I am quoting below a redacted version of a trip report just filed by one of my Brownell Travel colleagues, Ron Phillips. He reports what life is like in Paris — and how much they do appreciate the visitors in the city. It's a very timely on-the-scene account of what's going on.
Ron offers very practical information for travelers who need to get from their hotel in Paris out to the airport, CDG. Executive Summary: book a private transfer with a driver who is very knowledgeable about Paris streets, so he/she knows how to drive around any traffic disruptions.
Having left Paris yesterday, I thought I would give my impressions of the city. Pardon the length of this message. Words can express our sadness and anger about these terrible events. We’ve been fortunate to visit Paris many times and it is one of our favorite destinations.
Paris is still on edge. Perhaps most anxious are the police and troops guarding the city. There is a definite fear of the “next” attack. Their patience – especially those handling traffic and crowds - has at times been short. Numerous times I saw shouting matches and troops banging on car hoods. In light of the news that came out this AM about a shoot-out in the Saint Denis suburb you certainly cannot blame them.
Many times while we were visiting I was stopped on the street, in a shop, or eating at a restaurant and thanked for “being there.” On the days immediately after the events, there were many cancellations. We went to dinner Sunday night in the Latin Quarter and the restaurant was empty, perhaps only four tables occupied at 8:30 PM. The manager told us they had 60 cancellations for that evening, and perhaps half that many no-shows. I stayed at the Hotel Westminster and on Monday the Director of Sales told me they had 34,000 euro in future-bookings cancelled -- just on Monday. Cancellations were fairly common in the days after the events. Locals were told to stay at home over the weekend and they did. Certainly the local service industry has already felt the financial pinch from the tragedy.
On Tuesday I struggled getting out of the city. Having been to Paris 25+ times, and because public transportation is part of our day-to-day life in Europe, I decided to ride the Roissy Airport bus which departs from the Opera – about two blocks away from our hotel. Although briefly suspended on Saturday, the busses had been running with no issues on Sunday & Monday.
The first challenge started just as I got on the bus. Troops and police swarmed the area near the Opera as a raid of suspects in the area began to develop. The bus driver did a remarkable job heading away from the chaos and developing traffic jam. I thought we were going to get out of town without any further delays…. Not to be the case.
10 minutes into the nonstop ride to the Airport, we came to a screeching halt. Another raid! Streets were covered in a massive show of force by police and troops. Traffic was snarled and the double-bus we were on, because of the size of the road and the bus, could not turn left or right. We were hopelessly stuck in traffic. Then, due to safety concerns, the police ordered everyone off the bus. No directions or instructions were given to anyone – just get off and get away from this street. You had to find your own way to the airport from “somewhere” in Paris.
All the taxis in the area were either occupied and/or stuck in the same huge traffic jam. You could see the drivers on the phone or working their GPS units, trying to find an alternate route. Fortunately, I had my Austrian cell phone with data, pulled up MAPS, and located a metro station four blocks away. Ten of us set off for the metro station. For those of you who know Paris, we were dumped on a side street in the Simplon area (in the 18th arrondissement).
Upon arrival at the metro, the overwhelmed clerk would only accept payment with a European CC – no cash or alternative payment options. I had a remaining metro ticket and headed BACK INTO town to catch the RER train out to the CDG airport. With two road routes already blocked, staying underground on the train seemed the most viable alternative. At the heavily guarded Gar du Nord station, I purchased an RER ticket with an EU Debit card and jumped on the train. Unfortunately, because of security concerns the RER trains were not going to Terminal 2 (the usual last stop). All trains were stopped at Terminal 1. From there you had to take the airport shuttle to Terminal 2. Since T2 is the largest and busiest terminal, the shuttle trains were packed.
Fortunately, I had the phone, the Euro CC, knowledge of Paris, and experience on the local metro and trains. I cannot imagine any of my first-time-travelers being dumped in a neighborhood in NE Paris and finding their way to the airport without a taxi.
Thus, I would strongly suggest private car transfers for the next few weeks. And be certain the vendor has drivers who have knowledge of Paris streets so they can find alternative routes in case there is a police event or road closure. Even the taxi drivers were unprepared for these “moving raids.” For the more moderate budget clients, I would suggest using the RER B line and avoiding the Roissy bus (or any bus service to the Airport).
Our hearts go out to the people of Paris – their resolve has been admirable. The people I spoke with were determined that – in the long run - these events would not deter or define their city. Our prayers and thoughts are with them.
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