From The Airports

Planning Your Trip: Getting Around: To the City: From The Airports

Licensed taxis can be found lined up outside each terminal. Don’t ever accept a ride from anyone who approaches you inside the airport. An average journey during the day and in regular traffic will cost about €40-45 between Paris and Roissy-CDG, €20-30 between Paris and Orly, and €50-55 between Orly and Roissy-CDG. Night rates are slightly higher. Luggage costs an additional €0.90 per suitcase, and for more than three passengers there’s a surcharge of €2.60 each. The trip between either airport and Paris with Airport Limo Services (☎ 01 40 71 84 62) starts at €100. See page 53 for taxi company listings.

By Shuttle

Shared airport shuttles offer door-to-door service and special rates for multiple travelers. It’s absolutely necessary to make reservations at least 48 hours in advance, whether you’re arriving or leaving. French hotels don’t typically have their own shuttles, but the concierge can usually arrange one on request.

Bee-Shuttle (www.beeshuttle.com), ☎ 01 53 11 01 25. Service daily to all airports 7am to 8pm. Rates €24 for one adult passenger, €14.50 each for two to six adults, €13.50 each for seven or eight adults, and €8 for kids ages seven to 12, free for kids under seven. Pay by cash or credit card on arrival.

Paris Shuttle (www.parisshuttle.com), ☎ 01 53 39 18 18. Service daily to both airports from 7am to 8pm. Rates €25 for one adult passenger, €18 each for two to four adults €15 each for five to eight adults, and €10 each for kids ages three to 10.

Airport Associate Shuttle (www.airportshuttleparis.com), ☎ 01 58 34 01 26. Service daily to both airports. Rates €20 for one passenger, €13.50 each for two or three, €13 each for four or five, €12.50 each for six to eight. Credit cards accepted on board.

The Blue Vans (www.airportshuttle.fr), ☎ 01 30 11 13 00,0800 BLU VAN. From Roissy-CDG only to Paris 6:15am to 7:30pm; Paris to Roissy-CDG from 4am to 6:30pm. Rates €22 for one passenger, €14.50 each for two or more. Kids under age three ride for free.

By Bus

From Roissy-CDG

The RoissyBus (RATP) has daily service from 6am to 11pm between Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2 and the Opéra Garnier (Rue Scribe, in front of the American Express Office, métro Opéra) with departures every 15 to 20 minutes, travel time about one hour. One-way tickets are €8.20 (Carte Orange or Mobilis zone 5 passes accepted), which can be purchased on the bus, at the airport, or in métro stations in Paris.

The Cars Air France (www.carsairfrance.fr), open to passengers of all airlines, are more expensive but have more drop-off/pickup points in Paris. There’s regular service from Roissy-CDG to Paris-Orly Airport (every 30 minutes from 6am to 10:30pm, tickets €15.50, €7.75 for kids ages two to 11), to Porte Maillot and the Arc de Triomphe (every 15 minutes from 6am to 11pm, tickets €10, €17 round-trip, €5 for kids ages two to 11), or to Gare de Lyon and Gare de Montparnasse (every 30 minutes from 7am to 9pm, tickets €11.50, €19.55 round-trip, €5.75 for kids ages two to 11). Travel time is approximately 50 minutes.

The Bus de Nuit (www.busdenuit.com) offers luxury coach service nightly from 11:40pm to 6am. Line 1.2 runs between Châtelet (at 90 Rue de Rivoli, 1st) and Roissy-CDG via the Gare du Nord every 30 minutes, tickets €8 (Carte Orange or Mobilis zone 5 passes accepted). Travel time is approximately 50 minutes.

ATTENTION! There are five zones for the whole of Paris, with zones 1 and 2 corresponding to the city and some of the nearby suburbs. Make sure you know what zone you are traveling to when you purchase your métro, bus or RER train ticket.

TRANSPORTATION PASSES Get around Paris like a Parisian with a Carte Orange Hebdomadaire (hebdomadaire means weekly) pass, valid for a week of unlimited travel on the métro, bus, tram, and RER. A Carte Orange for zones 1-2 (Paris and immediate suburbs) is €14.50, or €28.90 for zones 1-5 (Paris, much of Ile-de-France, and both airports). You’ll receive a plastic holder with your ticket (coupon), a mini map, and an orange card with a serial number. Stick your passport-sized photo onto the card (if you didn’t bring an extra one, pop into a photo booth in almost any métro station, or have one made on the spot in a photo shop) and copy the serial number from the orange card onto your ticket immediately. The ticket isn’t valid without the card. If you have any problems getting through the turnstiles, ask for assistance at the nearest ticket window (the card has unlimited use, but can only go through the same turnstile once to prevent groups from using the same card). Another option is the Carte Mobilis, good for unlimited travel on the RATP network for one day. It costs €5.20 for zone 1-2, €8.75 for zone 1-4, and €12 for zone 1-5. This can be economical if you only need unlimited travel for one or two days.

From Paris-Orly

The OrlyBus (RATP) has daily service from 6am to 11:30pm between Paris-Orly and Denfert-Rochereau (outside the RER/métro station) with departures every 15 to 20 minutes. One-way tickets are €5.70 (Carte Orange or Mobilis zone 4 passes accepted), which can be purchased on the bus, at the airport, or in métro stations in Paris. Travel time is about 30 minutes. If your Paris accommodation is in the 13th or 14th arrondissements, ask the driver about the additional drop-off and pick-up points in these districts (or pick up the OrlyBus brochure at the RATP ticket desk at the airport).

The Cars Air France (www.carsairfrance.fr) has regular service from Paris-Orly to Roissy-CDG Airport (every 30 minutes from 6am to 10:30pm, tickets €15.50, €7.75 for kids ages two to 11; travel time is approximately 50 minutes) and between Paris-Orly, Les Invalides, and Gare de Montparnasse (every 15 minutes from 6am to 11pm, tickets €7.50, €12.75 round-trip, €3.75 for kids ages two to 11).

The Bus de Nuit-Line 1 (www.busdenuit.com) runs nightly between Châtelet (at 90 Rue de Rivoli, 1st) and Paris-Orly via the Gare de Lyon and Place d’Italie every 30 minutes from 11:40pm to 6am, tickets €6 (Carte Orange or Mobilis zone 4 passes accepted). Travel time is approximately 25 minutes.

By Train

From Roissy-CDG

During heavy traffic times it’s faster to take the RER (suburban express railway), but be prepared to haul your luggage up and down the stairs and through turnstiles. The RER B3 train runs daily from approximately 5am until midnight (depending on the station), and costs €7.75 (€5.50 for kids ages four to nine) for a one-way ticket. Stops include Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, St-Michel, Luxembourg and Denfert-Rochereau. Travel time is 25 to 45 minutes depending on what station you get on. Travel time between Roissy-CDG and Orly airport on the RER B is 40 minutes, and costs €16.35.

TIME-SAVING TIP Some RERs are express to the airport, and others stop at every town along the way. You may get there sooner if you skip the slow train and wait for the next fast one. Check the monitors on the platform to see if all of the stops are lit up for the next train, or just the last few stops, including the airport.

From Paris-Orly

The Orly-Val has the most reliable and regular service to Orly Airport, combining the RER B4 and Val monorail to both terminals (take the RER train as far as Antony, then transfer to the monorail). It runs daily, with departures every four minutes from 6am to 11pm, between Antony-Orly and Paris (including Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, St-Michel, Luxembourg and Denfert-Rochereau). Approximate travel time between Châtelet-Les Halles and Orly is 35 minutes, tickets are €8.80 (€4.35 for kids ages four to 10), zone 4 transport passes are accepted. Travel time from Orly to Roissy-CDG airport on the RER B train is 55 minutes, and costs €16.35.

The RER C train also has service to Orly airport, combining RER C2 with a free ADP shuttle. It runs daily every 15 minutes from 5:30am to 10pm, between Pont de Rungis-Aéroport d’Orly and Paris (stations include Gare d’Austerlitz, St-Michel, Invalides, Javel and Port Maillot).

Travel time is about 40 minutes between Invalides and Orly, one-way tickets cost €5.25. Zone 4 transport passes are accepted.

TIP: The best way to get into Paris is to take any of the airport buses into town, then proceed to the hotel by taxi or the nearest métro. The RER train is faster, but can be cumbersome with luggage and unsafe late at night. Families or small groups of travelers may find private airport shuttles to be the most economical.

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