How to get to Paris from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG)
Are you coming to Paris for a couple of days or a few weeks and flying into Charles de Gaulle airport (Paris-CDG)? Are you wondering how to get to the center of Paris? Finding your bearings and getting around can be a challenge… If you’re arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport, you’ll be landing in Paris’ suburbs, relatively far from the city center. In this article you’ll find all the necessary information to get to Paris from Charles de Gaulle airport stress-free.
Lodgis’ tip: Arriving at Orly airport? Don’t panic, you’ll find all the information you need in our post on how to get to Paris from Orly airport.
How to get to Paris from Charles de Gaulle?
Paris Charles de Gaulle is the largest airport in France. It’s situated around 20km north-east of Paris.
Public transport is the cheapest way to get to the center of Paris. There are a number of options for reaching the capital from the airport: RER, trains, bus… you’ll be spoilt for choice! You can choose the means of transportation that best suits you best.
Taking the RER B
The RER B enables you to get to Paris quite easily. It crosses the city from north to south, calling at the following stations in Paris: Gare du Nord, Châtelet – Les Halles, Saint Michel – Notre Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire. You can buy them from the ticket office or the machines in the station at the terminal, and in every Metro or RER station. To get to the station in the terminal, follow signs for “Paris par train” (Paris by train). The airport has two stations:
1 – Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1, which is linked to Terminals 1 and 3
2 – Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2-TGV, which is linked to Terminal 2
– Frequency : every 6 to 15 minutes
– Time to reach Paris : between 30 and 40 minutes
– Price for a one-way ticket : €10 for adults / € 7 for children
– Last RER B : 11.50pm
Would you like to stay somewhere with really good transport links near RER B? Then hurry up and check out our range of furnished rentals in the neighborhoods of Châtelet les Halles and in the Latin Quarter of Paris.
Lodgis’ tip: If you’re taking the RER for the first time, we recommend that you read our tips and tricks for using the metro in Paris.
Getting to Paris by Bus
By Noctilien (night bus)
The “Noctilien” (nightbus) is the only means of public transport available after the last RER B train at 23:50. The N143 runs to the Gare de l’Est and the rest of the Noctilien network from Terminal 3 (bus station Roissy pôle), from Terminal 1 (platform D, gate 12), and from Terminal 2 (platform F, gate 2).
– Frequency : every 30 minutes
– Ride duration to Paris : around 55 minutes
– Time to reach Paris : €7.60 or 4 metro tickets
– Hours : from 12.00am to 4.30am
The nightbus N140, which runs the same service as the N143 to the Gare de l’Est, departs hourly from 01:00-03:00 and takes around 80 minutes.
For more information on the Paris buses, have a look at our article: A practical guide for getting around by bus in Paris
Getting home by car
Taxi
There are plenty of taxis (beware of the queues) that will take you from the airport to your destination.
Only taxis located at the gates mentioned above are allowed to take customers. These taxis can be identified by the light turned on on the roof of the vehicle.
If you are approached by people posing as taxi when leaving the baggage claim area, we recommend that you say no. These are unofficial taxis and often far more expensive!
Uber
You can request a Uber from the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport. You just need to open the application on your phone and enter your destination, and select which vehicle you would prefer. The cheapest is “Uberpool”, but your trip may take longer since you will be sharing it with other people.
Prices depend on the trip and package you choose.
For further and information and tips, check out the Uber official website.
Car rentals
Rent a car in Paris!
Would you prefer to rent a car? Be aware that prices will depend on the car model and the rental period. You’ll find a number of car rental companies at each terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport: Avis, Budget, Europecar, Hertz, National Citer, Sixt and TT Transit.
Roissy Charles de Gaulle shuttle services
The Roissybus shuttle
The Roissybus shuttle runs between the airport the metro station Opèra in central Paris (be aware of the traffic conditions, as certain times are to be avoided). Buses are from the main departure terminals.
– Frequency : every 15 minutes
– Time to reach Paris : around 45 to 60 minutes
– Price for a one-way ticket : €11
– Schedules : from 05:45am to 18:00
For more information about timetables, visit the Charles de Gaulle official website.
AirFrance coach (Cars AirFrance)
The Air France coaches also offer a direct connection between CDG airport and Paris. There are a number of stops in central Paris: Porte Maillot (Métro 1, RER C), Place Charles de Gaulle Étoile – Champs Élysées (Métro 1, 2, 6 et RER A), Gare Montparnasse (Métros 4, 6, 12 et 13) and Gare de Lyon (Métro 1, 14 et RER A).
– Frequency : every 15 minutes
– Time to reach Paris : around 1 hour
– Price for a one-way ticket : can vary between €12 and €21 for adults and between €7 and €13 for children
– Schedules : from 05:45 to 23:00 (can change depending on the traffic)
Lodgis’ tip: There’s also a coach that links Paris’ two major airports: Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly (€20). For more information, we recommend that you visit the Air France coaches website.
CDGVAL:transferring between the airport terminals
If you need to transfer from Terminals 1 or 3 to Terminal 2, a driverless shuttle train (the CDGVAL) connects the different terminals in the airport.
Alternatively, you can take the N2 shuttle bus.
An alternative to reach the Paris area
Charles de Gaulle airport has a train station serviced by the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, some of the fastest trains in the world). This TGV station allows you to reach many French cities directly from Charles de Gaulle… but not Paris! However, it does enable you to get to Disneyland Paris in just 90 minutes.
The Roissy TGV station, called “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2-TGV”, is situated in the center of Terminal 2, next to the RER station and between gates 2D/2F and 2C/2E.
Note: If you take the train from Paris to the airport, leave 50 or 60 minutes before check-in time and 60-80 minutes before your train leaves from the airport.
