Airport Bus Connections
The airports Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly are both served by buses operated by Air France and the RATP. After arriving in Paris, follow the signs to the Air France or RATP bus stop and purchase a ticket at the stand or from the bus driver. Both the RATP and Air France buses depart every 15 minutes. For more information visit www.airfrance.com. or www.ratp.info.
Charles de Gaulle
Air France runs two buses from Charles de Gaulle into Paris. Both lines depart from terminals 1 & 2 and their routes exclude terminal 3, which primarily serves for charters and low-cost carriers like EasyJet. Line 2 stops at Porte Maillot and Arc de Triomphe and runs every 20 minutes from 5:50 a.m. until 11 p.m. A one-way journey costs €13 or €6.50 for children, and a round-trip ticket costs €20. Line 4 runs every 30 minutes between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. and stops at Gare de Lyon and Montparnasse. It costs €14 for a one-way adult journey, or €7 for a child. A round-trip ticket costs €22.
The RATP bus stops at Place de l'Opéra adjacent to the American Express office. It departs from all three terminals. The trip takes around 45 minutes and service is from 6 a.m. through 11 p.m. Keep in mind that the connecting RATP service ends at 10:30 p.m. The bus costs €8.50 for a one-way journey.
We like this website for information on Charles de Gaulle: www.easycdg.com.
Orly
From Orly, the Air France bus line 1 stops at Montparnasse and Invalides. It will also stop at Porte d'Orléans or Duroc, but you have request these stops. The bus runs at regular intervals between 6 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. It costs €9 for a one-way fare or €14 for a rount-trip ticket; a child's ticket costs €4.50.
The RATP Orlybus runs every 15-20 minutes between Orly and Denfert Rochereau and a ticket costs €6. The total travel time is about 30 minutes.
To visit the official website of Orly and Charles de Gaulle click here.
Beauvais
Ryanair operates a bus service between Beauvais airport and the 17th arrondissement in Paris. Beauvais airport is far afield and driving time is approximately one hour. At Beauvais, follow the signs to the bus. The Ryanair bus leaves 20 minutes after flight arrivals. When departing France, catch the Ryanair Coach at "Paris-Beauvais-Shop" on boulevard Pershing, close to the Porte Maillot Metro station. The bus leaves two to three hours before each scheduled flight. This is the sole scheduled public transportation to and from Beauvais, so if you miss the bus you will need to arrange your own transportation. The Ryanair bus runs €13.
For more information, visit www.aeroportbeauvais.com.
Metro/RER Connections
The RER is the regional rail system linking the suburbs to the Paris Metro. Trains run every 15 minutes (every eight minutes during peak periods) and the trip takes approximately 35 minutes. The RER is seamlessly linked to the Metro. The two transit train lines share the same stations within Paris city limits.
Taking the RER to Paris from Charles de Gaulle is pretty simple. From Terminals 1 and 2, take the free airport shuttle bus to the RER terminal. From Terminal 3, simply follow the signs. Once at the terminal, buy a ticket valid for a ride to the center of Paris. The ticket costs €8.10 for adults or €5.75 for children and is good for a transfer from the RER to the local Metro system as well as an unlimited number of transfers once you are inside the Metro. We suggest that you take a "Paris direct" train, even if it means you have to wait a few minutes. Hopping on a local train will add at least 15 minutes to your journey.
To Charles de Gaulle, you must take the Metro to the RER line B, direction Roissy/Charles de Gaulle. Sometimes it is not easy to recognize which RER trains go to the airport and which turn off towards another destination. If unsure, ask somebody at the station which train is correct.
To get to Paris from Orly, take the "Orlyval," which connects to the RER at the Antony Metro station. It will cost €7.20 (adult) or €3.60 (child) to go as far as Antony, and €9.10 (adult) or €4.05 (child) for the full fare into Paris.
Airport Shuttle
The door-to-door Paris Airport Shuttle is available for journeys between Paris and both Charles de Gaulle and Orly. Shuttles can be reserved months in advance. After making your reservation, you will receive a voucher specifying where to catch the shuttle. Once the shuttle arrives it will generally complete its circuit of the airport to pick up other passengers (as the bus does) before dropping you off at your final destination in Paris. Your voucher will also notify you when you will be picked up for your shuttle ride toward the airport. A one-way Airport Shuttle journey costs €27 for one person. For groups of two and three, the one-way cost is €19.90 per person. For groups between four and seven people, the one-way shuttle journey costs €17 per person.
Metro/RER Connections
Taxis aren't cheap, but they could be affordable if you are traveling with a group. A taxi from Charles de Gaulle into Paris will cost you around €40. From Orly, expect to pay about €25. Note: fares after 7 p.m. will be €5 more than daytime fares, and heavy luggage is subject to an additional charge of €.90 per item.
Arriving by Train
The six train stations of central Paris are all located within the city limits and have Metro stops right in the stations. For example, the Gare du Lyon (with service all over France and to London) connects directly to the 1 Metro line and two RER train lines. The Montparnasse train station has connections with the 6, 12, 13 and 14 Metro lines.
Basically, if you're arriving in Paris by train, you'll already be in the center of town. Hop on the subway or grab a cab to get to your hotel. |
