Transportation

How to get into town from the airport?

From Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle:

The airport is located 30km northeast of central Paris. It is France’s biggest airport. It has three aérogares (terminals). The airport signs are not always clear so do not hesitate to ask for direction to avoid walking unnecessary kilometers. Whatever the mean of transportation you chose, you will arrive in the north of Paris, and will pass by the Stade de France.

Taxis: a taxi ride into Paris takes about 30 minutes, costing around €50. The journey will increase during rush hour, and so will the rate. To find a taxi, follow the blue signs on the wall. The taxis are outside the terminals. Take your place in the queue. If there are people, you will have to wait a little (about 15 minutes).
RER (Express Commuter Train): the RER (Réseau Express Régional) rail line is part of the Paris métro system, toward the city and its southern suburbs. There are two RER stations within the airport complex : Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 (CDG1, which serves terminals 1 and 3), and the sleek Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 (CDG2) for terminal 2. Take the RER B Direction Saint-Rémy les Chevreuse or Robinson. There are seven stops within Paris:

– Gare du Nord

– Châtelet les Halles

– Saint-Michel

– Notre-Dame

– Luxembourg

– Port Royal

– Denfert Rochereau

– Cité Universitaire.

From any of those stops, Métro lines can carry you on to your destination.

The journey time is about 40 minutes. The one-way RER fare is 9,10€.

Buses: two Air France shuttle buses depart from Roissy for points within central Paris 7 days a week. Two bus lines run from the airport into Paris. The first line has two stops in Paris at Porte Maillot (17th arrondissement) and Charles de Gaulle Etoile (8th arrondissement). A one-way ticket costs 15€ and a round trip ticket 24€.

The first shuttle bus leaves Roissy at 6 am and the last one at 10 pm. They usually depart every 20 minutes. The journey lasts about an hour.

The second line has two stops in Paris at Gare de Lyon (12th arrondissement) and Montparnasse (15th arrondissement). A one-way ticket costs 16,50€ and a round-trip ticket 27€. The first shuttle bus leaves Roissy at 6 am and the last one at 10pm. They usually depart every 30 minutes. The journey lasts about 1 hour.

There is also a bus going directly from the airport to the Opera House right in the middle of the city. The price of a bus ticket to go from the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport to the Paris Opera is 10€.

From Orly Airport:

The airport is located 18km south of the city and has two terminals, Orly Ouest (Orly West) and Orly Sud (Orly South). It is the oldest of Paris’ two major airports.

Taxis: a taxi from Orly to the center of Paris takes about 30 minutes and costs about 40€. To find a taxi, follow the blue signs on the wall. The taxis are outside the terminals. Take your place in the queue. If there are people, you will have to wait a little (about 15 minutes).
RER (Express Commuter Train): You will need about 45 minutes to reach the center of Paris from Orly. The Orlyval connects the airport with the Antony station. The price of an Orlyval ticket to go to the Anthony station from Orly airport is 7€. At Antony, you will board an RER train (Line B) for the 30-minute ride into the city. The one-way RER fare is 2,50€. There are seven stops within Paris:

– Cité Universitaire

– Denfert Rochereau

– Port-Royal

– Luxembourg

– Saint-Michel

– Notre-Dame

– Châtelet les Halles

– Gare du Nord.

Buses: Air France shuttle buses depart from Orly for points within central Paris 7 days a week. They have two stops in Paris at Montparnasse (15th arrondissement) and les Invalides (7th arrondissement). A one-way ticket costs 11.50€ and a round-trip ticket 18.50€. The first shuttle bus leaves Orly at 6 am and the last one at 11:40 pm. They usually depart every 20 minutes. The journey lasts about 45 minutes.

What is the price of a metro ticket?

The price of a metro ticket is 1,70€. You can transfer between lines on the same ticket. On the other hand, your ticket will no longer be valid once you exit a metro station. You will have to buy a new ticket.

You can buy a single ticket for 1,70€ or a carnet of 10 tickets for 12,70€.

Metro tickets can also be used on buses, RER trains and tramways as long as you stay within Paris. If you wish to travel to the suburbs a special tariff applies according to the destination.

If you are planning to stay in Paris for a few days, it can be interesting to subscribe to a pass. Several options are available:

The « Mobilis » 1-day pass: It gives you unlimited travel for one day on the metro, bus, RER and tramway. The price depends on the zone covered by the pass. For Paris itself, the pass costs 6,40€.
The« Navigo » weekly pass: It gives you unlimited travel for one week on the metro, bus, RER and tramway. The price depends on the zone covered by the pass. For Paris itself, the pass costs 19,15€/week.
The « Navigo » monthly pass: It gives you unlimited travel for one month on the metro, bus, RER and tramway. The price depends on the zone covered by the pass. For Paris itself, the pass costs 62,90€/month.
The « Navigo » yearly pass: It gives you unlimited travel for one year on the metro, bus, RER and tramway. The price depends on the zone covered by the pass. For Paris itself, the pass costs 58,50€/month. To subscribe to this pass, you can visit the RATP site (you will receive your Navigo by mail) or go to a RATP commercial agency (the commercial agencies are located in the following stations: Les Halles, Charles de Gaulle – Etoile, Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon, Nation, Denfert-Rochereau)
The Paris Visite pass: It consists of a travelcard and its ticket valid 1, 2, 3 or 5 days. It gives you unlimited travel for one month on the metro, bus, RER and tram. The price depends on the zone covered by the pass. For Paris itself, the pass costs:

– 9,75€ for one day

– 15,85€ for 2 days

– 21,60€ for 3 days

– 31,15€ for 5 days

To get more information on the metro, you should visit the Paris Voyage website: www.parisvoyage.com

Where to buy metro tickets ?

Metro tickets can be purchased directly at any metro, RER or tramway stations, or when boarding a bus. Usually you will have the choice between a ticket window with a RATP employee or an automatic distributor (indications are available in English).

Some tobacco sellers also sell metro tickets.

How many metro stations are there?

The Paris metro has 273 stations and 16 lines which run to 214 km in length.

The Parisian metro is open 7 days a week. On all the lines, the first train usually leaves around 5:30 am and the last one leaves around 12: 30 pm during the week and 1:30 am on Fridays and Saturdays.

What is Vélib ?

Vélib is a self-service bike system available 24 hours a day and available everywhere in Paris. There are more than 1 200 Vélib stations in Paris and its inner suburbs. The bikes are grey. They are three-speed bicycles with an adjustable saddle and a front-basket.

How does Vélib work ?

To enjoy Vélib, you can:

hire a bike without a subscription
buy a « 1-day ticket » at 1,70€ which allows you to make unlimited journeys of less than 30 minutes for 24 hours
buy a « 7-day ticket » at 8€ which allows you to make unlimited journeys of less than 30 minutes for 7 days
subscribe to a yearly pass. For this, go to the www.velib.paris.fr and chose the offers that suits you best. You will have the choice between:

– the 1-year card Vélib’ Classique at 29€ per year which allows you to make unlimited journeys of less than 30 minutes

– the 1-year Vélib’ Passion at 39€ per year which allows you to make unlimited journeys of less than 45 minutes

In every instance, each additional ½ hour will be charged 1€.

To use Vélib’, go to a terminal at a Vélib’ station. Swipe your Vélib’ card over the card reader and select the bike you want. You can also directly swipe your card in front of the card reader that is located next to the bike you want to use.

You can return the bike to any Vélib’ station . You will just need to push the bike clip into an available bike post. Wait until a green light appears. This will mean that the bike has been locked correctly.

What is Autolib’?

Autolib’ is a service launched in the Ile-de-France region which supplies electric cars for a short-term duration. The cars are available at Autolib’ stations, spread out a little bit everywhere in Paris. There are currently xx Autolib’ stations. The car can be rendered at any Autolib’station, you do not have to bring it back to the station where you rent it.

How does Autolib’ work?

To use Autolib, you need to subscribe.

To do so, you only need to go to a subscription terminal with your driving licence, a valid ID (national identity card or passport) and a credit card.

You will have the choice between different subscription formulas:

a one-day formula at 10€
a weekly formula at 15€
a monthly formula at 30€
a yearly formula at 144€

For each use, you will need to pay additional costs that will depend on the length of usage:

One-day formula : 0,23€ per minute
Weekly formula: 0,23€ per minute
Monthly formula: 0,20€ per minute
Yearly formula: 0,17€ per minute

Once your subscription has been validated, you will receive a personal badge. This badge will allow you to use Autolib. You can use it in any Autolib station. You will only need to pass your badge over the sensor which will indicate the car you can use.

Unplug the cable of the car and close the lid on the recharge unit.

You can then climb into the car and hit the streets of Paris!

You can return your Autolib’ car in any station as long as a parking place is available.

Map of Paris

Metro Map of Paris (copyright of Hala Fayad):

You can also download the official Paris Metro map