There are two main airports serving Paris: Orly and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. You are more likely to arrive at Roissy-CDG from international flights through major airline carriers. You may arrive at Orly if you are travelling with a low-cost company or from another French or European city. Beauvais-Tillé airport, located north west of Paris exclusively serves European destinations.
Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle International Airport ( CDG ) is connected to Paris by public railway & bus, car, taxi or shuttle. The public transportation methods consist of RER regional trains, RoissyBus, and Noctilien night buses, all operated by RATP, the Paris regional public transit authority. These are the least expensive transportation options between Paris and CDG airport. The RER trains from CDG Terminals 1 and 2 require approximately 25-30 minutes to reach the first major train station in Paris: Gare du Nord. Rental car transportation through many major agencies is available directly within CDG Terminals 1 and 2, but be aware that traffic congestion and limited parking is common within central Paris. Taxis are available throughout Terminals 1 and 2. The average taxi fare will be approximately 50 euros, depending on the destination within Paris. This can be much faster than the taxi or bus options during rush hours (7 to 9 am and 5 to 7 pm). The average journey time by car is 60 minutes.
CDG Ground Transportation: The cheapest way to travel from Charles de Gaulle airport to central Paris would be by purchasing a Paris Metro Pass for 6 Zones and take their RER train right from CDG. Please note that you might have to carry your luggage up subway steps which can be very strenuous. Next would be to take the Air France Bus which leaves from all terminals and service all airlines and operate between 6h30am and 10h30pm depending on the routes. Depending on your hotel location, you may pick the bus routes accordingly. Route 4 drop offs are: Gare de Lyon, Gare MontParnasse, Route 2: Porte Maillot, and Etoile (Arc de Triomphe). Luggage handlers, AC, and on-board GPS and Video are featured. Finally, you may opt in for a Shared or Private Car Transfer - at a lesser cost than a Taxi, and be transported directly to your hotel. All these services can be pre-purchased as redeemable vouchers on http://www.aircityshuttle.com
Private shuttle or limousine transfer is possible in Paris. A list of reliable private shuttle companies is available on http://www.paris-airport-shuttle.fr. A list of reliable private limousine companies is available on http://www.parisairportlimousines.com.
Orly Airport ( ORY ) is also connected by two RER lines, and two buses. If you take the RER B, you will get a chance to board in the very high tech automatic shuttle called Orlyval (your kids will love sitting in the front and pretend they are riding it!). Taxi and car rentals are also available at Orly. From the center of Paris, the approximate taxi rate is 35 euros.
For Orly and Roissy-CDG, you will find all the information you need on the Aéroports de Paris website; for RER and bus schedules, click here.
Paris-Beauvais offers a shuttle service for 13 euros/person between Paris (Porte Maillot) and the airport. Beauvais is about 1h15 from Paris, so you must board in the shuttle at least 3 hours 15 before your flight departure time. You can also use Beauvais airport shuttle, a private company that offers connexions either to Paris, Roissy-CDG or Euro Disney, and private car service. The SNCF also has a TER (express regional train) service to the city of Beauvais, then you will have to take a taxi (with a fixed price: 11 euros/ 15 at night). The taxi option is not recommended as it would certainly cost you more than your plane ticket!
For Beauvais : Airport official website ; Airport shutles; SNCF (National train company)
These 3 airports are also connected to other cities in France with the SNCF train service
Trains and Buses
Trains are a lot more popular in France than buses, to go from a city to another. Thanks to the TGV (High Speed Train), you can reach a city like Marseilles (located at about 530 miles from Paris) in just 3 hours. Depending on where you are heading (North, South, East, West), you will have to go to one of the 6 train stations of Paris. Each of them is located in a different area of the city and very easy to access by metro, bus or RER.
Don’t forget to check your departure station when you book your ticket. From France, you can book tickets on the SNCF website and from abroad.
However, in case of a SNCF strike or if you are on a budget, coaches (called “autocars” or “cars” in French) can be useful. The main coach company in France is Eurolines. It serves several cities in France and all European countries, but also further destinations like Morocco. In Paris, there are several boarding points that are not train stations, but usually bus stops or bus stations (gare routières). You will be told where to board when you buy your ticket.
All the information you need is on the Eurolines website.
