right now. The Christmas lights are extraordinary and you won't regret it. Same goes for the Eiffel Tower - this is your last chance to see it lit up in blue and yellow before the EU presidency is transferred to the Czech Republic. Regardless of anybody's feelings about the EU, seeing the Eiffel Tower in blue and gold is a treat. At the top of the hour, the tower basically explodes into a glittering light show for five minutes, and it's an excellent opportunity to toast with some champagne or warm mulled wine. If nothing else will get you out of the airport, at least go to see the lights right now.
Anyway, Paris doesn't offer too much in terms of nightlife if you weren't planning on going out to a nightclub. However I wholeheartedly recommend Au Pied de Cochon, a brasserie near the Louvre which has been open for over 60 years and remains open 24 hours a day. At the risk of sounding insensitive they DO specialize in pork and oysters, but they've also got great salmon and hands down the best French onion soup I've ever eaten. I ate the best steak of my entire life there last month. Sit around for hours enjoying a three course meal for a little over thirty US dollars per person.
Whatever you do, don't bother with places like Les Deux Magots. It's now horrendously overpriced with only mediocre fare - not to mention it's not anywhere near the Bastille.
Also keep in mind that when you call a taxi service in Paris, you will be charge for the fare starting from the second they accept your call.
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