Paris Airports Guide
Paris is served by a total of 5 airports – Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Beauvais, Vatry and Le Bourget airport.
CDG and Orly are true Paris airports, while Beauvais and Vatry are further away from the city.
Also, there is Le Bourget – a city airport used mostly for business flights.
CDG and Orly are the two biggest French airports in passenger traffic, providing international flights to destinations all over the world. Beauvais and Vatry are a common choice for on-budget travellers.
Here we’ll try to summarise all the useful information about Paris airports.
Table of Contents
Airports in Paris
Charles De Gaulle airport (CDG) is the main Paris airport and the busiest airport in France with more than 70 million passengers served in 2018. CDG is the main hub for AirFrance, but also has international flights for low cost airlines like easyJet and Vueling. It is located around 25 km northeast of Paris and it has regular connections to the city. More information about reaching the city center can be found in our CDG airport guide.
Orly airport (ORY) is the closest airport to Paris located just 13 km south of the city center. Like CDG, Orly airport also offers international flights with airlines like British Airways, Alitalia and easyJet operating. Last year it served more than 33 million passengers. Information about reaching Paris center from Orly can be found in Orly airport bus guide.
Beauvais airport (BVA) is the third Paris international airport, located near the city of Beauvais, approximately 85 km away from Paris. Beauvais is mostly used for flights with low-cost airlines like Ryanair, Wizz Air and Volotea, so it’s a good choice for travellers on a budget. Since it’s the furthest airport from Paris, getting to city can take longer than usual, so make sure to read our guide about reaching Paris center.
Vatry airport (XCR) is the small airport located near the city of Châlons-en-Champagne, approximately 145 km from Paris center. In 2018 Vatry airport served around 60 thousand passengers, travelling mostly with budget airlines Ryanair and Spanish Iberia. There are several options to reach Paris center, and you can read all about it here.
Le Bourget airport (LBG) is another small Paris airport, dedicated mostly to business flights. Le Bourget is located fairly close to Paris, around 11 km north-east of the city center. It is also one of Europe’s leading business airports, serving more than 100 thousand passengers per year.
How to get from Paris airports to Paris city center
There are numerous means of transport to reach Paris center, all of which can be seen in the table provided below.
Once you get to central Paris, you gain access to the city’s train stations, from where you can continue your trip.
|
Charles De Gaulle airport |
Orly airport | Beauvais airport |
Vatry airport |
Le Bourget airport |
|
| Airport shuttle |
✓ |
✓ | ✓ | ✘ |
✘ |
| Train |
✓ |
✓ | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
| Public bus |
✓ |
✓ | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
| Transfers |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
| Taxi |
✓ |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
| Uber |
✓ |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
NOTE:
- There are no direct train links from Orly and Beauvais airports to city center – from Orly you’d need to make a connection at Antony train station, while from Beauvais airport you have a direct shuttle to Porte Maillot in Paris, from where you have access to the Metro.
- Public transportation from Le Bourget airport is available, but there are no direct links to Paris city center.
- Airport shuttle from Vatry airport goes only to cities of Châlons-en-Champagne and Reims, from where you could take a train to Paris.
- When using public transport in Paris, keep in mind there is no luggage compartment, so you’d need to take it with you in the seating area.
Which Paris airport is the best?
Choosing the best Paris airport to fly into depends on a number of things, most notably where you’re departing from, what the purpose of your visit to Paris is and where your accommodation is located.
When travelling to Paris center
If your goal is to reach Paris center and its landmarks, then two closest airports would be Orly and Charles De Gaulle, which also have the most frequent connections to the city.
Orly is significantly closer to Paris, and therefore cheaper option when taking a taxi ride to the city.
Charles de Gaulle has a good public transport connections so it’s a preferred choice for everyone using a bus or a train to get to the center.
Most of the Paris landmarks are located close to the city center, so getting there is a pretty good start for visiting famous sights like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame church or its nearby Latin Quarter district.
CDG and Orly airport are well connected to Paris by RER trains, and it shouldn’t take you more than an hour to get there.
Trains stop at one of the 6 major train stations in Paris, with Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse being the closest to the center of Paris.
When travelling to Paris on a budget
A lot of low-cost airlines operate at Beauvais and Vatry airport, so they’re a common option to fly into for anyone traveling on a budget.
Keep in mind though, that getting to Paris from these two airports will take more time and cost more, as opposed to CDG and Orly airport.
If your accommodation is based in greater Paris area, you can reach it via public transport from one of the city’s metro stations.
Orly airport is the closest to Paris’ southern suburbs, while Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget airport are closest to north-eastern area of city.
Travelling from one Paris airport to another
In case you have connecting flights, and have to get from one Paris airport to another, there are several ways of doing that.
From CDG to Orly airport and vice versa, you could either use public transportation (RER train), or Le Bus Direct shuttle that runs between airports regularly.
Currently, there are no direct connections between Beauvais airport and both CDG and Orly airport, so in that case you’d need to use a combination of public transport and airport shuttles to reach them.
You can check the details and purchase your tickets below:
NOTE:
- Alternatively, you could always book a taxi or a transfer if you’re short on time.
- There is a Line 3 service operating between CDG and Orly airport – it’s free for Air France passengers in transit.
Travelling from Paris airports to Disneyland
If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland, there are plenty of options to choose from as far as transportation is concerned. Charles De Gaulle and Orly are the closest airports to Disneyland, with Le Bourget not too far away.
Unlike them, Beauvais and Vatry are significantly further away, so consider that when choosing an airport.
On the one hand, Magical Shuttle bus has direct lines from both CDG and Orly airport to Disneyland.
On the other hand, getting from Beauvais airport to Disneyland is a bit more complicated. It takes more time and requires going to Porte Maillot and Charles de Gaulle stations before taking a train to Disneyland, so keep this in mind if Disneyland is your primary destination.
Similar situation is with Vatry airport – getting to Paris first would be cheaper solution, and then taking a train to Disneyland.
Alternatively, if you’re traveling from the center of Paris to Disneyland, you could use regional RER trains to reach Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy Station, which is a short walk away from Disneyland.
You can check the details and purchase your tickets below:
Travelling from Paris airports to other cities
If you’re planning your trip from Paris airport to other cities in France or cities in nearby countries, you can find transportation on GetByBus homepage, or see available routes in the table below.
|
CDG Airport |
Orly Airport | Beauvais Airport |
Le Bourget Airport |
Vatry airport |
|
| Paris airport to Lyon | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
✘ |
|
| Paris airport to Lille | ✘ | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
|
| Paris airport to Reims | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
✘ |
|
| Paris airport to Strasbourg | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
|
| Paris airport to Rouen | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
|
| Paris airport to Amiens |
✘ |
✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
✘ |
| Paris airport to Caen |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
|
| Paris airport to Nantes |
✘ |
✘ | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
| Paris airport to Brussels (BE) | ✘ | ✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
Paris Airports Map
Paris Airports FAQs
Airports CDG, Orly and Le Bourget have hotels within walking distance of passenger terminals. The closest hotel to Beauvais Airport is about a mile from the airport (it’s the first stop on the shuttle to Beauvais town). Closest hotels to Vatry airport are located in Châlons-en-Champagne town, so you’ll have to go there to find accommodation.
CDG and Orly have unlimited free WiFi available. Beauvais airport has free WiFi available for 30 minutes. When your 30-minute session expires, you can reconnect for additional 30 minutes, and do it an unlimited amount of times. As for Vatry and Le Bourget, there is no precise information whether internet access is available or not.
CDG and Orly both have money exchange services available, while Vatry and Le Bourget airports don’t. Beauvais airport has currency dispensers available, but they provide limited options of currency.
CDG airport has a storage facility located in Terminal 2. Other Paris airports don’t have luggage storage facilities, so you’d need to find another way to store your luggage (train stations in Paris are a common location).
Like in many European airports, it’s recommended to arrive at least 2 hours before flight departure for domestic flights, and at least 3 hours before for international flights.
This depends on the airport you are flying from. Paris is served by 5 airports and not all of them are equally distanced from the city, so we recommend checking the text above to see how far away the airport is and whether you will make it in time for your next flight.