Getting To and From the CDG and Orly Airports

Trying to decide if you want a taxi, shuttle or train into Paris from the airport? Here is some transportation information that you may find helpful. We usually fly into CDG but have used Orly a couple of times. Orly is closer to Paris but we find CDG easier back and forth. There are some new shuttle and bus services that make it much easier. Check the airport transportation web sites at the bottom of this thread for both CDG and Orly. They truly give you all the options and are much easier to understand than the Metro web site.

Normally we take the RER train into Paris and back out to the airport. If we have a very early flight and the trains are not running, we book a shared shuttle and have never had a problem. When we travel with our adult daughters, we book a limo since the four of us can share the cost. Once, I hurt my foot and we used a taxi. All of these serve the purpose. You will want to consider cost (your budget), convenience (luggage, children, handicaps) and time.

You can book with other people in a van for 8 people with luggage which is what we have done a few times for very early flights. You can also book a shuttle just for yourselves (a private shuttle) and that will cost more but probably not as much as a taxi. Here is the web site for the shuttle we use and we do share with other people so it's not a private shuttle. They offer the private service but we’ve never found it necessary. We consider dropping off or picking up the other passengers a little introduction or farewell tour of Paris. We prefer the Yellow Van Shuttle over the Blue Van Shuttle because it is about half the cost. The Blue Van has lately been charging regular taxi fare. Both shuttles are fine but Yellow is cheaper. Paris Yellow Van Shuttle Web Site

Here is a web site for a limousine service we have used twice. It is quite reasonable if you can share costs. First Way Limousine Service

Here is a site that will give you the cost of a taxi. Be sure you use an official taxi from the taxi rank. They have regulated rates and cannot overcharge you. World Taxi Meter Web Site There are fixed fares in Paris to travel to the airports from within the city. From CDG it is 53 euros to the Right Bank and 58 euros to the Left Bank. From Orly it is 32 euros to the Left Bank and 37 euros to the Right Bank. This only works if you take an official Paris taxi from a fixed taxi stand at the airport. There will be a lot of taxis and drivers in other places trying to get your business and they charge a lot more. Ignore them and find the taxi rank for your ride.

And finally, here is the RER train web site, our preferred mode of travel. You may find it easier to look at the airport web sites below but this one will give you exact directions to your hotel. Paris Metro Official Web Site

There are also various bus options available. We've used the Roissybus fairly often when we are either staying near Opera or want to use Metro line #7 to get to our hotel. By the way, the Air France Bus has been renamed and is now called Le Bus Direct. These and the Roissybus go between the airport and several stops in central Paris so check your hotel address and see if a bus stop would be convenient for you. The last two digits of your hotel postal code are the arrondissement (district) number. The most central districts for sightseeing are 75001, 75004, 75005, 75006 and 75007. You can check Google Maps or the viaMichelin Maps web sites to see how these coordinate with the various bus options. Google Maps web site and Michelin Maps web site

The airport web sites below give you all the bus and train options. Click on the map and it gets large and becomes interactive. Scroll down to see prices and information. It is a great web site.

Websites for CDG and Orly transportation options:
CDG Airport transportation options web site

Orly Airport transportation options web site