6 hour layover

my girlfriend and i are going to have a 6 hour layover on our way from washington dc to greece.

what can we reasonably expect to do with that short of a window? I was thinking we could just metro/subway/train into the city and grab a nice relaxing lunch somewhere and then head back to the airport. Any suggestions for a nice and scenic place for lunch in paris?

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Just make sure before you leave the airport that you ask a clerk about the likelihood of making it back and through security in time for your flight. It%26#39;s a little bit of a ride from the airport to the city (I assume De Gaulle?), and my experience is that it%26#39;s a terror getting through security at De Gaulle. Last time it took me 2.5 hours, in the middle of the day.

If you can do it, head to the RER stop (the RER is the train from De Gaulle) near Notre Dame. Grab lunch in one of the zillion cafes in the area, see the cathedrale, and head back...

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yeah we%26#39;re flying into de gaulle. We can leave our bags because they%26#39;ll be transferred to the next flight. we%26#39;ll take your advise and grab the rer to notre dame and find a cafe. thanks!

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Assuming you will have your boarding cards for your flight to Greece, make sure you know *before* you leave CDG *exactly* where you have to go to clear security and board your flight. At an absolute minimum give yourselves 2 hours from the time you are standing on the platform waiting for your train back to CDG before your flight time — and I would be more comfortable with 2.5. Fair warning department: It can take way longer than it should from the time your flight from the US lands until you are actually ready to head into town even if you don;t waste a minute yourselves.

Take the RER to St. Michel/Notre Dame, one way fare 8€10. There is a nice wine bar, l%26#39;Écluse, on quai des Grands Augustins, perhaps 200 metres from the station that will give (OK, sell...) you a really good light lunch and a top quality glass of Bordeaux to go along with it. When heading back make sure you get on a train that actually does go to CDG. The line splits before you get there. Taking the wrong train could ruin more than your day...

ratp.fr will give you tons of info about the public transport system in Paris including maps.

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well it turns out we%26#39;ll be there on inauguration day.

still advise it? or should we just play it safe and hang out in the airport?

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All I can say is, I took the RER from Paris to CDG only once. It stopped in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason, and I didn%26#39;t know enough French to have any clue what the announcements meant (could have been %26quot;we%26#39;re going to be moving in 2 minutes%26quot; or %26quot;we%26#39;re going to be here 5 hours%26quot;). It made me a nervous wreck (plus when I got to the terminal the escalators were out and I couldnt%26#39; find an elevator . . . still traumatized, as you can tell).

Also, as noted above, my experience also is that the security wait can be very long, so plan accordingly!

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I dont think you will be able to leave the transit area.

Your airline will probably check you through from DC to Greece, in which case you will only be issued a reboarding card at CDG. Your ticket (once it has been accepted in DC) will not be accepted at check-in at another airport, having already been used. Your seat will also have been allocated for the onward flight. This means sitting in the airport lounges (such as they are).

If you are allowed to leave you will have your bags with you, making it a pain to travel. You will also have to re-check-in, do security, etc. This could be a pain, as the onward flight will not be operating on US baggage laws, but the European laws. According as to how you pack this could mean excess baggage charges.

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Make sure you have a contingency plan in plan in case you miss your flight.

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You can take the Air France shuttle bus from exit 2A. It leaves every 15 min and stops at the ARC. The ride is approx. 35 min. Visit the Arc have lunch and hop back on the shuttle.

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