Getting to Paris couldn't be easier. It is such a popular tourist destination and a major transport hub that virtually every European and all major world airlines will take you there.
Getting to Paris by air
Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport
Most international airlines use Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle
airport, which is about 30 km north-east of Paris. Getting to central
Paris from Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport is quick and easy. RER B trains
from Terminal 2 run every 10-15mins from 4:54am to 11:56pm. The journey
to Gare du Nord takes about 40mins and to RER Châtelet-Les Halles about
45mins. Single ticket costs €8.40. If you arrive at Terminal 1, you will
need to take a free shuttle bus to RER train station at Terminal 2. RER
ticket from the airport to the city entitles you to continue you trip
by metro to any destination in Paris. More information: www.transilien.com
Apart from RER trains, there are also Air France buses running from Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport to Maillot and place Charles-de-Gaulle as well as to Gare Montparnasse and Gare de Lyon. Also, there is a shuttle bus between Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airport. Tickets are quite expensive at €18 and the service runs every 30mins, 5:55am-10:25pm from Roissy daily (6:30am-10:20pm Mon-Fri, 7am-10:30pm Sat, Sun from Orly). More information: www.cars-airfrance.com
Orly Airport
Domestic and some international flights use Orly airport,
which is about 18km south of the city. The quickest way from Orly airport
to central Paris is by Orlyval, a high-speed shuttle train. The journey
to central Paris takes about 35mins and trains run every 4-7mins (6am-11pm
daily) to RER B station Antony (you can get off at Châtelet-les-Halles).
More information: www.orlyval.fr
There are also Air France busses running from Orly to Invalides and Montparnasse. The journey takes 30-45mins. More information: www.cars-airfrance.com
Attention:
Ryanair and some other budget airlines use Paris Beauvais
airport, some 80km from Paris. Bus tickets from Paris Beauvais
to Paris cost €13. Buses leave to Porte Maillot metro station 15-30 mins
after each arrival; buses to the airport leave 3hrs 15mins before each
departure. The journey takes about 1h 15mins. You can buy tickets on the
bus.
Getting to Paris by train
You can get to Paris by train from anywhere in Europe, often by fast, direct trains.
Eurostar
Travelling to Paris from London by Eurostar can be a great alternative
to flying. Eurostar tickets from London to Paris can be as cheap as £69
return. The journey takes just over 2 hours and there is no hassle and
waste of time with getting to/from the airport. Eurostar takes you straight
from London St Pancras train station in central London to Paris Nord train
station with direct and easy access to Paris metro.
More information on Eurostar schedules and online bookings: www.eurostar.com
Paris train stations and destinations
Paris has 6 major train stations:
- Gare du Nord (Paris North train station) serves Eurostar trains from London and is also the train travel hub to Northern France and Northern Europe.
- Gare de Lyon serves trains to/from Lyon, Aix en Provence, Marseille, Mediterranean coast, Switzerland (Geneva) and Italy. Many train connections from Gare de Lyon are by high-speed TGV trains. The train journey from Paris to Marseille for example takes just 3 hours.
- Gare d'Austerlitz serves trains to/from south-western France (Toulouse, Bordeaux) the Loire Valley and various destinations in Spain.
- Gare Saint-Lazare serves trains to/from Normandy and England, but these are slow trains to England, not Eurostar. The latter departs from Gare du Nord.
- Gare de'l Est is the station you will get to if you take a train to Paris from eastern France, some parts of Germany, Luxembourg or Central Europe.
- Gare Montparnasse is almost exclusively served by fast TGV trains to/from Nantes and Bordeaux.
For more information on French railways, such as train schedules, ticket reservations etc. visit www.sncf.com