airfare/flights

Hello out there...

Need advice on cheap flights from New York to Paris or into Nice end of May. Planning to split 2 weeks between Paris and South of France. Is it more economical to fly into CDG and out of NCE or is it cheaper to fly in and out of CDG and take a train to areas in South of France? Appreciate any help. Thanks.

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i am planning a similar trip and i found it cheaper to fly in and out of CDG. You can probably check on flight websites. We are spending a few days in paris when we arrive then working our way around. we end up in Nice and have to return to paris for our return flight.

I am still considering the train to Paris or the flight. 1.5 hour flight Nice TO Paris Orly was like $65. But you have to take in time to and from airport. The train I hear is a nice way to see the country, and it%26#39;s a bit cheaper but takes 6 hours. From when i looked i think i didnt%26#39; get into paris til 10pm at night. Could be wrong!

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There are plenty of trains from Nice to Paris, the earliest of which would (I%26#39;m guessing here) probably get you into Paris around 14:00.

there are also direct trains between CDG and Nice.

For fares and timetables go to

www.voyages-sncf.com

You should also book your tickets through them if you decide to go by train and NOT from any US third-party vendor - unless you like being over-charged that is.

Do a search on the France forums for MorganB%26#39;s guide to using the SNCF online ticket purchasing system before you buy your tix as it is not all that user-friendly.

You can book up to 90 days in advance - earlier for iDTGV trains which can be cheaper - and the earlier you book within that time-frame the cheaper your tix are likely to be.

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I will be taking the same trip in July. I will actually be flying from NY to Paris and flying out of Nice to NY (Direct both ways on Delta!). Although it is about $100 more than flying roundtrip to/fro Paris, I think it is well worth saving the time AND COST of transportation you will have to deal with to get the early train back to Paris to be able to catch your flight home.

But if it saves you more than $150, you may want to go that route.

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For me I wanted to fly into Paris, out of Milan. This brought the cost up more than $200. So we worked our itinerary around to return to Paris for a direct to/from flight.

You can probably poke around on some sites and compare. I like Orbitz%26#39;s flexible matrix showing you prices leaving/returning different days so you can maybe save some money that way. Farechase, qixo is also good.

The TGV train from Nice to Paris takes almost 6 hours, you%26#39;d have to check the SNCF site for ticket prices as you%26#39;re going next month so prices might be higher than say booking them a month ago.

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Thank you all for your good advice.

What did everyone flying from NY pay for airfare? Particularly Banker82, that seems like the better route to go.

Did anyone look into flying into/out of Orly? How does that compare to CDG? I%26#39;ve been poking around Expedia, Travelocity, AA.com.

Are there other sites with better deals?

How did everyone book hotels?

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Hey cda,

My flight was $1160, NYC-CDG, NICE-NYC direct on Delta. Its a bit pricey but I am going in July which is high season. If you are flying in from the U.S., you will most likely fly into CDG, Orly is for flights mostly within Europe I believe.

I always look on Kayak.com for plane tickets..lets you modify times and gives you prices for all the airlines. Also, it has a the %26quot;multi-city%26quot; flight option which allows you to customize your arrival and departure cities.

Check it out.

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I found that leaving in May is the cheapest way to go. I%26#39;m leaving on May 31 for Paris from Orlando. My flight is just under $700 total roundtrip. I%26#39;m flying Delta to Dublin and then Ryanair to Paris. After a month of trying several combinations, that%26#39;s the cheapest I came up with. Continental is usually pretty cheap, too. I think the cheapest way to go is pretty much any airline into Dublin then Ryanair to city of interest in France.

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Thanks again all!

Banker, your flights sound great but way over my budget.

I will look into Kayak.com!

Any other takers or anyone else like to jump in on the flying in and out of Paris Vs. Flying out of NCE or other airports in South of France?

We%26#39;re still undecided.

Any other suggestions on hotels in Rue Cler or Marais in Paris near public transport are welcome too!

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cdaworld -

Go to http://www.mobissimo.com/

I just checked for fares from NYC using May 11 and May 25. It%26#39;s showing fares of under $600 RT from either EWR or JFK to CDG.

Problem: finding moderate priced hotel trooms for either rue Cler or the Marais in May is going to be difficult. Ever since R. Steves turned rue Cler into %26quot;little America%26quot; hotels there fill up way in advance. There are not a lot of hotels in the Marais, and again the poular lower-priced ones are booked two or three months ahead.

You could try a hotel caled Place des Vosges where I%26#39;ve had luck before at fairly short notice. It%26#39;s not a bad place - not my favourite, but definitely OK, if perhaps not the best value in the Marais. That%26#39;s probably why it doesn%26#39;t fill up as fast as some others. The location is great. It%26#39;s not on the Place des Vosges, but close.

Avoid the Hotel des Chevaliers if that one comes up in your search - good location, bad hotel.

Maybe try the 5th or 6th. Above all if you book your airfare book your hotel ASAP. It will only get more difficult with each day that passes.

Good luck with the airfare thing. It%26#39;s a great fare if you can get it!