Navigating Getting to and From the Paris Airports

When booking your flight to Paris, you will most likely see three airport options :

• CDG (Charles de Gaulle)/Roissy
• ORLY
• Beauvais

Out of the three options, we highly recommend not choosing to transit through Beauvais. It is much farther from the city of Paris, and there is no direct rail transit to/from this airport.

Both CDG and ORLY are the best choices when flying in/out of Paris due to the convenience of getting to them, which we will break down in this blog post in an easy to read format.

CDG

There are four modes of transport to choose from when it comes to getting to and from CDG :

1. Train
2. Bus
3. Taxi
4. Uber

You must also know that CDG has three terminals. This is a map from the airports' website of their three terminals and their subdivisions:

TRAIN

Taking the train, specifically the RER B, also known as 'The blue line', into Paris, is the simplest and the cheapest option. The RER B departs from inside the airport in Terminal 2, but there is also a stop in Terminal 3. It takes about 35 minutes to get to central Paris with the RER B. The RER B will stop at the following stops in Paris :

• Gare du Nord
• Châtelet-Les Halles
• Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame
• Luxembourg
• Port-Royal
• Denfert-Rochereau
• Cité Universitaire

Depending on the terminal you arrive in, here are the simplest ways to get to Terminal 2 and the train station :

• Terminal 1 : To get to the train station, you will need to board the airport shuttle. Once you clear baggage claim and customs, follow the signs pointing to "CDGVAL Airport Shuttle". Board the shuttle and get off at Terminal 3, and this will take you directly to the Roissypole/Terminal 3 train station, which is one of the stops on the RER B.
• Terminal 2 : After clearing baggage claim and customs, follow the signs that read "Gare SNCF/Railway Station"
• Terminal 3 : Once you clear baggage claim and customs, it is a 5 minute walk to the terminal 3 train station, which is one of the stops on the RER B.

Once you are in the train station you will need to buy train tickets, which can be bought at the ticketing machines. Paper tickets are no longer sold so you will have to purchase a Navigo Easy pass (or any of the options available that suit your travelling needs) for 2€, and add the tickets you need onto it. Please note that Navigo Passes cannot be shared, each person must have their own. The machines accept both cash and card and have different language options. There are also normally 1-3 agents mingling about should you need further assistance.

BUS

The Roissybus picks up in every terminal, and is non-stop bus service to the area calld 'Opéra' , by the Paris opera, which is very central in Paris, and with many public transport options around it. The trip takes roughly 60 minutes, give or take, depending on traffic. Tickets for the bus can be purchased at the airport bus stop, directly from any metro ticketing machine, or on the bus directly. The bus picks up and drops off at the following locations at the airport :

• Terminal 1 : Porte // Exit 32 on the arrivals level
• Terminal 2A/2C : Porte // Exit 9
• Terminal 2D : Porte // Exit 11
• Terminal 2E/2F : Porte // Exit 8 on the arrivals level
• Terminal 3 : The bus stop is located just outside the terminal, follow the signs marked Roissybus

TAXI

Taxis are always an option and available in every terminal. How long it will take to get into Paris will depend on what time you arrive, if it is rush hour, weather conditions, holidays, etc. but the best estimate is anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours (and sometimes longer!).

Prices for taxis are fixed (though there may be some additional charges for extra luggage, a pet, etc.) :

• Rive Droite (north of the Seine) the fare is 53€
• Rive Gauche (south of the Seine) the fare is 58€

Once you are out of baggage claim and customs, you will see signs pointing you to an official taxi stand. Please note that people will try and stop you, ask if you need a taxi and more - PLEASE ignore them and make your way to the official taxi stand, as they are not part of the official taxi companies. The official taxi companies are :

• G7
• Alpha Taxi
• Les Taxi Bleue

And you can find them at the taxi stands, and recognise them by the taxi light on their roof. Official taxi companies will never come up to you and ask if you need a taxi.

You can pay for a Taxi with card or cash, and most taxi's accept international bank cards without any problems. However, it may be wise to have some cash just in case there are any issues.

UBER

Uber is an option as well, and you can pay with the app you already have, and the registered cards. To note: unlike the taxis, there is no fixed fare for Ubers, and there is no designated ride share pickup point at the airport. Once you request a ride you may have to walk to a certain point to be picked up, which will be specified in the Uber app once your ride is confirmed.

ORLY

You have five modes of transport when it comes to getting to and from Orly :

1. Train
2. Tram
3. Bus
4. Taxi
5. Uber

ORLY airport has four terminals, and the different options will be available in different terminals. This is a map from the airports website of their four terminals :

In order to purchase transit tickets, you must go to 'Orly 4' where you can buy the appropriate ticket or pass depending on which transit option you choose.

TRAIN

Getting to and from ORLY via train includes a combination of what is known as the OrlyVal, and the RER B. The OrlyVal is an automatic metro that connects the ORLY terminals with the RER B station, 'Antony'. You can get on the OrlyVal in the airport directly at the Orly 1, 2, 3 stop or Orly 4 stop. From there you can take the train directly to Antony, which takes around 25 to 35 minutes, and then transfer to the RER B, or to another line.

TRAM

Unlike CDG, there are two tram lines that connect directly to the ORLY airport. The trams are not exclusive to ORLY, and the ticket pricing is within the Navigo system. Both trams, the T7 and T9, can be found in Orly 4.

It takes about 45 minutes to reach Paris, though not the centre of Paris but just outside with the T7. The last stop connects with Metro line 7.

The T9 takes a bit longer to reach Paris and again, does not go to the centre of Paris but just outside. Like the T7 the last stop connects with Metro line 7.

BUS

The OrlyBus is a bus that picks up in two places in the ORLY airport. A bus stop in Orly 1, 2, 3 and Orly 4, and terminates in the centre of Paris at Denfert Rochereau (where the entrance to the catacombs is located). The bus does made one stop before Denfert Rochereau so keep that in mind when you are on the bus. The RoissyBus is part of the Navigo system.

TAXI

Taxis are always an option and available in every terminal. How long it will take to get into Paris will depend on what time you arrive, if it is rush hour, weather conditions, holidays, etc. but the best estimate is anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Prices for taxis are fixed (though there may be some additional charges for extra luggage, a pet, etc.) :

• Rive Droite (north of the Seine) the fare is 41€
• Rive Gauche (south of the Seine) the fare is 35€

Once you are out of baggage claim and customs, you will see signs pointing you to an official taxi stand, and this is where you should go towards. Please note that people will try and stop you, and ask if you need a taxi, ignore them and make your way to the official taxi stand, as they are not part of the official taxi companies. The official taxi companies are :

• G7
• Alpha Taxi
• Les Taxi Bleue

And you can find them at the taxi stands, and recognise them by the taxi light on their roof. They will never come up to you and ask if you need a taxi.

You can pay for a Taxi with card or cash, and most taxi's accept international bank cards without any problems. However, it may be wise to have some cash just in case there are any

UBER

Uber is an option as well, and you can pay with the app you already have, and the registered cards. To note that unlike the taxis, there is no fixed fare for Ubers, and there is no designated ride share pickup point at the airport. Once you request a ride you may have to walk to a certain point to be picked up, which will be specified in the Uber app once your ride is confirmed.