Paris-CDG Airport Ground Transport

Private Transfer Services

If we going to travel by car-and-driver from Charles de Gaulle Airport into Paris, we prefer a private transfer service to a taxi:

• You know the transfer car will be there. You have contact information if it is not.
• You know what the fare will be, and there's no cost to make a reservation.
• You can expect a high standard of service because there is a company standing behind private transfer services, not just a driver.

MyDriver by Sixt

The most comfortable and hassle-free way to go is with a private airport transfer. Sixt, the German car rental/hire company, offers an excellent airport transfer service called MyDriver: you book your transfer online, your driver meets you at the airport arrivals area holding a sign bearing your name, helps with your luggage, and drives you in a late-model German car or van to your destination. It's particularly convenient and good value for groups of three to five travelers.

Taxi

Taxis from CDG to central Paris are required to charge regulated fares. The safest and best way to go by taxi is to reserve your taxi in advance (for up to three passengers). You'll know the price and where to meet your driver in advance, and you'll go straight to your hotel.

If you fail to book in advance and must find one at the airport, only use an official taxi! You may be approached by men in the terminal asking "Taxi?" Even if they look "official," ignore them! They are not authorized. Look for official drivers in numbered blue vests and the official taxi rank, Taxi Officiel Aéroport, and take a taxi dispatched from there. Don't end up like the Thai couple who were charged 247€ for a 55€ ride into the city—the driver of the unofficial taxi wouldn't unlock the doors and let them out of the car until they paid.

Trains to Paris & Beyond

Trains to Central Paris

The RER Line B suburban train takes you from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport to central Paris in as little as 35 minutes. It is the fastest and almost-cheapest way to travel, in adequate comfort when it's not crowded, even if you have a lot of luggage.

Starting from CDG Airport, you're very likely to get a seat. Returning from Paris to the airport...maybe. (If you have lots of luggage, you may want to consider an alternative means of transport to return to the airport.)

RER B trains don't have to contend with Paris's horrendous highway traffic, which can turn a 45-minute airport-to-city trip into a 2-hour nightmare.

The trains stop at numerous important locations in central Paris: Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, St-Michel-Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port Royal, Denfert-Rochereau, and the Cité Universitaire south of central Paris.

The RER Line B also takes you to Orly Airport south of central Paris. Ride to the Antony station, then take the OrlyVal shuttle train direct to the terminals at Orly in six minutes.

Intercity Trains

If your destination is not central Paris, you can take a fast TGV train right from CDG Airport to go where you wish.

Train Stations

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport has two train stations, Aérogare 2 and Aérogare 1:

Aérogare 2, the Main Station

Located between Terminals 2C and 2E, this is the airport's main train station. Follow signs for Paris par train (Paris by train), Trains, Transports, Gare, or Gare SNCF to reach Aérogare 2. The signs may lead you first to the CDGVal airport shuttle train (see above), which will take you to Aérogare 2.

Aérogare 2 has two sections.

RER B Trains to Paris

Aérogare 2 is the northeastern terminus for the RER Line B suburban trains to Paris and to Orly Airport. Tracks/platforms (voies) 11 and 12 serve these trains, all of which go to central Paris—so you can't board the "wrong train" on these tracks. Just pass through the turnstiles marked Paris par train (Paris by train).

SNCF TGV Intercity Trains

The other part of Aérogare 2 serves SNCF TGV main-line (grands lignes) trains to other parts of France and Europe.

Aérogare 1

This station in the Roissypôle complex near Terminal 3 (a 5-minute walk) and the airport's bus terminal (2-minute walk), serves only RER Line B trains to/from Paris—no trains to anywhere else.

Airport Buses

Airport buses, slower than the train, make the most value-for-money sense for single travelers and perhaps some couples, depending on your destination and luggage. If your travel party is four or more people—or maybe even three—other options such as private transfers and taxis offer better value for money, as four bus fares may approach the cost of traveling by taxi or private car-and-driver.

Le-Bus Direct

Le-Bus Direct, formerly Les Cars Air France (Air France airport buses) carries you to Porte Maillot (for Neuilly), Place Charles de Gaulle-Étoile, Tour Eiffel, Gare Montparnasse, Gare de Lyon, and Aéroport d'Orly, in some comfort (though the seats are cramped), at a slower pace than the train, and slightly higher cost.

RoissyBus

A service of RATP (the Paris public transport company), the RoissyBus airport bus takes you nonstop from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the Opéra Garnier at Place de l'Opéra in the heart of Paris, whence you can continue to your hotel by Métro, city bus, taxi or on foot. It's about as comfortable as Le-Bus Direct, and as long a ride through the same Paris traffic. If you're a single traveler, or two, and your destination is near the Opéra, it's the obvious choice.

RATP Bus 350

Also operated by RATP, this slower, cheaper standard city bus travels between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris's Gare de l'Est, where you can connect to the Paris Métro and city buses to continue to your destination.

Shared Shuttle Van

You reserve your seat in advance. When your flight lands you call a toll-free number to learn the pick-up location, and the shuttle van takes you to your hotel.

This makes the most sense for single travelers who want to pay less than taxi fare and still go to their hotel without changing modes of transport.

Drawbacks:

• You'll need to use a phone right upon arrival in Paris. You can call the shuttle's toll-free number from a public phone in the airport...if you can find one. If you use your mobile phone, are you sure it will work in France?
• You're allowed to have only one suitcase.
• Your hotel may not be the first stop on the shuttle route—you may stop at several other airport terminals and city hotels before getting to yours. Still, if you're traveling alone, eventually you'll be dropped right at the door of your hotel for half the price of a taxi.