Getting There

By Air

The city’s main airport is located 23km (14 miles) northeast of the city. There are three terminals: CDG 1 serves international flights; CDG 2 serves national and international flights; and T9 has charter flights only (national and international). CDG 1 and CDG 2 are linked by free shuttle buses. Air France coaches and RER line B (see below) link Charles de Gaulle airport to Orly airport (journey time - approximately 50 minutes).

Major airlines: France’s national carrier is Air France . Other airlines include Air Canada, Alitalia, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and US Airways.

Airport facilities: Facilities include bars, restaurants and boutiques, post offices, newsagents, chemists, banks, ATMs, bureaux de change, insurance facilities and car parks. There is no left-luggage facility. Car hire companies at the airport include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National Citer and Sixt.

Business facilities: Eight fully equipped meeting rooms, three offices and one VIP lounge are located within the Roissy Charles de Gaulle 1 Business Centre , accessible from the departures level near gate 34, by taking the escalators to the shopping level.

Transport to the city: The RER line B runs every eight minutes daily 0456-0014, departing from the TGV station of CDG 2 to the Gare du Nord, Chatelet-Les Halles, St-Michel and Denfert-Rochereau, where there are metro stations (journey time - approximately 30-45 minutes). Tickets cost €7.75.

Two bus services, SNCF bus de nuit , run from the airport to the city centre when the train line is closed. One service takes passengers to Gare du Nord and Chatelet, the other to Gare du Nord, Chatelet, Gare de Lyon and Gare d’Austerlitz (journey time - approximately 45-60 minutes).

The Roissybus service operated by RAPT departs from the three terminals to rue Scribe, metro Opera (journey time - approximately 60 minutes). The service operates daily 0600-2300 and costs €8.30. RAPT bus services 350 to Gare de l’Est and 351 to Nation also serve Terminals 1 and 2 (cost €1.40).

Air France coaches depart every 15 minutes from CDG 1 and CDG 2 - running daily 0550-2300 to Place Charles de Gaulle (journey time - approximately 40 minutes); a ticket costs €10. Buses also depart every 30 minutes daily 0700-2100 to Paris-Montparnasse, rue du Commandant Mouchotte, Gare de Lyon and boulevard Diderot (journey time - approximately 50 minutes); a ticket costs €11.50.

The Blue Shuttle is a door-to-door airport minibus service that is often cheaper than a taxi. Places must be reserved at least two days in advance (journey time - approximately 75 minutes). Ticket prices vary according to the number of passengers and the time of booking, the cheapest rate is €14.50 return per person, which is only available if booked at least three weeks ahead. The lowest fare available for a single passenger is €22 return.

A taxi to the city centre costs approximately €38-€43 (journey time - 45-60 minutes). The airport’s chauffeur-driven limousine service costs €105.

Orly is located 14km (9 miles) south of the city, on the A6 motorway. There are two terminals linked by shuttle (navette). Orly Sud handles mainly international flights, while Orly Ouest handles mainly domestic flights.

Major airlines: The national carrier is Air France. Other airlines include Air Algerie, Air Littoral, Corsair, El Al, Iberia, KLM, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, TAP and Tunis Air.

Airport facilities: These include bars, restaurants, boutiques, banks, foreign exchange, dry cleaners, supermarket, pharmacy, post office and a hairdresser. There is no left-luggage facility. Car hire companies at the airport include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National Citer and Sixt.

Business facilities: The fully equipped Orly West Business Centre has 17 meeting rooms, seven offices and a VIP business lounge in the west terminal. Access is from the departure level, by an escalator located at the entrance to hall three.

Transport to the city: A combination service of RER line C and the ADP shuttle bus (navette) departs from both terminals and stops at the Gare d’Austerlitz, St-Michel, Invalides and Porte Maillot (journey time - approximately 35 minutes). The service operates daily 0545-2315 and tickets cost €5.25 (includes travel on RER, ADP shuttle and metro services).

Orlyval is the Val train shuttle link to the RER line B station of Anthony, which has metro connections to Denfert-Rochereau, St-Michel and Chatelet-Les Halles (journey time - approximately 30 minutes). Trains run every 10 minutes 0600-2300; tickets to Anthony cost €7, journeys to other stations in Paris cost €8.85. Note that some passengers have complained that there are no contingency plans when the Orlyval breaks down with passengers left to fight it out for taxis to the airport.

Frequent RATP buses stop at place Denfert-Rochereau. The ‘Orlybus’ runs to Denfert-Rochereau RER and metro station daily 0600-2330 (journey time - 25 minutes), costing €5.80. The ‘Jetbus’ runs to metro Villejuif-Louis Aragon (journey time - approximately 15 minutes), costing €5.15.

Air France coaches , stopping at the Porte d’Orleans, Gare Montparnasse, Duroc and Gare des Invalides (journey time - approximately 30 minutes). Tickets cost €7.50.

The Blue Shuttle costs around €20 for a trip into the city centre (journey time - approximately 1 hour). Taxis from the airport to the centre of Paris also cost around €35 (journey time - approximately 35 minutes). The Airport Limousine service provides chauffeur-driven cars; the price is fixed at €90.

Approximate flight times to Paris: From London is 1 hour 10 minutes; from New York is 7 hours; from Los Angeles is 10 hours 30 minutes; from Toronto is 7 hours and 20 minutes and from Sydney is 23 hours 25 minutes.

By Water

Ferry services: The following companies run regular cross-channel ferries. Brittany Ferries operates services from Plymouth to Roscoff, from Poole to Cherbourg and from Portsmouth to St-Malo and Caen. Condor Ferries operates from Poole, Weymouth, Jersey and Guernsey to St-Malo and from Portsmouth to Cherbourg. P&O Ferries sail from Dover to Calais and from Portsmouth to Cherbourg and Le Havre. Hoverspeed offers fast hovercraft services from Dover to Calais and from Newhaven to Dieppe. Transport to the city: The best way for travellers to reach Paris from the ferry ports is by car or by rail.

By Road
Motorways bear the prefix ‘A’ and national roads ‘N’. Minor roads are classed as ‘D’ (departementales) roads. Traffic drives on the right and drivers must give way to the right, unless the route is marked with Passage Protege signs (a broad arrow, a yellow diamond or an ‘X’ on a triangular background) or the driver is at a roundabout indicating vous n’avez pas la priorite (’you do not have the right of way’). Speed limits are 130kph (80mph) on motorways; 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation; 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Drivers who have held a driving licence for less than two years have different speed restrictions to those who have been driving for longer - a maximum speed limit of 110kph (68mph) is enforced.

The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Seatbelts must be worn by all front- and rear-seat passengers. Under-tens may not travel in the front seat. A national driving licence, the car’s registration document and a red warning triangle must be carried at all times, or the driver is liable for a fine. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card, without which insurance cover is limited to the legal minimum. The Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner’s domestic policy. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for right-side driving by use of beam deflectors or by tilting the headlamp bulb-holder. The French police fine motorists on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. Random breath tests for drinking and driving are common; the maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.05%.

Further details on driving in France are available from French Government Tourist Offices. The Automobile Club de France can provide information and might offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.

Routes to the city: The Anglo-French Eurotunnel shuttle services allow drivers and passengers of cars and coaches to cross the Channel Tunnel (journey time - approximately 35 minutes) from Kent in Southern England to Nord-Pas-de-Calais in Northern France. The tunnel is linked to the UK and French motorway networks. Tickets are available for purchase at check-in on the day of travel or pre-booked with Eurotunnel. Alternatively, there are numerous daily sea crossings to France (see Getting There By Water).

From Boulogne (near Calais), the A16 leads directly into Paris. The E19 motorway leads from Brussels into Paris (via the A2 and A1). Lille is linked directly to Paris via the A1. Paris is surrounded by the often congested Peripherique ring road, its intersections (portes) are used to access the nearest point of entry to the desired destination. The N10 leads directly from Bordeaux to Paris, while from Marseilles, drivers should take the A7 to Lyon, after which the A6 leads north to Paris.

Approximate driving times to Paris: From Lille - 2 hours 30 minutes; Brussels - 3 hours 30 minutes; London - 5 hours (excluding the Channel crossing); Bordeaux - 6 hours; Marseille - 7 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: The majority of international coaches arrive and depart from the main coach station, Gare Routiere Internationale Paris-Gallieni, at Bagnolet, 20th. Reservations can be made (in English) with Eurolines with links to Paris from Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London, Rome and many other European destinations.

By Rail

Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer - SNCF is the national railway service, which is fast, efficient and generally reliable. A state-of-the-art high speed railway network (the TGV) spreads out from Paris to most major French cities, including Lyon and Marseilles. Paris has six major stations - Gare du Nord, rue Dunkerque, 10th, Gare de l’Est, Place du 8 Mai 1945, 10th, Gare St-Lazare, place du Havre, 8th, Gare de Lyon, place Louis-Armand, 12th, Gare Montparnasse, boulevard de Vaugirard, 15th, and Gare d’Austerlitz, boulevard de l’Hopital, 13th. Each station has cafes, restaurants, tabacs, banks, bureaux de change, ATMs and car hire available on the premises or nearby. The Gare de Lyon also has a tourist office. Information on the French rail network is available directly from SNCF or from Rail Europe in the UK .

Rail services: Gare du Nord is the French terminus of the international high-speed Eurostar train that runs from London Waterloo (journey time - 2 hours 30 minutes). Thalys’ services from Brussels Bruxelles-Midi also terminate here (journey time - 1 hour 30 minutes). The train station also contains Eurostar’s executive lounge. Eurostar also runs from London Waterloo to Disneyland Paris . The Eurotunnel shuttle service is also available for drivers (see Getting There By Road).