I will be driving to Paris and I am scared to death to drive into the city. Where could I stay, park and ride public transportation into the city. I really don%26#39;t want to drive into the urban area but stay out in the rural type areas while driving. Help Please, I%26#39;m leaving in a week.
|||
As you arrive by car, got off the peripherique (ring road) at a Porte that is near your destination and then you can just pull into the first underground parking lot that you see (it will be a large blue square with a big white P).
That being said, it is actually reallyf fun to drive in Paris the first few times and you may want to try plotting the trip directly to your door. www.viamichelin.com will be able to help you plan the route.
|||
I wouldn%26#39;t go so far as to say driving in central Paris is %26#39;..fun..%26#39; but if you time your arrival to miss the rush hours, it%26#39;t probably not nearly as bad as you fear. Simply locate a parking garage near to your hotel.
|||
are the driver addresive, that is what I%26#39;ve read and in a rental car i need to be more cautious than my own.
|||
Poor grammer! Are the drivers in Paris aggresive?
|||
Aggressive.... I have never felt that as a driver, but as a pedestrian, boy watch out. I can tell you that I don%26#39;t see as many fender-benders as I used to in San Francisco. If you arrive off peak hours, you will be absolutely fine.
Drivers here are at their worst when stuck in bad traffic, and then there is not a lot they can do about it. I wouldn%26#39;t spend my visit driving in the city, but to and from the hotel should be safe adventure.
And I am going to really betray my CA roots by saying it is a rather a zen thing, you just kind of go with the flow of traffic and it works out okay. I was terrified the first time I rode my bike here and now I it is my principle transportation, even with a kid on the back, so I am not exactly a kamakazi.
The two stressful things are all the oneway streets, so that if you make a wrong turn it can be pretty complicated getting back to where you started without a map. And getting stuck in traffic behind a garbage truck, moving van or other inconvenience.
|||
PFD4me: If you don%26#39;t feel up to driving the peripherique (same idea as the %26quot;Loop%26quot; in Washington DC), your idea of parking in one of the smaller towns and taking the RER is not a bad idea at all. You don%26#39;t say from which direction you%26#39;ll be coming into Paris, but you can go to the RATP website (www.ratp.fr) and get a map of the RER system to see which town would be best for you. Your best bet to miss much of the traffic would be a town in zone 4 or 5. If you%26#39;re staying awhile, consider a carte orange (make sure you get a 5-zone carte).
|||
I will be driving in from Amsterdam, so i was wondering if it might be a good idea to choose a hotel near the CDG airport, and ride the RER into town?
|||
Does anyone also know how long it takes to drive from Amsterdam on a weekday? I know the train would probably be better for this trip, but i already have the car and i need it for some other things, so i will just have to make the best of things. I grew up in Los Angeles so I am used to freeways, its just a little different when you don%26#39;t really know you%26#39;re surroundings and aren%26#39;t fluent in the language.
|||
CDG is so far and not at all %26quot;rural type%26quot;... Try Saint Cloud, or Maisons-Laffitte -nice chateau- even Sain Germain en Laye (west Paris area is better)
|||
It usually takes us about 5 hours to do the drive on a week day afternoon.
The northern suburbs are not where you want to be leaving your car unattended and our insurance won%26#39;t even cover us if we%26#39;ve left it in an airport overnight lot. You could go to one of the two charming town mentioned above, but I stick with my previous statement that it is fun to drive in Paris once.
I still get a thrill driving through the Carrousel du Louvre at night and I%26#39;ve done it countless times...in fact, Parisians often tell me what a thrill it is for them, even if it is part of their regular commute. Something about the experience says I am HERE like none other.
But if you are nervous it may just not be worth it, the point is to enjoy your holiday. So you%26#39;ll have to trust your own instincts on this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment