You've landed in the City of Light - hooray! Uh-Oh - now what?! We've got you...
Landing in Paris...
Bienvenue à Paris! After all that packing, you’re here! Most likely, you have landed in Paris on an overnight, red-eye flight. You're tired and bleary eyed, excited for your Parisian adventure ahead, but a little nervous about getting to Paris proper.
Fear Not, P'Nichers! We're in this voyage together. There are many ways to get to town and quite frankly NONE of them is wrong. This topic gets quite a lot of debate, but remember the Parisian Niche motto... Paris is for everyone - and that means you - on your budget, level of expertise, and comfort. On-y va (let's go!)
If you are landing at the Orly airport, please click here for info on your landing and transport to Paris.
Landing at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport...
Paris Charles de Gaulle airport (or Roissy), with nearly 35 million passengers through it's gates each year. There are several ways to get to Paris proper and we will review several here. First up, we will discuss the RER train, which heads from Roissy to Paris and can connect through her many métro lines at that point.
To take the RER, please note that there are TWO separate stations. The Terminal 2 station (where you've likely landed if headed in from the USA) is at the end of the line where the TGV train is located.
If you land in Terminal 1 or 3, you will need to take the train from the station nearest Terminal 1
You will note that CDG / Roissy makes finding the stations very easy with clearly marked and user friendly signs in both French and English, with large icons and arrows to help guide you.
Trains are on the line B of the RER and run around every 15 minutes or so from around 5am through midnight.
Of course, you will need to purchase a ticket for this train service. You can purchase these at any of the touch screen machines, with an example here.
If you have a Navigo Transit pass, you should be set to board. The cost for a one way tickets around 11 Euros at time of posting. You cannot buy a ticket on the train, you must have one in advance.
Using these machines you can pay in Euro notes or coins, or your credit / debit card provided the card is chipped and works internationally.
You may wish to refer to our handy "to-do" list post for reminders on getting currency in advance, turning on your credit card and phone plan to avoid issues when trying to leave the Parisian airport. As we've said, Parisian Niche is with you every step of your exciting journey, so do subscribe to continue to check back into the Parisian Niche...
Ok, you're on the RER train and ready to begin your journey to Paris center.
It will likely take around 40 minutes to get from CDG / Roissy to Gare du Nord métro station
If that is not your main stop, the RER B also connects through Châtelet-les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame and Denfert-Rochereau. You will want to check your final destination before boarding trains to pre-plan your route to your accommodations.
One important note for train travelers, please be prepared to handle and carry all your own baggage through rail and metro stations, both of which have many steps to traverse. Travel prepared, P'Nichers!
You can also use a bus to get from CDG to Paris center. This is called Roissybus. One way tickets can also be bought at the same area as train tickets at airport for this method of transport for around 14 Euros.
The journey will tale approximately 60 minutes from CDG to Opéra - 75009 - traffic and time of day dependent.
Frequency from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris (Opéra):
· 6:00am - 8:45 pm, every 15 minutes
· 8:45 pm - 00:30am, every 20 minutes
Upon getting off the bus, the nearest métro stop is of course, Opéra which can be found on lines 3, 7, and 8.
There are two other great bus options:
Bus 350: every 15 to 20 min. in the daytime, and every 30 to 35 min. in the evening. Destination: Gare de l’Est (métro Gare de l'Est)
Bus 351 : every 15 to 35 min. Direction: Place de la Nation (métro/RER Nation)
These depart from Roissypôle bus station.
Tickets (€6) can be purchased from the driver directly. Travel passes covering zones 1 to 5 (except Mobilis) are also accepted. They can be obtained from the ticket offices and machines in RER stations.
As with trains, you will need to handle your luggage when not being stored by drivers.
Arriving as a night owl? Pas de problème!
Bus Noctilien N140: daily from 1am to 4am, every hour. Direction: Gare de l'Est (métro Gare de l'Est).
Bus Noctilien N143: daily from 00.02am to 4.32am, every 30 min. Direction: Gare de l'Est (métro Gare de l'Est).
The Bus Noctilien departs from
· Terminal 1, at Exit #8
· TGV Station
· Terminal 3, Roissypôle bus station
Tickets are €8 and can be purchased from the driver directly. Travel passes covering zones 1 to 5 (except Mobilis) are also accepted and can be purchased from the ticket offices / machines in RER stations.
Another option is to book a shuttle service. In a non sponsored note, P'Niche has used PariShuttle and had good experiences.
If traveling in groups, this might be helpful and rates fall from €75 (1-4 travelers) to €90 (5-8 travelers)
Also non sponsored, similar shuttle services can be booked through Viator. When booking - make sure if you are in a shared shuttle, with other travelers from various locations or accommodations, that you have enough time to get to airport. I've cut it a little close for comfort before, but overall can positive feedback.
If your finances allow, a taxi might be just the ticket. The driver will help you with your luggage, and you'll have a private ride. There are also flat rates for travel:
· CDG to ‘Rive Droite’ (‘Right Bank’) - 53€
· CDG to ‘Rive Gauche’ (Left Bank’) - 58€
New supplements apply to flat rate fares:
· Immediate flat-rate booking - 4€
· Advance flat-rate booking - 7€
Taxi posts can be found:
· Terminal 1, exit 24 (arrivals level)
· Terminal 2A, exit 6
· Terminal 2C, exit 14
· Terminal 2D, exit 7
· Terminal 2E, exit 10 (arrivals level)
· Terminal 2F, exit 11 (arrivals level)
· Terminal 2G, blue door
· Terminal 3, in front of the terminal (arrivals hall)
Taxi exits and stands will be clearly marked with signage and icons. Typically an attendant is also present to help guide the travelers safely to their taxi ride.
Uber is also available in Paris. Rates can be seen upon booking and the systems works the very same way as the US. You'll want to ensure your credit card is turned on before departing on your Parisian adventure!
Aside from Uber, in a non-sponsored way, P'Niche loves the G7 app. It works exactly the same as Uber, but calls you a Parisian Taxi.
That's right, P'Nichers! No more waiting in the rain at a taxi stand - you can program and click for a Paris Taxi at any time and they usually arrive in around 3 minutes, unless traffic is out of control.
This is a great option as well for our mobility challenged travelers who cannot, or simply don't wish to, climb up and down the many steps in the métro.
Of course, you can take G7 to and from the airport and you'll ne glad you added this to your Paris pocket address book to get about town...
A P'Nicher in the Know is a P'Nicher on the Go!
If you have a few more dollars to spend, and prefer to pre-book a car (and meet & greet service) for transport, that is totally understandable!
When I am not in the mood to schlep my luggage through the labyrinth of RER and métro stations, I like the cab services provided by Victor Cab. Also popular is a service called ConnectTo. Certainly, there are more, these are just a starting point, just as you are starting your adventure in Paris from the airport!
Traveling light and want to get a fun vibe going? Try an Urban Driver Moto Taxi!
From 90€, a moto will get you to town quite quickly and beat a lot of traffic along the way - just make sure to take precautions, wear your helmet and a smile!
Urban Moto Drivers can be booked here.
As you can see, there are many safe, easy, and comfortable ways to get to Paris proper from Charles de Gaulle (Roissy) airport. We will explore how to get from the Orly airport to Paris central in a separate post.
What do you think P'Nichers? How do you prefer to get to town from the airport after your flight back to the City of Lights? Please let us know in the comments below et à bientôt!
There is a bus from CDG to Gare de Lyon and, I think, Montparnasse. Or at least there was 3 years ago. My friend and I took it because our apartment was very close to Gare de Lyon and that was very convenient.