Flying, Paris

yes the flight is better and quicker,with low cost carriers given already the price will be similar.

Great trip done it many times, and why not by car??? if you go from Paris to Madrid and back to Paris you wont pay drop off charges.Trip is about 17 hrs straight stopping for gas only or if want to sightsee then two days to do it, but heck you see the two countries up close and personal. sound crazy but I am the road warrior here ::)
www.viamichelin.com will help you planned the route but its easy under the Somport tunnel and under the Pyrenées as opposed to the other routes its my favorite way.

now to answer your points/questions
1) CDG is the RER B to Gare du Nord, then change to metro line 5 to Austerlitz, very easy for 9,10 euros one way per person.
2) Euro Rails never taken it but its own by SNCF and for tourists is always more expensive, better buy the ticket when you get here if decided to go by train, as told before its not advisable.
3) you got it,the car
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
car brokers deal with many carriers.

Once back in Paris 2-3 days hit the main sights, see destination above right windows for Paris tips by posters like us,there are zillions in there for ideas.

Hope it helps and have a great trip on a great run lol!

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Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle International Airport sits approximately 14 miles north of Paris. The airport is the largest in Paris.

The security checkpoints are often understaffed creating long waits.
You should allow for extra time for layovers when catching connecting flights to avoid missing a plane.

There are an excellent mix of amenities, restaurants, and shops.

Charles de Gaulle International Airport stands out is the train system that links airport passengers with Paris and other nearby attractions including the European Disney World and Belgium.
It is easy to reach much of France and Belgium using trains that leave the airport regularly.

When taking a RER train to CDG Airport, you need to take off at CDG 1 (there’s a CDG 2 - next after CDG1).
Even if you take off at CDG2, there’s a free shuttle going to CDG1 quite often.

Don’t throw away your metro (RER) ticket: you’ll need it to exit from the train station.
You need to know ahead a time what terminal your plane leaves from. There are small train-shuttles going to Terminal 1, 2 and 3. Pay attention to the signs.

When you arrive to your terminal you may check in right away using machines. (Do not wait until the electronic table shows your gate). It’ll print the boarding passes for you. Usually, the information about your gate appears 2 hours before your departure time (no need to arrive to the airport 3 hours in advance like we do in North America).
You need a boarding pass to enter the gate where you’ll go through Customs check and then straight to the duty-free shopping (the prices are not much lower than in the city). There are Paul and Espressamente cafés inside, I like the second one (good coffee).

Air france 777-ER
boarded at 4 pm for the 4 50 pm flight
separate boarding for First Business and Premium Economy passengers
very quick boarding
comfortable seating
2-4-2 arrangement
a section screened off between Business and Economy
Took off at 5 12 pm and it took only six hours and six minutes to reach Paris.
Lots of movies including a good selection of World movies
The meal served is the same as in Economy Class
The fare is twice as much as the economy fare and in my opinion it is justified and comparable.
On arrival at CDG I used the AF arrival lounge and had a nice shower and breakfast before venturing into Paris

This is a food & drink outlet - cafe style - at CdG Airport. I had the misfortune to use the one at terminal 2G (no choice) but I noticed one at terminal 2E as well.

I paid an incredible €9.90 for a 50cl bottle of San Pellegrino water and a smoked salmon sandwich. Now I know the £ is low against the €, and I know inflation in food prices in France has been very high in the last 12 months, but "rip-off" is the only way to describe this.

Had the sandwich been good I might have accepted the price a bit better. However, the bread was dry and they used a minute piece of salmon, carefully arranged and packaged so that it looked the opposite.

If you have a choice, avoid this place.

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CDG is Paris's main airport with its three terminals servicing pretty much the whole of the world. When I first flew to Paris the terminals were connected by bus and the driver was the most surly and unhelpful guy ever. But recently this has been replaced by a driverless transit system which works OK.

Personally I find this not the most user-friendly airport in the world with the signage being a bit obfuscating (bearing in mind that I can read Cyrillic!) but generally speaking it's not a bad airport.

At least the bars are reasonably priced!

Website is pretty good tho' ;)

Air France was not the worst flight I have experienced but I didn't appreciate the 2 hour delay in take off with no explanation. Once we took off the flight was relatively smooth and the service was good. We arrivd in Paris a litle before 11am, tired but ready to go explore.

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Charles de Gualle Airport is one of the busiest and largest airports in Europe and every major (and minor ones too) airline have flights to Paris via CDG. Although the airport can be a bit confusing, transportation into Paris city center is quite easy.

I usually only fly American Airlines into CDG as I am an elite member and with two direct flights from NYC, it's easy and convenient for me.

The flight is usually a nice and comfortable 8 hour flight, with pleasant flight attendants.

All of the American Airlines flights arrive/depart from Terminal 2A (Except flights to/from London which are in Terminal 2B).

For information about which terminal your flight will arrive in, check out the website below.