Getting into Paris

You will almost certainly arrive at the Charles-de-Gaulle airport (also known as “Roissy”) to the north of Paris. If you are traveling with one or two other members of the group, you may want to rent a cab to get into town. Depending on traffic, a cab will probably cost you about 40€ to 60€ (which you can divide among the number of people traveling with you). If you have a lot to lug, the extra expense is probably worth it.

Still, there are other options, which are relatively convenient, and cheaper:

From Roissy (Charles-de-Gaulle, CDG) airport

Two options:

1. You will probably arrive in Terminal 2 of CDG, which means you can just grab your bags and follow the signs for the “RER” (Réseau-Express-Régional -- light rail) or “Trains pour Paris.” (From Terminal 1 you will need to take a shuttle to the RER terminal. You’ll need to purchase your RER ticket from a ticket vending machine (your destination is simply “Paris”; you’ll need to pay for your ticket with cash or via credit or debit card). Keep your ticket; you’ll need it to get out or to change to the métro. The trains run from 5:00 am to about midnight, and it costs about 9€. All RER trains from CDG are on Line B, leaving for Paris, so it’s impossible to get on the wrong train. RER Line B will take you from Roissy to the Gare du nord (métro and train), to Luxembourg, or to Denfert-Rochereau (métro and RER).   From there you can transfer to the bus or métro to your final destination.

2. The bus is not as fast and doesn't bring you to as many locations downtown, but if you have time to burn, or if the rail lines are backed up, it’s not a bad option. Follow the signs in the terminal for the RoissyBus. This bus runs from Roissy to the Opéra métro stop (northwest central Paris) from 5:45am to 11:00 pm, with departures every fifteen minutes. The ride lasts 45 to 60 minutes and costs about 9€.

From Orly:

Follow the signs in the terminal for the OrlyBus. This bus runs from Orly to the Denfert-Rochereau métro stop (south central Paris) from 6:00 am to 11:30 pm, with depatures every 15 minutes or so. It costs about 6€, and the ride is about thirty minutes long.