Photo by iced_espresso

Charles de Gaulle airport is an enormous structure. Trust us, we’ve spent what seems like years walking in the place. And nothing puts us in a better mood after a seven-hour flight than schleping twice our body weight in luggage in search of a connecting train into Paris.

CDG has always long had a bus service connecting the airport’s three terminals but the busses were crowded, unreliable and hogged the airport’s slow roadways. Now the new CDG Val, Roissy’s free rail system, replaces the old busses and connects the airport’s three terminals and the RER and TGV stations, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No need to schlep.

So, next time you land in Paris take the Val to the RER to the Metro, et voila, 35 minutes later you’re in the center of Paris.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

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Photo by vitkéz

There are a bevy of options for traveling to and from Paris airports. None of them are perfect. The bus is a bit slow and crowded, ditto for the Metro; airport shuttles and taxis are expensive and slug along through traffic with blatant disregard for impending departure times. Most frustrating of all is watching motorcycles glide carelessly by as your driver blabs away into an awkward bluetooth headset.

Now, thanks to two motorbike chauffeur services, you can stop dreaming of whizzing along the périphérique atop a German motorcycle and actually hop on the back of one.

ParisMotos and Citybird chauffeur services offer a very cool alternative to other airport transport options. A bit beyond the Cheapo budget at €55 to €75 for service to CDG (and €45 to €55 to Orly), these motorcycle shuttles provide riders with jet-black helmets, gloves, and jackets and a solemn promise to get to the airport on-time. Both offer ample space for medium sized baggage—which is more than the train or bus can claim.

While you will surely feel James Dean cool on the back of one of these motorcycles, navigating through traffic and hugging the back of an accented stranger can be a bit frightening.

The hog-to-airport option, it must be said, is really only appealing to solo travelers comfortable with aggressive driving, hostile traffic, and frazzled helmet hair.

Popularity: 5% [?]