How to get to your hotel in Paris from the airport

Paris has three international airports, Charles De Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais. Beauvais airport is only used by budget carriers such as Ryanair and Wizz for short hops within Europe, while the other two handle both long haul and short haul flights from around the world.

There are a number of options for making the transfer from the airports to the centre of Paris and which suits each traveller will depend on what they are willing to pay, how long they have to spend making the journey and how much luggage they have to carry with them.

• From Charles de Gaulle Airport

Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport is directly connected to the RER network, the system of suburban railways that provide services into central Paris every 15 to 20 minutes. De Gaulle is on the RER’s line B which offers both non-stop services into the Gare Du Nord and slower services stopping at intermediate stations. The faster trains take 30 minutes to the Gare du Nord, the slower trains 40. To or from terminals 1 and 3 passengers should use Paris Aéroport Charles De Gaulle 1 (CDG1) while passengers for Terminal 2 use Paris Aéroport Charles De Gaulle 2 (CDG2). CDG2 is also next to the TGV station operated by SNCF, the French high speed rail company. The TGV trains run onward to a multitude of destinations in France and also Brussels. Within the airport, terminals 1, 2 and 3 and the car parks PX and PR are all connected by the free CDGVAL automatic shuttle which has replaced the now defunct shuttle buses. There is also a bus station in terminal 2, adjacent to the RER station. Buses departing from here include RATP lines 350 and 351 heading into the centre of Paris. Meanwhile, Roissybus, also operated by RATP, departs from terminals 1 and 2 and goes non-stop into Paris. This service operates from a bus station near the Opéra Garnier.

• From Orly Airport

Paris Orly Airport is not directly connected to the RER, unlike CDG. However, the Orlyval automatic shuttle runs to Antony station on the RER line B. The Orlyval is free to use between the two Orly terminals (west and south) but costs to go any further. The journey from the RER to the airport takes about 8 minutes and from Antony into the centre is 25 minutes. There is also a shuttle bus connecting Orly Airport to RER line C at Pont De Rungis-Aeroport D’Orly. This is probably not an option for those with heavy luggage. A different option is to catch one of the several bus services into Paris. These include ones run by Air France (Cars Air France) and the RATP Orlybus.

• From Beauvais Airport

Beauvais Aiport is not as well connected to ground transport as the other Paris airports, as fact budget airlines are happy to exploit for their own gain. The coaches laid on by the airlines can be convenient and tickets bought in advance relatively good value. The train is also an option, but since only eight trains run each day it can be a long wait. An independent bus operates a route from the airport in to the Palais des Congres. This bus route works out cheaper for those who have not bought their tickets in advance since the airline buses hike their prices for those buying on board.

Photo of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport originally posted by borva

Topic:  How to Tuesday | 2 Comments
Tags:  airports, Paris, transportation

About the author

Will Joce is a recent graduate from the London School of Economics who has a morbid fear of working in an office. As well as travelling and writing he has worked in the UK Parliament and as a press monitor. Refusing to follow advice and get a real job he will soon be beginning a Masters degree at St Petersburg State University