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It's good to remember that you can board any RER train at CDG Airport's Aérogare 2 and it will take you to central Paris. (See the list of central Paris stations below.) But you'll get there faster and more comfortably, with less chance of crowding, on a train that makes fewer stops.

Once you have bought your ticket for the RER Line B trains from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris, look for the monitors in the ticket area that show the trains:

Reading from left to right, first comes "RER"(for Réseau Express Régional), then "B" for Line B, then the 4-letter route code identifying the train's route and stops.

The fastest trains from CDG to central Paris have route codes beginning with KA (KALE, KALI, KAPE, KARE, etc.) or JA (JAMI, JANO), or UL. Other trains make more stops.

(For your return to CDG airport from central Paris, look for train route codes beginning with E, because all trains beginning with E go to CDG. The express trains are ERIC, EROC, ERUK, ERIO, ERSE, EDME OR EDDY.)

Here's full information on how to interpret the route codes.

Then comes the departure time (in 24-hour time), the destination and perhaps some station information, and finally the track number (11 or 12).

The fastest trains, with codes beginning with KA, JA or UL, depart Aérogare 2 and stop only at Aérogare 1 (Roissypôle) and perhaps the Parc des Expositions before entering central Paris at the Gare du Nord (Paris-Nord RER). Here's an example, a KARI train:

As you can see from this list of stops, this KARI train goes
to central Paris (Paris [Gare du] Nord RER, Châtelet les Halles, etc.)
with the fewest stops and least crowding along the way...

Other trains may be more crowded, and make a half-dozen other stops between Parc des Expositions and Paris Nord, making the trip slower.

If several trains are scheduled to depart within a few minutes of one another, I prefer to wait a few minutes for a KA, JA or UL express train making fewer stops. The other stations are not particularly attractive, so there's no reason to take the slower train for the view. But if there are no KA, JA or UL trains shown on the monitor for awhile, board any train.

Here's a route plan of the RER B line.

Boarding Your Train

Having chosen your train, look for the doors marked:

	You may see a sign such as this...

PARIS PAR TRAIN
PARIS BY TRAIN
PARIS VIA TRENO

(See the photo in the right-hand column of this page).

(Don't go to the Grandes Lignes or TGV tracks or you may end up in some other part of France, or even in some other European country!)

Insert your ticket in the turnstile, retrieve it when it pops up on top, keep it with you—you have to have it to exit the station at the end of your journey—, and descend by stairs, escalator or elevator to the tracks.

Check the monitor for the track (voie)number and the 4-letter route code for your train, check the clock for the departure time, board your train and ride.

Many RER train cars have baggage compartments for bicycles at one end. If you have lots of luggage, you can put it in the bicycle compartment and ride in seats nearby. Look for this logo to find the bicycle compartment —>

RER Line B Central Paris Stations

Gare du Nord

Called PARIS NORD on the signs in the RER station at that stop, this is a major SNCF intercity and international train station. More...

Châtelet-Les Halles

On the Right Bank of the River Seine in the very center of Paris near the Louvre, Hôtel de Ville and Le Marais, this station is the heart of the Paris Métro system. It's the largest Metro station in Europe—vast and confusing, but centrally-located, and Paris's most important public transit hub.

St-Michel Notre-Dame

The very heart of Paris on the Left Bank near Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame, the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne.

Luxembourg

Near the Jardin du Luxembourg, Église de St-Sulpice and Panthéon in the Latin Quarter.

Denfert Rochereau

This intersection of major boulevards in the southern part of Paris is an important transport nexus, with connections to Paris-Orly Airport.

Which Station to Choose

If your hotel or apartment is in the center of Paris, you'll probably want Châtelet-Les Halles, St-Michel Notre-Dame, but from any of these stations you can transfer to the Métro or a taxi to reach your final destination.

Remember: All RER trains from CDG Airport go to central Paris, and hold on to your ticket. You'll need it to exit the train station in central Paris.

From Paris to CDG

Going to the airport from central Paris, board any RER B train with destination of Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG). Remember, all trains with route codes beginning with E go to CDG.

Do NOT board a train with a destination of Mitry-Claye!

The train line divides at Aulnay-sous-Bois, with one branch going to Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle and the other to Mitry-Claye. If you board a Mitry-Claye train by mistake, get off the train at or before Aulnay-sous-Bois and wait for the next train with CDG airport as its destination.

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