There are two major international airports in the Paris suburbs: Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly. They are jointly known as the Aéroports de Paris and share a bi-lingual website.
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Both airports offer full services such as car rental, public transportation links to Paris, tourist info kiosks, shopping, dining, business center, police, hotels, post office, news agents and currency exchange.
New Flat Rate: In 2025 the RERs, metros, and airport busses are all now a flat €13 for either airport, so it’s up to you to decide which is most convenient for you. All unlimited transport passes are valid (except for the Jour/Day Pass, and not on the OrlyVal). Liberté+ cards are automatically charged €13 without needing to upload a specific ticket.
Charles-de-Gaulle International Airport (CDG)
This is the main airport for flights to and from North America. It’s sometimes referred to as “Roissy”, after the town. It’s about 40 minutes (26km/16 miles) northeast of Paris (without traffic). It has three terminals (formerly linked by the slowest shuttle bus in the world, now liked by the free, super-fast CDGVal light rail):
Terminal 1 was born the same year as moi, 1974. It’s circular, and with the funky tiling resembles a public restroom. It was completely renovated in 2009, so it’s not as miserable as it used to be, but don’t expect to find many shops or dining options. The best thing about this terminal is that it’s small enough that you won’t have to walk far to get to your gate. It’s connected to the RER station via the free CDGVal rail link.
Terminal 2 is the pretty one, all modern and sexy like airports should be. By far the best shopping is here. There are 6 sections in Terminal 2, A through F. Be sure you know from which one you’re departing — they’re not that close together! If you are in the wrong one, there are free navette busses that circle between them.
Terminal 3 used to be called T-9 just to confuse everyone. It looks like a military hangar. There’s one café and a newsstand. It’s mostly used for inter-Euoprean flights and charters. FYI: You used to have to walk outside (up a slight hill and through a long tunnel) to get to or from the RER station, but now you can hop on the CDGVal free rail link.
Getting to and from CDG
By Bus
The RoissyBus (operated by the RATP/Paris Transit Authority) has daily service from 6am-12:30am between Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (all terminals) and the Opéra Garnier (corner of Rue Scribe and Rue Auber) with departures every 15-20 minutes, travel time 45-60 minutes. One-way tickets are €13 (All unlimited transportation passes accepted), which can be purchased on the bus, at the airport, or in Métro stations in Paris. A new feature, you can now use your contactless credit card to pay directly on the bus where you’d normally tap your transportation pass. You can purchase up to four tickets per credit card (if you need more, go to the ticket machine before boarding).
The Noctilien (also run by the RATP) is the night bus service, with line N143 going between Roissy-CDG and Paris Gare de l’Est (southwest corner of Rue du 8 Mai 1945 and Blvd Strasbourg) every hour from 1am-5am (travel time 90minutes). The N140 also goes to Gare de l’Est, but has more stops so takes almost twice as long. The Noctilien bus tickets are €2.50 if paid directly to the driver. If you need to arrive at the airport at dawn the night bus is the best cheap option.
For budget travelers with a lot of time, two RATP municipal busses run from the center of Paris to the airport for just €2 (a regular bus-tram ticket, or €2.50 if buying from the driver), all unlimited transport passes include it: Line 351 from Place de la Nation (estimated travel time 70 minutes) and Line 350 from Porte de la Chapelle (estimated time 80 minutes), a rather sketchy neighborhood for Paris. They both drop off and pick up outside the Roissypole station (right outside the RER terminal at CDG).
By Shuttle
There are several companies offering shuttle service to or from the airport for a flat fee. There’s usually a digressive rate for more than one passenger. I used to recommend these, but over the past few years I’ve found reliability suffering. Combine that with Uber and fixed-rate taxis from the airport, shuttles simply aren’t as popular as they used to be, but for those who’d like a recommendation, here are two:
- Welcome Pickups: I’ve used (and liked) this service in other cities in Europe, but haven’t tried it in Paris. Reviews from users are mixed.
- Paris Private Shuttle: recommended by a Secrets of Paris reader because you can check the option to pay at the end of your transfer when booking, instead of in advance.
By RER
If you’re in a hurry and it’s rush hour, it’s usually faster to take the RER (suburban express railway), but be prepared to haul your luggage up and down the stairs and through turnstiles. RER B runs daily from approximately 5am until midnight (until 11pm towards the airport). One-way tickets are €13 (all unlimited transportation passes accepted). Stops in Paris include Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, St-Michel, Luxembourg and Denfert-Rochereau. Travel time is 25-45 minutes depending on what station you get on and whether it’s an express or local train. My experience is that it’s not very safe to take the RER B after dark or if you’re traveling alone to Paris for the first time. Also check the latest scheduled closures or service interruptions here.
Travel time between Roissy-CDG and Orly airport on RER B is 60-minutes, and costs €13 (all unlimited transportation passes accepted).
By Taxi
Taxis used to be a total nightmare, with unpredictable fees and drivers who only accept cash. But lots has changed (thanks to Uber entering the game), so now all airport taxis are a FLAT FEE of just €56 for the Right Bank of Paris and €65 for the Left Bank. Disneyland and Versailles are €75-€95. Credit cards are accepted, and it’s a good idea to get a receipt.
Getting a Taxi
If you’re at the airport, just follow signs to the nearest official taxi stand for your terminal, and verify there’s the lighted taxi sign on the roof and the counter on the dashboard showing the price. There is usually an airport employee in uniform managing the line and directing you to the next available taxi.
Note: Don’t EVER accept a taxi ride from anyone who approaches you saying they’re a taxi (legal taxis are lined up outside the terminal, with the lit-up “taxi” sign on their roof, and they never get out of their cars to come look for passengers). Also, you are NEVER required to share a taxi with anyone; if they try to put you into a taxi with other people, you can refuse and wait for the next one, there are always more taxis.
If you’re going to the airport, you have three options: go to the nearest taxi stand and hope one is there when needed; call to order a taxi right away (again, hoping one is close by); or reserving a taxi in advance (which may have an additional reservation fee of €5-7). I use G7 taxis because they have an app just like Uber making it really simple. But you can also just reserve on their website or even by phone (call 01 41 27 66 99). You can read more about using taxis and rideshare apps here.
Orly International Airport (ORY)
This airport is slightly smaller than CDG, but is closer to Paris, about 20 minutes (9 miles) southeast of the city (without traffic). Whenever you have the option, try to fly into Orly instead of CDG. There used to be two terminals, Orly Sud and Orly Ouest, but in 2019 they connected them into one giant terminal with four main zones, 1-2-3-4:
Orly 1 and 2 (formerly Orly Ouest) are now connected to Orly 4 (formerly Orly Sud) by the new Orly 3. They’ve gone through a complete remodel as well, with new shopping and dining options. The arrivals and departures are in each zone, so you need to check your ticket to see whether your flight is in Orly 1, Orly 2, Orly 3, or Orly 4. Then just follow the signs!
Getting to and from Orly
By Metro
On June 24th, 2024, the new metro line 14 extension to Orly airport finally opened. It works a bit like the RER B, in that you can use it with any regular metro-RER ticket withing Paris and the immediate suburbs, but you’ll need a separate ticket to exit or enter at Orly Airport (unless you have one of the unlimited transportation passes). The Orly airport ticket costs €13 to-from Paris, and at the moment is a digital-only ticket. Either purchase a Navigo Easy pass and add a airport ticket to it at purchase, or upload an Orly airport ticket on it anytime using the IDF Mobilités app. You can also just upload the ticket directly to your smartphone if you don’t want a Navigo pass, using that same app (note that this doesn’t work on every model of phone).
By RER
The OrlyVal monorail connects Orly Airport to the RER B and OrlyVal for €13, but does NOT accept any Navigo passes, so I would just use Line 14 metro instead if you have the option. It runs daily every 4-7 minutes from 6am-11pm between Antony-Orly and Paris (including Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, St-Michel, Luxembourg and Denfert-Rochereau). Approximate time between Châtelet-Les Halles and Orly is 35-minutes.
When taking RER, be prepared to haul your luggage up and down the stairs and through turnstiles.
Travel time between Roissy-CDG and Orly airport on RER B is 60-minutes, and costs €13.
By Tram
Relatively new (2017), and by far the cheapest way to get to the airport, you can now take Tramway T7 directly to Orly Airport from Paris via the metro station Villejuif-Louis Aragon (line 7). Just use the same bus-tram tickets (€2) that you use in Paris. Service runs daily 5:45am-12:30am, and takes about 35 minutes once you’re on the tram (so be sure to count the time to get to Villejuif-Louis Aragon station, usually 20 minutes from Châtelet, central Paris).
By Bus
The OrlyBus service was discontinued in February 2025 since more people are opting for the Metro 14.
For budget travelers with a lot of time, the Noctilien night bus N22 runs between Châtelet in central Paris and Orly Airport from 1am through 5am, about 60 minutes travel time, and costs €2.50 (a regular bus-tram ticket purchased from the driver), and N31 runs between Gare de Lyon and Orly (same time and price).
By Taxi
The flat rate for airport taxis is €44 to or from the Right Bank, and €36 to or from the Left Bank.
If you’re at the airport, just follow signs to the nearest official taxi stand for your terminal, and verify there’s the lighted taxi sign on the roof and the counter on the dashboard showing the price. There is usually an airport employee in uniform managing the line and directing you to the next available taxi.
Note: Don’t EVER accept a taxi ride from anyone who approaches you saying they’re a taxi (legal taxis are lined up outside the terminal, with the lit-up “taxi” sign on their roof, and they never get out of their cars to come look for passengers). Also, you are NEVER required to share a taxi with anyone; if they try to put you into a taxi with other people, you can refuse and wait for the next one, there are always more taxis.
If you’re going to the airport, you have three options: go to the nearest taxi stand and hope one is there when needed; call to order a taxi right away (again, hoping one is close by); or reserving a taxi in advance (which may have an additional reservation fee of €5-7). I use G7 taxis because they have an app just like Uber making it really simple. But you can also just reserve on their website or even by phone (call 01 41 27 66 99). You can read more about using taxis and rideshare apps here.
Aéroport Beauvais-Tillé
This is the “Low-Cost Airline Airport” with flights to other European cities by airlines like Ryanair and Wizzair. It’s about 90 minutes north of Paris, with its own shuttle connection from outside Paris-Saint-Denis-Université (Metro line 13) for €18 (or €16.90 reserved in advance). There are other stops at La Villette and Disneyland Paris, but the Porte Maillot stop is temporarily closed.