Travel SMART – Paris, France

In this “Travel SMART” series of articles we discuss real-world travel plans for exploring popular locations in a cost-effective manner. SMART evaluates the Staying options, Mobility, Attractions, ROI (Return-On-Investment) and Transport options for planning the trip. This article focuses on travel plan based from Paris, France.

Paris, dubbed the City of Light (la Ville Lumière), has a reputation of being the most beautiful and romantic of all cities. The city has numerous iconic landmarks, such as the world’s most visited tourist site the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, Moulin Rouge, and Lido, making it the most popular tourist destination in the world with 45 million tourists annually. It is home to the world’s finest and most luxurious fashion designers and cosmetics, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Guerlain, Lancôme, L’Oréal, Clarins, etc. A large part of the city, including the River Seine, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Transport options – In this section we will have a detail overview of arriving in Paris via land or Air and the sensible options available for short-term and long-term visitors ranging from few hours layover to overnight, weekend or longer stays.

Arrival by Air. Most International visitors to Paris will arrive at the CDG (Charles de Gaulle) airport. Usually International Terminal is 2E at CDG and you take the CDGVAL – or the transit to get out of the International Terminal. Refer to the airport map in image gallery below for a detail layout of the airport. Passengers on a layover with few hours to spent in Paris can use left luggage by the train station next to CDG for a convenient storage & pick up of heavier luggage and go straight to the departing gate. Direction to Left Luggage is as follows. Once you get out of CDG, by the terminal entrance doors, turn left and start walking towards the train station. Keep walking until you get to main station with the elevator going down. Look around and you’ll see this Luggage Store, which handles ‘left luggage’.

If you plan to freshen up at the airport you can use Airport Hotels (Yotel) at CDG that can be accessed by users of Priority Pass (available as an App and typically offered with Higher Tier Credit Cards for JetBlue, Hilton, Southwest etc.) and similar travel rewards programs. To access the Yotel location at CDG you will get off at Gate L in Terminal 2E and look for the “Hotel” signs (see picture directions below).

Traveling from Airport to Paris. RER B is the train line with direct access from CDG Airport to multiple attraction stops in Paris. The ticket booths/machines are downstairs accessible via elevator or stairs. To reach the Louvre, you’ll be getting off at Chatelet-Les Halles. Then about 10-15 minutes walk to the Louvre. Most destinations in Paris are reachable from CDG within 35-60 minutes via the RER B line. See the image gallery below for reference to the ticket station and metro map while on the train.

Arrival via Train. Major international train connections to Paris terminates at one of the major train stations like Gare-du-Lyon or Gare-du-Nord. Popular international destinations are London (Eurostar), Brussels and Amsterdam from North; Madrid, Lyon and Marseilles from South; and Zurich/Basel, Cologne and Munich/Vienna from the west. TGV (French), Eurostar (British), OBB/SBB (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) and Train Italia (Italy) are the major fast lines to Paris. Once arriving at the station, it maybe prudent to take an Uber or Taxi to your hotel if you are carrying luggage due to the busy crowd situations unless you are staying at a location very close to the station.

Staying options – Paris has a large options of hotels to stay in, but the price range can very greatly depending on neighborhood and proximity to attractions. While AirBnBs can look tempting when comparing to hotel prices we strongly encourage you to research the location and additional fees and compare to traditional hotel chains which may offer standard amenities. While we tend to stay at Hilton hotels due to our Hilton Honors Diamond membership such as Hilton Garden Inn Orly Airport, we have also found central Paris hotels like Hotel London Paris well suited for short term stay, right next to the Famous Opera house (Palais Garnier) and walking distance from the metro.

Mobility – Best way to get around Paris is by using the metro or boats and walking. Paris is divided into 20 districts (arrondissements) with the major districts around the 9 km long banks of the Seine river running through the heart of Paris. A boat trip on the river provides a great view of many attractions. It is also a great way to relax your feet after a day of touring all the great museums and historic landmarks dotted across Paris or use the hop-on-hop-off options to get off at specific points. You can use the same for Hop-on-Hop-off tourist buses that stops on the major attraction points but this is a better idea in the evening when traffic congestion is less. Use Google maps on your smartphone to get up-to-date schedule of metro, boats and buses to get around the city.

Attractions – As mentioned above, most major attractions in Paris are concentrated in a few of the 20 districts of the city. These districts are listed below along with the attractions.

Key Paris Districts and Areas:

• 1st (Louvre): Historic center, palaces, and high-end shopping.
• 3rd & 4th (Marais): Historic, trendy, LGBTQ+ friendly, and cultural heart.
• 5th (Latin Quarter): Ancient, intellectual, home to the Panthéon.
• 6th (Saint-Germain-des-Prés): Famous cafe culture and luxury.
• 7th (Eiffel Tower): Iconic landmarks and upscale residential.
• 8th (Champs-Élysées): Grand, luxury shopping, and major landmarks.
• 9th (Opéra): Iconic opera house, department stores.
• 10th & 11th (Canal/Bastille): Vibrant nightlife, cafes, and trendy dining.
• 18th (Montmartre): Bohemian history, village feel, and Sacré-Cœur. 

Best Areas to Explore & Shop

• First-time visitors: 1st, 4th, and 6th for central access.
• Shopping: The 8th (Champs-Élysées) for luxury, 9th (Boulevard Haussmann) for department stores, and 1st (Rue de Rivoli).
• Dining/Nightlife: 11th (Bastille/Oberkampf) for modern, 13th for Chinatown.
• History/Romance: 4th (Le Marais) and 6th (Saint-Germain).

ROI (Return On Investment) – Some important factors when evaluating Paris are accessibility to attractions, affordable options to get around the city and the unique beauty the city offers especially at night! We found the following steps made our travel plan for Paris a high ROI!

• Save on Overall transport cost by using a combination of public transport – train, bus or water bus, for getting around Paris. Use hop-on/hop-off water taxis on the Seine and walking to explore the city during daytime. Use an Evening Bus tour for a narrated experience enjoying Paris at night!
• Use the RER-B train to come into Paris from airport and get off at the location that suits you best. You can even use the same line for a few hours to visit Paris while leaving your heavy luggage at the ‘Left Luggage’ location outlined above.
• Use a credit card online or in Paris for your purchases that avoids international fees. Avoid tourist trap eateries and shops with Americanized product names, especially in restaurants.
• When exploring the Louvre, make sure to book online in advance to ensure availability. Skip the ‘Denon Wing’ during busy hours where 80% of visitors crowd around ‘Wings of Samothrace’ or ‘The Monalisa’. Enjoy rest of the Louvre at leisure and return to Denon Wing after 4pm or so when the crowd is lighter. Also make sure to visit the Orsay Museum, World’s largest collection of impressionist art, just across the river from the Louvre!
• Save on meals by choosing a hotel with free breakfast options. For example, Hilton Hotel chains have free breakfast for Hilton Honors members (free program with a downloadable app). You can also opt for a hotel chain with good review (Tripadvisor, Google review etc.) in central Paris with close access to subway in one of the major districts.
• Make sure to visit ‘Versailles‘, home to world’s largest palace with most beautiful gardens just 25-min train ride from Paris. You will need a whole day to explore the palace grounds and museums at Versailles.

We hope this Travel SMART guide to Paris have been helpful. Now, enjoy the video below for a quick guide to the famous river cruise in Paris! Until next time, au revoir!