Thoughts on using a rental car to get from Paris to DLP?

[DisneyKidds]

Well, things are coming together for our trip to France next summer. We have our flights from NY to Montpellier all set, our flight from Montpellier to Paris all set, and all we need is our return flight from Paris to NY after our stopover.

Here's the plan. We will arrive in France (Montpellier) and spend the week with friends. Then we will be flying from Montpellier to Paris for a stopover to visit DLP and possibly take in some sights. Here is what I am thinking of doing........................you tell me if I'm crazy.

Our flight from Montpellier arrives CDG at about 10:30 am on a Friday. Our flight back to NY will leave Monday morning (if we get the flight we want). We were thinking of trying to see some sights in Paris (Eiffel Tour, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, etc) on that Friday before we head to DLP Friday evening to check into the Newport Bay Club. We'd then spend Sat and Sun touring DLP/Studios before heading back to Paris for our trip home.

Since I have no idea where we could leave our bags upon arriving at CDG if we want to tour Paris (any ideas?) we were thinking that we could rent a car or van to use to tour the city, drive to DLP from Paris, and get back to Paris for our flight home. Gives us a place to keep the bags Friday, and doesn't look like it would be much more expensive than other options for getting from Paris to DLP and back again.

Soooooo...............................am I crazy to think of driving? How long does it take to drive from Paris to DLP on a Friday evening in the summer. From DLP to CDG? Any thoughts, recommendations, comments. Come on all you DLP veterans, let me know what you think!

 

[WDWfan uk]

I think it would be better if you could leave your luggage somewhere for the day - you are going to find driving in Paris pretty stressful and difficult to park near the sights you want to see. I'd sooner tour Paris partly on the metro and on foot.

I'm wondering if you could deposit your bags at the station, and get a train to DLP in the evening, collecting your luggage en route, or whether you would be best to go straight to DLP and have one of the organised trips to Paris from DLP. (Perhaps your friends in Montpelier could find out the more about depositing your luggage at the station?)

 

[DisneyKidds]

Thanks for the input. Checking bags early at the train station is something I'll look into. If there is some way I can do that it would be preferable to driving.

 

[CarolA]

You can check bags at Train stations (I can't remember which one's and my Rick Steves guide which tells you is missing right now.) I would do that before even attempting to drive and park in Paris.

My one piece of advice is you are cutting Paris awfully short. I went for 4 days this Spring and did not come close to seeing everything. (I did not even attempt DLP on this short trip)

 

[megaelch]

to go directly to the Paris park and stay there for your friday !
Driving in Paris is very very difficult, even if you are used to this kind of traffic and i would not leave anything, not even a pair of sunglasses in the car over the day, especially in tourist spots !!!
Travel time from CDG to DLP is 25 - 35 minutes by car from door to door and is very easy to do, please feel free to ask for directions in case you decide to go, rental cars are cheap for the weekend... around 100 USD taxes included is possible !
In your case i would recommend prebooking a taxi that will cost you around 50 - 60 EUR ( 70 USD ) for a one way trip to the Paris resort or take the resort bus, which is a lot slower and cost 15 EUR per person ....
Then go by public transportation to downtown paris in 30 minutes by RER train, cheap, reliable and departs every 10-15 minutes all day long ! Use subway to go around in the city or the official hop-on hop-off sightseeing busses, which travel to all the tourist spots !
for some more information i would recommend checking www.dlp-guide.com a great site with friendly people on the boards !!
Hope i could help

Stephan

 

[DisneyKidds]

Thanks again for the comments.

I do realize we are not allocating very much time to Paris. The focus of our trip will be exploring the south of France, the little villages, the culture, etc., etc. That is what interests us most. My wife has done the tourist site things other cities in Eurpoe and all that stuff isn't as imprtant to us. Given that we will be in Paris I would like to say I have seen the Tower, strolled the Champs Elysees, and walked under the L'Arc, but other than that we don't need a lot of time in Paris propper. Given that we are Disney nuts, it is hard to pass up an opportunity to see how they do Disney in another part of the world. That's out thinking at least.

Sounds like a car may be more trouble than it is worth. You have given me a better perspective on how long it takes to get from Paris to DLP. If it would only take 45 minutes or so to get downtown from DLP by train it might be best to head directly to DLP from the airport and then hop the train back out to Paris. Do you think that if we made it back out to Paris by 2:00 it would provide us enough time to do those few things I mentioned?

Thanks again, you have been very helpful.

 

[megaelch]

if you only want to see these few things you will have plenty of time and Paris is even nicer in the evening... may i suggest one of my must do things while in Paris : go on a boat on river seine in the evening and make an illuminations cruise along notre dame... very nice with a cold bottle of champagne in your backpack.. it`s a steal and a memory forever !!! when you do depart DLP at 2 p.m. you will be standing right under the eiffel tower at 2.45 !

Have fun and when will you going ????

Stephan

 

[DisneyKidds]

Thanks Stephan...................

very nice with a cold bottle of champagne in your backpack..

Sounds wonderful..........................but having a 5 year old, a 3 year old and a 11 month old might ruin the romantic moment . I'll still look into the boat ride as I'm sure it would be fun for the whole family. Do you have to book that kind of thing in advance or can you just show up?

We depart New York on July 9. We'll be staying with friends in Montpellier until the 16th when we fly back to Paris. That gives us 3 full days for our limited Paris sightseeing and DLP before we head back to New York on the 19th.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by megaelch
official hop-on hop-off sightseeing busses, which travel to all the tourist spots !

could you explain what these are and how you would use them? i haven't read much about buses in the research i've been trying to do.

 

[megaelch]

1. The sightseeing boats go during the day, too you do not need to prebook , usually departures from the various companies are every 30 minutes, in summer more often, i will check at home and let you know the exact space and nearest subway or RER station where they depart.

Here is some information : http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm


2. The busses go on a roundtrip route all day long to all the tourist spots in the city. You pay the first time you enter the bus ( any station ) and are allowed to leave and re-enter all day long. They provide earphones to explain the sights in all languages wanted, i will try to find a website for you with the information and routes ...

some info:
Bus Tours
Balabus run from stops marked 'Balabus' from mid-April to mid-September, pass all the major tourist sights between the Grand Arche de la Défense and the Gare de Lyon. Details can be obtained from any métro station. Several companies offer coach tours around Paris, with Les Cars Rouges (tel: (01) 4230 5550) using distinctive red London double-decker buses. Tickets cost ca. 22 USD there are nine stops at main tourist attractions and a recorded commentary in English. Passengers can get on and off at will, with tickets valid for two days.

You can do a classic sightseeing tour, too. Starts at various points and the tourist information booth at the DLP RER station can be used to book them, some of these tours depart at the Paris resort for your convenience..

Stephan

 

[missypie]

I went to the Batobus webiste and they say that they run until Nov.2, 2003. Any idea of when they start running again in the Spring?

 

[tclowe]

For Original Poster: Another option from CDG to Disneyland Paris is to take the fast train TGV. Only 10 to 15 minutes ride and you are at the train station in front of Disneyland Park. But since you have 3 small children with you, I would recommend this way if your flight lands in Terminal 2 (Air France and a few other airlines) where the TGV terminal is located. Fast and only about $15 pp. If your flight lands in Terminal 1 then you have the hassle of taking the free shuttle bus (with 3 kids and carry-ons) to get from Terminal 1 to 2.

For other Poster: the hop on/off buses are runned by a company called L'Open Tours. There are three different routes and you can buy a one-day or two-day pass. I think there is another bus company that does the same thing but not as extensive. You can check out L'Open Tours' website which has a map and list of all their stops and how long each route would take.

 

[DisneyKidds]

I would recommend this way if your flight lands in Terminal 2 (Air France and a few other airlines) where the TGV terminal is located. Fast and only about $15 pp.

Thanks, I'll look into that. 10 to 15 minutes sounds about my speed. When we fly into Paris from Montpellier for this portion of our trip it will be on an Air France flight. Do all Air France flights arrive in Terminal 2? If we did this, what would be the best way to get from the Disneyland train station to the Newport Bay Club hotel?

 

[megaelch]

arrives only every hour or so .. so in case it is just there it is a nice option, but to be on the safe side i still recommend a taxi to go directly to Newport Bay.
When you do arrive by train there are buses located right outside the train station bringing you to your resort every few minutes !!

Stephan

 

[CarolA]

Bato-o-bus is kind of a water taxi service and does stop for the winter. However, the other tour companies on the water are open year round.