Paris: Airports & Transfers

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Airports & Transfers

Paris is served by two international airports: Charles de Gaulle/Roissy (01-48-62-22-80 in English. www.adp.fr), 26 km (16 mi) northeast, and Orly (01-49-75-15-15. www.adp.fr), 16 km (10 mi) south. Orly has two terminals: Orly Ouest (domestic flights) and Orly Sud (international, regular, and charter flights). Roissy has three terminals: Aérogare 1 (foreign flights), Aérogare 2 (Air France flights), and Aérogare T-3 (discount airlines and charter flights). Terminal information should be noted on your ticket. Terminals within each airport are connected with a free shuttle service, called the navette.

From Charles de Gaulle, the RER-B, the suburban commuter train, beneath Terminal 2, has trains to central Paris (Les Halles, St-Michel, Luxembourg) every 20 minutes; the fare is EUR 7.85, and the journey takes 30 minutes. Note that you have to carry your luggage up from and down to the platform and that trains can be crowded during rush hour. Remember you must retain the train ticket sold to you at Charles de Gaulle Airport since you will need it at the end of the ride to exit the métro system once you are in the city center. Without a ticket stub, you will not be able to get the métro turnstiles to open to exit the subway system in Paris and you could wind up paying a fine or being trapped in the station until a passerby can aid you.

Buses operated by Air France (you need not have flown with the airline) run every 15 minutes between Roissy and western Paris (Porte Maillot and the Arc de Triomphe). The fare is EUR 12, and the trip takes about 40 minutes, though rush-hour traffic may make it longer. Additionally, the Roissybus, operated by the RATP, runs directly between Roissy and rue Scribe by the Opéra every 15 minutes and costs EUR 8.40. Taxis are readily available; the fare will be around EUR 30-EUR 40, depending on traffic, but traffic jams can make this a frustrating venture. Aeroports Limousine Service can meet you on arrival in a private car and drive you to your destination; reservations should be made two or three days in advance; MasterCard and Visa are accepted -- readers report inordinate delays, however. The following minibus services -- with fixed prices -- can also meet you on arrival: Airport Shuttle, Paris Airports Service, and Parishuttle.

The RER-C line is one way to get to Paris from Orly Airport; there's a free shuttle bus from the terminal building to the train station, and trains leave every 15 minutes. The fare is EUR 5.70 (métro included), and the train journey takes about 35 minutes. The Orlyval service is a shuttle train that runs direct from each Orly terminal to the Antony RER-B station every seven minutes; a one-way ticket for the entire trip into Paris is EUR 9.05. Buses operated by Air France (you need not have flown with the airline) run every 12 minutes between Orly Airport, Montparnasse station, and Les Invalides. On the Left Bank, the fare is EUR 8, and the trip can take from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic. RATP also runs the Orlybus between the Denfert-Rochereau métro station and Orly every 15 minutes, and the trip costs EUR 5.80. You can economize using RATP Bus 285 which shuttles you from the airport to Line 7, métro Villejuif Louis Arragan station for the price of a city bus ticket. It operates daily from 6:45 AM (from 5:15 AM weekdays) to 12:45 AM at the Orly Sud terminal. A 20-minute taxi ride costs about EUR 20-EUR 30. With reservations, Aeroports Limousine Service can pick you up at Orly, but readers report delays.

Taxis & Shuttles

Air France Bus (08-92-35-08-20 recorded information in English EUR .35 per min. www.cars-airfrance.com). Airport Connection (01-43-65-55-55. 01-43-65-55-57. www.airport-connection.com). Paris Airports Services (01-55-98-10-80. 01-55-98-10-89. www.parisairportservice.com). RATP (Paris Transit Authority: including Roissybus, Orlybus, Orlyval) (54 quai de la Rapée, 75012, Paris. 08-92-68-77-14 EUR .35 per min. www.ratp.com).