Arriving in Paris by Train or Air
A Guide to Railway Stations, Airports, the Metro and the RER
Arriving Paris for the first time can be a daunting experience, especially if you don’t speak much French; but with a bit of planning it is not too difficult. Two international airports and six mainline railway stations serve the city of romance, which has two underground subway networks.
Airports
Charles de Gaulle
France’s largest airport is about 15 miles (25km) north of the city. RER line B offers a fast direct link to central Paris in about 35 minutes and there are also express bus services that take between 45 and 60 minutes.
A taxi is likely to take between 40 minutes and n hour, depending on destination but allow longer at peak times as traffic can be very busy.
One way fares are 7.75 euros on the RER, between 10 and 12 euros on the bus and 40 to 60 euros by taxi.
Orly
Paris’s second airport lies about 12 miles (20km) south of the city.
There is no direct rail link but the ADP Shuttle links to the SNCF (national rail network) train to Gare d’Austerlitz where connections can be made to the Metro and RER. The Orlyval shuttle provides a link to RER line B at Anthony station with connections to central Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
There are a number of express buses linking various destinations in central Paris.
A taxi will take between 40 and 60 minutes, depending on destination and traffic.
One way bus and train tickets vary between 5.50 and 10 euros and a taxi is likely to cost between 35 and 50 euros.
Railway Stations
France has arguably the best rail network in Europe. High speed TGV trains provide links to all major French cities and other operators including Eurostar and Thalys run direct services to England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
Gare d'Austerlitz
Trains run to central France, The Loire Valley and the Pyrenees. Destinations include Tours, Poitiers and Toulouse. There is some overlap of destinations with Gare Montparnasse with trains for places like Tours and Toulouse leaving from either station.
Underground/ subway connections
RER C and Metro lines 5 and 10 stop at Austerlitz
Gare de l’Est
Trains run to eastern France, Germany and Switzerland with destinations including Strasbourg, Metz, Reims, Frankfurt, Mulhouse and Basle. The station is also the Paris stopping point for the Venice Simplon Orient Express between London and Rome.
Underground/ subway connections
Metro lines 4, 5 and 7 stop at Gare de l’Est , the nearest RER station is Magenta (Line E) five minutes walk away.
Gare de Lyon
Trains run to South Eastern France, Switzerland and Italy including Lyon, Besançon, Marseille, Cannes, Nice, Montpellier, Geneva, Lausanne, Berne, Zurich, Turin and, Milan.
Underground/ subway connections
RER line A and D , together with Metro lines 1 and 14 stop at Gare de Lyon
Gare Montparnasse
Trains to West and South West France, including Tours, Bordeaux, Rennes, Quimper, Brest and Nantes leave from Montparnasse
Underground/ subway connections
Metro lines 4, 6 12 and 13 call at Montparnasse-Bienvenue. No RER lines stop here.
Gare du Nord
TGV trains serve Northern France including Lille and Calais. International services by Eurostar and Thalys run to London, Brussels, The Hague, Amsterdam and Cologne. Passengers travelling to London via Eurostar must pass through customs and be in possession of a valid passport.
Underground/ subway connections
Metro lines 4 and 5 together with RER lines B and D call at the station. RER line E calls at Magenta, 5 minutes walk away.
Gare St Lazare
The station immortalised by Claude Monet is now a modern main line terminus serving Normandy including Le Havre, Caen Cherbourg, Trouville-Deauville, and Dieppe.
Underground/ subway connections
RER line E runs from Haussmann Saint Lazare and Metro Lines 3, 12, 13 and 14 from Gare St Lazare, an underground pedestrian subway provides a link to RER line A at Auber..
Underground/ Subway Networks
Metro
Central Paris and the immediate suburbs are served by a network of 14 lines. Stations are close together and serve all the major tourist attractions.
RER
The RER serves outlying suburbs, up to about a 20 mile radius of Paris and most lines only make three or four stops in the city center. This service is not as much use when visiting the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre but provides a direct link to Disneyland Paris (line A) and Charles de Gaulle Airport (Line B).
Eiffel Tower
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