Is a 7 hour layover in Paris long enough to leave the airport and sightsee?
I have a flight from St. Petersburg, Russia to Atlanta, GA with a 7 hour layover in Paris. I am travelling with two children. All of us are US citizens. We would like to get out of the airport and do some sightseeing. Is it worth it? Do we need to clear customs?
Best Answer
Assuming you are landing at CDG, you can try to catch the fast RER B train into Paris which should take you to St Michel Notre Dame in about 30 minutes. From there the Notre Dame cathedral is a stone's throw (and a lovely bridge crossing) away. IMHO that's well worth visiting and doesn't require too much time.
The calculations the provided by the others in answers and comments seem about right, giving you a couple hours to queue up, see the cathedral, eat French crêpes in the nearby streets, and get back on the RER. Should you have time to spare you can head north for Hôtel de Ville, see the building and then go back to the RER at St Michel Notre Dame.
Pictures about "Is a 7 hour layover in Paris long enough to leave the airport and sightsee?"
Is a 7 hour layover in Paris enough?
With seven hours, you should be able to get into Paris and see the Eiffel Tower if you know exactly where to go and how to get around. It would be tight, though. I wouldn't try to do anything more than that, unless losing your connection would not be a big deal (hourly flights or something like that).Is 7 hours enough time to leave the airport?
Your connecting flight could still leave without you if you're not there, so it's best to leave more than enough time. In general, according to SmarterTravel, in order to make a connecting flight at a U.S. airport, you should allow 60 to 90 minutes to make your flight.Can I leave the Paris airport during a layover?
Can I leave Charles de Gaulle Airport during a layover in Paris? YES, except if you are a national of a non-Schengen country and only have an airport transit visa. An airport transit visa allows you to travel through an airport's international zone without entering the country's territory.How much time do you need for a layover in Paris?
Be sure to leave time to get in and out of the airport, and to and from the city center. A five or six-hour stopover should be enough\u2014just don't blame us if you want to stay forever!DIY Layover (4K) - 8 Hour in Paris: Eiffel Tower, Luxembourg Garden, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe
More answers regarding is a 7 hour layover in Paris long enough to leave the airport and sightsee?
Answer 2
I think two hours is plenty to arrive before take off. Even for long haul. Still, it takes time to get out of the airport so about 1.5hrs from landing to the city and you need to be at the bus stop three hours before your flight so tops you'd have 7-4.5=2.5 possibly only two hours. With two children, this begins to sound quite risky.
Answer 3
I landed in Paris 5:40 AM and had a connection at 1:10 PM, so 7.5 hours layover. My luggage was checked through to the connecting flight, so within 20 minutes of leaving the plane I was outside. I took the Le Bus, Route 2, direct to Etoile (Arche de Triumph), 17 Euro and took about 45 minutes to get there (OK, it was Sunday, so quicker than usual). From that point, you have a few hours to walk around. Make your way down the Champs de Eleysees to Place Concorde, and there you can see the outside of the Louvre and the famous gardens. Then walk to the Opera and there is the Rossey Bus, which runs every 15 minutes direct to the terminal, for 12 Euro. SO you can easily have 3 hours in Paris, not including the bus rides, which are also sightseeing. For the price of 2 bus tickets, it's well worth it!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Yovan Verma, Naim Benjelloun, Eugene Dorosh, Gustavo Fring