Airports: There are two main airports in Paris, Charles de Gaulle (CDG) which is located 14 miles northeast of Paris, and Orly (ORY) which is 8.5 miles south. Most flights from North America land in Charles de Gaulle.

Getting to town from Charles de Gaulle airport:
There are many options to get you from the airport to the city.

1. RER train (line B). These trains leave directly from the airport terminal 2, every 15 minutes, every day from 5 a.m. to midnight. The RER B will bring you to central metro stations such as Gare du Nord, Châtelet, St. Michel, Luxembourg and Denfert-Rochereau. The cost for this trip is about 8 €. You can get out and take a taxi or the metro from the RER station. This is a safe train so you shouldn’t worry about safety if you choose to take it.
   Keep in mind, if you have a lot of luggage this might not be the best option for you, as space in the RER is limited and it gets crowded, and the metro is famous for broken escalators.
2. Air France shuttle bus: One bus (line 2) leaves the airport every 12 minutes between 5:45 a.m. and 11 p.m. to the place de l’Etoile, near the Champs Elysées. The fare is about 10 € and it takes about 40 minutes.

   The other bus (line 4) leaves every 30 minutes between 7 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., every day, and goes to the Gare Montparnasse, stopping also at the Gare de Lyon. The trip is about 50 minutes and costs 12 €.

3. The Roissybus leaves the airport every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and makes a 50 minute trip to Rue Scribe at the Place de l’Opéra. Cost is 8 €.
4. Taxi Parisien: The costliest but perhaps easiest option is to take a taxi. The fare will be around 50 €, and will be up to 40 % higher at night. Be sure to wait in line at the taxi stand outside the airport terminals.
5. Shuttle service: Many people like the Bluvan service. For 14.90 euros per person, one way, you get picked up at the airport and taken directly to your hotel. At least two people must be traveling, there is a 9 euro single supplement.

Getting to town from Orly airport:

1. Air France buses leave from Orly’s two terminals every 12 minutes, from 5:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. These buses arrive at the Gare des Invalides in Paris, and cost about 8.50€. Other buses are available that go to the place Denfert-Rochereau for 6.20€. These buses take about 35 minutes, and make the return trip as well, every 15 minutes.
2. Orly Val: Orly Val is a monorail system that takes you to the RER station Anthony, where you get RER B to central Paris. Orly Val plus the RER ticket cost 9€.
3. A taxi from Orly into the city will cost about 35 €, 40% more on nights and weekends.

Trains:

If you are planning on traveling throughout France or Europe, you will probably be taking advantage of France’s incredible train system. You can buy individual tickets at the train stations themselves, or you can get a pass at a travel agency or by going through a service such as Rail Europe.

There are six major train stations in Paris, each serving a different area of France and Europe. For more information on train travel, contact the SNCF.

1. Gare d’Austerlitz serves the southwest, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, the Pyrénées
2. Gare de l’Est serves the east: Strasbourg, Reims, Switzerland, Austria
3. Gare de Lyon serves the southeast: Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, Nice, Italy
4. Gare Montparnasse serves the west and Brittany
5. Gare du Nord serves the north: Lille, Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany
6. Gare St. Lazare serves the northwest: Normandy

To get into Paris from the train stations, you can take a taxi (remember to wait at the taxi stand outside the station) or the metro. Each train station is also a metro station.

Coming from England, you will use the Channel Tunnel and its Eurostar Express which offers daily service from London to Paris. The trip takes 3 hours, around 20 minutes of which are actually under the Channel. Trains leave from London’s Waterloo Station and arrive at the Gare du Nord in Paris.

Metro and RER:

The Paris metro is one of the oldest subway systems in the world, but the recent work that has been done on it makes it feel like a modern and brand new system. Don’t be afraid of the metro, it is safe and the easiest way to get around Paris.

The cost of a metro ticket is about 1.40 €. If you plan on using the metro multiple times, it is more economical to buy a “carnet”, which costs 10.70€ for travel within the confines of Paris itself. If you go to the suburbs the ticket will be a little more.

Another option is to buy a “carte orange hebdomadaire” which is a metro pass valid for one week, from Monday – Sunday. This pass allows unlimited travel on the metro, RER and bus in the zones that you purchase (zones 1 and 2 will cover everything you will need). This includes the funiculaire of Montmartre. Be sure to bring a passport size photo with you, which you must attach to the pass. There are photo booths in some metro stations as well. Hold onto the pass and the ticket, as you only get one ticket that you re-use all week. The carte orange costs about 15.70€ for central Paris.

There is also a “Paris Visite” pass which is valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days. You can buy this at any metro station, but be sure to write your name and the ticket number on the card. You buy this for the zone you will need, and the more zones you need the more expensive it is. Zones 1-3 should be enough for you, although Versailles is in zone 4. Prices range from 8.35€ for one day in zones 1-3 to 45.70€ for five days zones 1-5.

Using the metro:
First, you should be armed with a good metro map. Use the one from this site, from your map of Paris or from your hotel. It will be indispensable.
Some people get very intimidated by the subway system in Paris. It is, in fact, a very easy and efficient means of transportation. It just takes practice. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Once you purchase your ticket, put it through the slot on the turnstile and come through, being sure to collect the ticket on the other side.
Don’t discard your ticket before exiting the metro, as you may be asked to present it at any time.
To find the correct train be sure to consult the many maps available on the walls of the metro station (or if you have one of your own). Locate the station you are at, and the one you want to go to. Look at the number of the line that station is on, and then look at the name of the end of the line in the direction you are traveling. That’s the number and direction of the train you want to use.
If you must make a transfer, find the best route to take from the line you are on to the line that your desired station is on. Follow the directions above until you arrive at the station you need. Be sure to follow the “correspondance” signs, not the “sortie” signs. “Correspondance” will keep you in the subway, and “sortie” will take you outside.

THE METRO IS GENERALLY SAFE, but be sure not to make yourself a victim. Hold onto bags, be attentive, don’t speak loud English in trains. Be careful on line 4 at night, especially up in the Montmartre area.

To use the RER: The RER is what you will use if you plan to go to Versailles or EuroDisney. It works much like the metro, although the trains are faster and there are fewer stops. Be sure to keep your ticket, as you must re-introduce it into a turnstile in order to exit the RER.

Parisian Taxis: Taxis are free when their sign reads “libre”. The best place to find a taxi is outside a metro station and at a taxi stand. Your taxi fare depends on the time of day and how much luggage you have. You start at 5.20€, and during the day (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) you pay 1 € per kilometer. From 7 p.m. – 7 a.m. you pay 1.20€ per kilometer. Heavy suitcases that are put in the trunk cost from 1€ to 1.50€ each. If you call a taxi, you are charged from the point where the driver begins his trip to get you. You should tip your driver 10 – 15%.

Batobus: The Batobus is a unique way to get around the city and see the sights at the same time. From April – mid October, you can take one of these ferries along the Seine, from the Eiffel Tower to the Notre Dame, for 2.50€. A one day pass costs 11€. The boats leave every 15 – 25 minutes daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June – August).

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