By plane

Charles de Gaulle Airport

1 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG IATA), is the primary airport. Colloquially known as Roissy Airport, it is north of the city and is used mainly for long haul flights. The airport consists of three terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, connected by the CDGVAL people mover. It is connected to Paris by train, bus and taxi. See Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for details.

RER line B serves central Paris and is the fastest and most economical option for most travellers. Most trains will stop at each station along the way to Paris. Express trains with fewer stops are available during off-peak hours. Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire are always served. A full-fare single ticket is €13 and trains run every 10 minutes. Your ticket will allow you to transfer to the Metro and other RER lines to complete your journey.

If you arrive at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city centre. The buses you'll need are N140 or N143. The buses leave every 30 min after 00:30.

This map shows you how you connect from the airport to the city.

Orly Airport

2 Paris Orly Airport (ORY IATA), is the secondary airport. It is south of the city and is used mainly by Air France for domestic departures, and for several international departures, mostly towards destinations around the Mediterranean. The airport consists of four terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, connected by the Orlyval people mover. It is connected to Paris by metro, train, tram, bus and taxi. See Paris Orly Airport for details.

Metro line 14 serves central Paris and is the fastest and most economical option for most travellers. A full-fare single ticket is €13 and trains run every 5 minutes. Your ticket will allow you to transfer to the RER and other Metro lines to complete your journey.

Orlyval people mover runs from the airport to Antony for onward connections to the city via RER line B. A full-fare single ticket is €13 and people movers run every 6 min. Journey time from the airport to Antony is 6 minutes.

Tram line T7 runs from the airport to La Fraternelle for onward connections to the city via RER line C. A full-fare single ticket is only €2 and trams run every 10 min. Journey time from the airport to La Fraternelle is 8 minutes.

If you arrive at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city centre. The buses you'll need are N22, N31, N131 or N144. The buses leave every 60 min after 00:30.

This map shows you how you connect from the airport to the city.

Beauvais–Tillé Airport

3 Beauvais–Tillé Airport (BVA IATA). 85 km (53 mi) northwest of central Paris, this airport is used by some low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and WizzAir. The airport operates a shuttle service to the Métro at Porte Maillot station. Buses run as early as 06:00. Buses leave 20 min after each flight arrives, and a few hours before each flight departs. A schedule can be found on the Beauvais Airport website. The journey will take about an hour in good traffic conditions, and costs €16.9 each way (Online) or €18 each way (Physically); there is no reduced price for children over the age of 2 years. Unless you hire a car this is the most realistic way to head toward Paris. The alternative is a train service between Gare du Nord and Beauvais, and a connecting shuttle or taxi to the airport. This journey costs more and takes longer. Missing the shuttle bus could mean a taxi fare well over €100.

Châlons Vatry Airport

4 Châlons Vatry Airport (XCR IATA). 147 km (91 mi) east of central Paris. 105 km (65 mi) east of Disneyland Paris. Isolated.

Le Bourget Airport

5 Paris Le Bourget Airport (LBG IATA). 11 km northeast of central Paris. A 24-hour airport for private jets and business aviation. Companies like Air Charter Advisors and Priority Jet offer access to a variety of aircraft rentals.

By train

Paris is well-connected to the rest of Europe by train. There are seven terminus stations in central Paris; they are not all in the same district, they are all connected to the Metro and RER networks. You will probably want to know in advance at which station your train is arriving, so as to better choose a hotel and plan for transport within the city.

6 Gare du Nord, (10th), Métro: Gare du Nord — TGV trains to and from northern France (Lille, Amiens, Lens...), Eurostar trains to the United Kingdom (London) and to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia). The station is complex to navigate with multiple layers of automated ticket checks and confusing corridors.

7 Gare d'Austerlitz, (13th), Métro: Gare d'Austerlitz — Intercités trains to and from the center and southwest of France (Orléans, Limoges, Toulouse the long way) and the majority of night trains.

8 Gare de l'Est, (10th), Métro: Gare de l'Est — TGV to and from eastern France (Strasbourg, Reims, Nancy, etc.) and Luxembourg, ICE/TGV to and from Germany (Saarbrücken, Kaiserslautern, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Halle, Erfurt, Berlin, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Augsburg, Munich, and Freiburg)

9 Gare de Lyon, (12th), Métro: Gare de Lyon — regular, Frecciarossa, and TGV trains to and from southern and eastern France: French Alps, Marseille, Lyon, Dijon, Switzerland (Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Zurich), southwest Germany (Freiburg im Breisgau), Italy (Turin, Milan) and Spain (Girona, Barcelona).

10 Gare de Bercy, (12th), Métro: Bercy — Intercités trains from Auvergne and Burgundy.

11 Gare St Lazare, (8th) Métro: St-Lazare — trains from Normandy.

12 Gare Montparnasse, (15th), Métro: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe — TGV and regular trains from the west and south-west of France (Tours, Brest, Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse the fastest way, Hendaye). Gare Vaugirard is an extension of Gare Montparnasse.

SNCF Voyageurs operates most trains within France, as well as to the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, with its subsidiary Eurostar. There are also a few local lines of high interest to tourists, which are privately owned. SNCF Voyageurs relies on travel agencies for selling tickets online, the main one being SNCF Connect and Trainline (easier to use). You can also find tickets online and in physical travel agencies. You can book and buy tickets up to 4 months in advance. There are significant discounts if you book weeks ahead. Reduced ticket prices are different for each day and each train and can be used only on the train for which the reservation is for. Some trains between Paris and Germany (Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin) as well as the Marseille-Frankfurt TGV are jointly operated by SNCF and Deutsche Bahn, but each of the two operators will sell tickets at its own price! Make sure to check the price offered by each operator before you buy, or use Trainline since they automatically compare SNCF and DB prices.

Trenitalia France operates high-speed rail service between Paris-Lyon-Marseille and Paris-Lyon-Milan.

There are a number of different kinds of high-speed and normal trains:

TER: The regional trains (Train Express Régional); cheapest tickets, though prices are variable on the time of day of departure (and the day of departure as well). TER are sometimes slower, stopping at almost all stations. TER tickets bought at the train station are valid two months from the date indicated on the ticket, as long as you travel in the right fare period ("période bleue", the cheapest, "période blanche", for high-demand hours). There is no seat reservation, so arrive early enough or you may have to travel without a seat.

Intercités: A bundling of the former Intercités, Téoz, and Lunéa train categories. There are two kinds: the regular trains, which are priced the same as the TER and the trains you'll find yourself on if you have a Eurail or InterRail pass and don't want to pay extra for reservations, and the trains à réservation obligatoire, which require a reservation and are priced differently from the regular Intercités trains.

Intercités de nuit: Overnight trains from destinations to and from south of France, including Latour-de-Carol, Lourdes and Cerbère via Toulouse.

TGV: The world-famous French high-speed trains (Trains à Grande Vitesse) run very frequently to the southeast Nice (5-6 hr), Marseille (3 hr) and Avignon (2.5 hr), the east Geneva (3hr) or Lausanne, Switzerland, Dijon (1 hr 15 min) and Strasbourg (1 hr 45 min), the southwest Bordeaux (3 hr), the west Rennes (2 hr) and the north Lille (1 hr). Reservations are compulsory.

ICE: German high-speed trains, operating most services between Paris and Frankfurt.

Eurostar: A high-speed train service to/from London, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as many other destinations indirectly through other rail services. Tickets can be a bit expensive compared to normal trains, but cheap enough if you buy in advance. On-board service is usually very good.

Special conditions apply to the route between Paris Gare du Nord and London St Pancras International:

Eurail and InterRail passes are not valid, though pass holders can benefit from a reduced price.

You must arrive at the station at least 90 minutes, and up to two hours, before the departure of the train to complete security and passport controls.

Ouigo: A brand of SNCF Voyageurs running TGVs with a second class only layout intended and marketed as a lower-cost service. Strict baggage limits and 30-minute check in times make them more like budget airlines.

Trenitalia: Operates high-speed Frecciarossa trains between Paris, Lyon, Chambéry, Modane, Turin, and Milan, as well as between Paris, Lyon, Avignon, Aix en Provence, and Marseille. Prices can be cheaper than SNCF, Trainline automatically compares both options.

From Gare d'Austerlitz

Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare de Bercy (15 min): Bus 24 to École Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort.

Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare de l'Est (20 min): 5 , direction Bobigny.

Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare Montparnasse (25 min): 10 direction Boulogne, change at Odéon for 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge. Alternatively, Bus 91 to Montparnasse, get off at Gare Montparnasse for the ticket office, local trains and most long-distance trains; get off at the last stop Montparnasse 2–gare TGV, if your train leaves from Gare de Vaugirard, or to reach the front carriages of TGV trains.

Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare de Lyon: it's a 5- to 10-min walk (follow the signs). Alternatively, take Bus 91 in front of the station (on the same side of the street) towards Bastille and get off at Gare de Lyon–Diderot.

Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare du Nord (20 min): 5 direction Bobigny.

Gare d'Austerlitz – Gare Saint-Lazare (25 min): 10 direction Boulogne, change at Sèvres-Babylone for 12 direction Aubervilliers–Front Populaire; alternatively walk 10 min to Gare de Lyon then take 14 direction Gare Saint-Lazare.

From Gare de Bercy

For most train stations, take line 14 to Gare de Lyon and follow the directions given from Gare de Lyon.

Gare de Bercy – Gare d'Austerlitz (15 min): bus 24 towards gare Saint-Lazare.

From Gare de l'Est

Gare de l'Est – Gare d'Austerlitz (20 min): 5 direction Place d'Italie.

Gare de l'Est - Gare de Bercy (25 min): 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge, stop at Châtelet, then 14 direction Olympiades, stop at Bercy.

Gare de l'Est - Gare de Lyon (20 min): 5 direction Place d'Italie, stop at Quai de la Rapee and follow pedestrian signs to Gare de Lyon. Alternatively, 5 in the same direction to Bastille and then 1 direction Château de Vincennes to Gare de Lyon.

Gare de l'Est - Gare du Nord (8 min): 5 direction Bobigny or Metro 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt. By foot, it is also about 8 minutes, but you will have to climb set of stairs.

Gare de l'Est - Gare Montparnasse (30 min): 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge.

Gare de l'Est – Gare Saint-Lazare (15 min): RER E direction Haussman–Saint-Lazare; alternatively (less walking, but more stairs) 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge, change at Strasbourg-Saint-Denis for 3 direction Pont de Levallois–Bécon.

From Gare de Lyon

Gare de Lyon – Gare d'Austerlitz: it's a 5- to 10-minute walk (follow the signs). Alternatively, take bus 91 towards Montparnasse.

Gare de Lyon - Gare de Bercy (15 mins): A free shuttle runs between the two every half hour if you have a SNCF train ticket including a transfer between these two stations. Alternatively, 14 direction Olympiades to Bercy.

Gare de Lyon - Gare de l'Est (25 mins): 14 to Chatelet, direction St. Lazare followed by 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt.

Gare de Lyon - Gare Montparnasse (30 min): Bus 91 to Gare Montparnasse. Another option is 14 to Chatelet, direction St. Lazare followed by 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge.

Gare de Lyon - Gare du Nord (20 min): RER A direction Saint-Germain-en-Laye/Cergy Le Haut/Poissy to Châtelet Les Halles and then RER B direction Aéroport Charles de Gaulle/Mitry Claye to Gare du Nord (on the other side of the platform); if the RER A is not working take RER D heading to Orry la Ville or Creil; both will go to Gare du Nord.

Gare de Lyon – Gare Saint-Lazare (15 mins): 14 direction Saint-Lazare.

From Gare Montparnasse

Gare Montparnasse – Gare d'Austerlitz (25 min): 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt, change at Odéon for 10 direction Austerlitz. Alternatively, take Bus 91 (a little faster unless it gets caught in traffic).

Gare Montparnasse - Gare de Lyon (30 min): 4 to Chatelet, direction Porte de Clignancourt followed by 14 direction Olympiades

Gare Montparnasse - Gare du Nord OR Gare de I'Est (30 min): 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt

Gare Montparnasse – Gare Saint-Lazare (15 min): 13 direction Asnières/Genevilliers or Saint-Denis. ( 12 is also a possibility but requires a long walk from the Montparnasse train station to the northern half of the metro station. It is a good option when coming from the shopping area near boulevard Montparnasse.)

From Gare du Nord

Gare du Nord – Gare d'Austerlitz (20 min): 5 direction Place d'Italie.

Gare du Nord - Gare de Bercy (25 min): Follow the directions for Gare de Lyon, then switch to 14 direction Olympiades to Bercy.

Gare du Nord - Gare de l'Est (8 min): 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge. By foot, it is also about 8 minutes, but you will have to descend a set of stairs.

Gare du Nord - Gare de Lyon (20 min): RER D direction Melun/Malesherbes; alternatively, if the RER D is not operational, RER B direction Robinson/Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse to Châtelet Les Halles and then RER A direction Marne-la-Vallée/Boissy-Saint-Léger to Gare de Lyon (this change only involves getting off the RER B train and getting on the RER A train on the other side of the same platform)

Gare du Nord - Gare Montparnasse (30 min): 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge

Gare du Nord – Gare Saint-Lazare (15 min): RER E direction Haussman–Saint-Lazare; alternatively (slower, less walking, but more stairs) 4 direction Mairie de Montrouge, change at Strasbourg-Saint-Denis for 3 direction Pont de Levallois–Bécon.

From Gare Saint-Lazare

Gare Saint-Lazare – Gare d'Austerlitz (25 min): 12 direction Mairie d'Issy, change at Sèvres-Babylone for 10 direction Austerlitz; alternatively 14 direction Olympiades to Gare de Lyon, then cross the Seine river to Gare d'Austerlitz (10 min walk).

Gare Saint-Lazare – Gare de Bercy (20 min): 14 direction Olympiades.

Gare Saint-Lazare – Gare de l'Est (15 min): RER E direction Chelles–Gournay, Villiers-sur-Marne or Tournan; alternatively (less walking, but more stairs) 3 direction Gallieni and change at Strasbourg-Saint-Denis for 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt.

Gare Saint-Lazare – Gare de Lyon (15 min): 14 direction Olympiades.

Gare Saint-Lazare – Gare Montparnasse (15 min): 13 direction Châtillon–Montrouge. ( 12 is also a possibility but requires a long walk from the Montparnasse train station to the northern half of the metro station. It is a good option when coming from the shopping area near boulevard Montparnasse.)

Gare Saint-Lazare – Gare du Nord (15 min): RER E direction Chelles–Gournay, Villiers-sur-Marne or Tournan; alternatively (slower, less walking, but more stairs) 3 direction Gallieni and change at Strasbourg-Saint-Denis for 4 direction Porte de Clignancourt.

By bus

While domestic bus lines were tightly regulated until 2015, they no longer are, and this has led to a heavily competitive and fast growing market. Companies that serve Paris are:

13 Blablacar Bus (OUIBUS), 48 bis Boulevard de Bercy, 75012 Paris (Next to Gare de Bercy at the southside). A subsidiary of the SNCF, offering routes between Paris and London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, Turin, along with other cities and towns in France. (updated Mar 2022)

14 Flixbus (Next to Quai de Bercy, access through the Parc de Bercy.), ☏ +49 30 300 137 300, service@flixbus.com. Originally a German company, they serve many routes in and out of Paris, both domestic and international with destinations in Germany, Belgium or even London. Note that although their main hub is Bercy Seine, some buses also go to other places in Paris. (updated Feb 2019)

15 Regiojet, bus stop along Rue du Faubourg near Château-Landon Metro stop (Next Gare de l'Est), ☏ +420 222 222 221, info@regiojet.com. A Czech company, offers connections to Paris from Prague and via Prague from Berlin and other cities. Good service and economical. (updated Jul 2018)

By car

Several autoroutes (expressway, motorway) link Paris with the rest of France: and to the north, and to the south, to the east and and to the west. Not surprisingly, traffic jams are significantly worse during French school holidays.

The multi-lane highway around Paris, called the Périphérique (BP), is probably preferable to driving through the center. Another beltway nearing completion; L'A86 (also and A286) loops around Paris about 10 km further out from the Périphérique (a Crit'Air vignette required on that road). A third, incomplete beltway is much further out and called La Francilienne (N104).

It is advised not to drive within Paris and to be wary in the metropolitan area. It is better to drive to a suburban train station with a parking lot and then use the train to continue your trip throughout Paris. Most of Paris' roads were created long before the invention of automobiles. Traffic inside the city tends to be heavy, especially at rush hour; driving, however, may be rather easy and efficient in the evening. Parking is also difficult. Furthermore, the medieval nature of parts of the city's street system makes it very confusing, and traffic will almost never allow one to stop or slow down to get one's bearings. If you are unfamiliar with the streets and still insist on driving in the city, make sure you have a navigator in the passenger seat with you. However, Paris does have several iconic boulevards that have multiple lanes, form the backbone of the city’s road network, and are useful if you do choose to bring a car — and are tourist attractions onto themselves.

In Paris, there are many car rental agencies offering a large number and wide range of vehicles for rental. Additionally, there are numerous car rental agencies located off-site which provide free airport transfers from their location and may offer lower prices well.