transportation in paris - tips and recommendations

(Paris, France).  On my recent trip to Paris, my husband and I tried different modes of transportation to get to and from the airport and around Paris generally.  Here are a few of my tips and recommendations.

To and From the Airport

There seemed to be several options to get from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris, but we were tired and had luggage so we opted for the easiest (and most expensive method) which was taking a taxi.

Taxi -  We got a lovely taxi driver named Alex and he spoke English quite well.  He was born in Paris and his parents are from Cambodia.  The ride from CDG to our hotel (Hotel de Seze - review here) took about 35 minutes and cost approximately 60 euros.  He gave us his card and we actually used him for several trips to and from the airport (since we also went to Berlin on this trip).  We would give him our flight information or pickup information and he would be there on time and ready to go.  For the other trips he actually offered to take a smaller fare (between 40-50 euros) regardless of what his meter read.   And on our last trip to the airport early in the morning, he showed up with orange juice and pastries.  Super nice guy.  If you'd like to use his services, you can reach him at alex.taxi75@gmail.com or +33 6 67 13 00 01.

RER B Train -  Another option to and from the airport that we considered was taking the RER B Train (approximately 13 euros per person) which takes you to certain large metro stops in Paris, where you can catch a subway closer to your hotel.  You can get these tickets (as well as the metro tickets) at the Tourist Information Desks at the CDG airport.  Here's a really helpful website about taking the train.

There is also a shuttle option but I didn't do any research on that.

Within Paris

Walking -  Paris is actually a very pedestrian friendly city.  Attractions are pretty concentrated and there are few hilly or steep places.  Moreover, it's such a lovely place to stroll around and discover cute restaurants and stores and views.  

Metro - If you are tired or want to explore on a larger scale, just hop onto the very well designed and accessible subway system.  Lines are color-coded and clearly labelled.  The trains seem to run very often and are quite punctual.  And it's much more affordable than taking taxis in Paris.

Some additional tips:  

• You can ask questions and purchase tickets at the kiosks in the subway stations, but they only take credit cards.  For cash purchases, use the vending machines which have an option for languages.  For example, we picked "English".
• You can also prepurchase tickets at the Tourist Information Desks at CDG.  We were in Paris for several days so we didn't get the day pass.  We opted to get a carnet - which is a book of ten tickets with a slight discount.
• If you are uncertain where you are going, step to the right.  Don't block the crowds.  
• There are usually a few chairs that flip up near the doorway of each train car, but if the car starts getting filled, it's rude to stay seated and you should stand up to allow more room for people.

Random trivia - apparently the subway performers (usually singers and musicians) have to audition and get a permit to perform in the subways.  No wonder they all sounded so good!