Paris airport to city centre: trains, buses, taxis and costs

Paris has two main airports. Charles de Gaulle (CDG) sits northeast of the city and has a train station inside the terminal complex. Orly (ORY) sits south and needs a people-mover or tram before you reach a rail line.

The table below compares the realistic choices by cost and door-to-door time. Times assume central Paris (Châtelet, Gare du Nord, Opéra) and no major disruption.

From CDG, the RER B is the default. It runs from the station inside the airport to Gare du Nord, Châtelet–Les Halles and on toward Denfert-Rochereau. Trains run roughly every 6–15 minutes through the day and take about 30–40 minutes to the centre. Buy a ticket from a machine or use a contactless card at the gate.

From Orly, the Orlyval automated shuttle connects the terminals to Antony station, where you change to the RER B. The alternative is Tram T7 from Orly 4 to Villejuif–Louis Aragon, then metro line 7. The tram route is cheaper but slower and involves more steps.

If you are heading straight to another region, CDG has its own TGV station, so you can skip central Paris entirely. That is the fastest way to reach Lyon, Marseille or Lille without crossing the city.

Roissybus links CDG with Opéra in about 60–75 minutes. Orlybus links Orly with Denfert-Rochereau in about 30–45 minutes. Both are useful when the rail line is disrupted, but they sit in the same traffic as taxis.

Long-distance coaches stop at the airports too. If your onward trip is to another city, a coach can be cheaper than a train, though it takes longer and drops you at an outer bus station rather than a central rail hub.

Paris taxis from CDG and Orly use fixed fares to central Paris rather than the meter. The exact amount depends on the airport, the bank of the river and the time of day, so confirm the posted fare before you get in. Expect roughly €55–65 from CDG and €35–45 from Orly (2026 estimate).

Official taxi ranks are signed outside each terminal. Ignore anyone approaching you inside the building offering a ride; those are not licensed taxis. Ride-hailing apps work, but pick-up points at CDG are away from the terminal doors and can take 10 minutes to reach on foot.

Taxis make sense when you land after the last train, have heavy luggage, or are travelling with children. On a strike day they are the reliable fallback, though demand spikes and waits grow.

A single RER B ticket from CDG costs about €11–12 (2026 estimate). Orlyval plus RER B is similar. Tram T7 plus metro is the cheapest rail option at roughly €5–8. Coaches sit in the middle at €11–17.

Contactless bank cards and phones work at most gates and machines, which avoids queueing for a paper ticket. Keep a small amount of cash for the rare machine that rejects a foreign card. Children often travel at a reduced fare; check the machine menu rather than assuming.

Allow more time than the timetable suggests. A 35-minute train becomes an hour once you add walking to the platform, waiting and the final metro connection. For a flight, work backwards from the departure time and add a buffer.

Buy your ticket before boarding. Inspectors fine passengers without a validated ticket, and the fine is far more than the fare. Keep the ticket until you exit the system.

If you arrive late, decide before you land. Check the last train time for your date, and if you will miss it, book a taxi or a shuttle rather than improvising at the station. A pre-booked transfer costs more but removes the risk.