Charles de Gaulle sits about 25 to 30 kilometres north-east of central Paris. There is a train, there is a bus, there is a regulated taxi fare, and there is private hire. None of them is the right answer in every case, and the honest version of this question depends on three things: how many of you there are, how much luggage you have, and what time you land.
Below is each option as it really works, including the ones we do not sell.
| Option | Time to central Paris | Cost | Priced per | Takes you to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private car booked ahead | 35–90 min by road | Agreed before you travel | The car | Your address |
| Taxi from the rank | 35–90 min by road | Regulated flat fare, €56 Right Bank | The car | Your address |
| RER B train | 35–40 min to Gare du Nord | €14 airport ticket | Each person | A station, then onward |
| Roissybus | 60–75 min, traffic dependent | Bus fare, check current price | Each person | Opéra, then onward |
Road times are the honest spread rather than a best case: the low figure is a quiet Sunday, the high figure a weekday rush hour. Fares are as published at the time of writing and can change — the notice displayed at the official taxi rank is the binding one.
The train is the cheapest way into Paris and, at the right time of day, the fastest. Stations sit at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, and the line runs to Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame in roughly 35 to 40 minutes. The Paris Région-Aéroports ticket covering the journey costs €14.
What the timetable does not tell you:
Take the train if you are travelling light, alone or as a couple, arriving in daylight, and staying near a station on the line. Those conditions are met often enough that the RER B is genuinely the right answer for a large share of visitors — and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
A direct coach from the terminals to Opéra, in the 9th arrondissement. It is straightforward, it has luggage space, and it involves no changes.
Its weakness is the same as any road option without the flexibility of a car: it sits in the same traffic, on a fixed route, and takes an hour or more at busy times. It also drops everyone at one point, so unless you are staying near Opéra you have another journey afterwards.
It suits travellers who want simplicity over speed and are heading for that part of the Right Bank.
Paris taxis do not run a meter between the airport and the city. They charge a regulated flat fare, set by prefectoral order, which covers the direct journey including luggage and tolls, for the whole car rather than per passenger.
The Right Bank fare is €56. The Left Bank fare is higher; published figures for 2026 differ between sources, so read the notice displayed at the rank before you set off rather than trusting a number found online, including this one.
The flat fare has one real virtue: traffic is not your problem. Whether the run takes 40 minutes or 90, the figure does not move.
Use only the official ranks, signposted outside arrivals at each terminal. Anyone who approaches you inside the terminal building offering a car is soliciting illegally, and whatever they charge will not be the regulated fare. This is the most common way visitors are overcharged at Charles de Gaulle, and it is entirely avoidable: ignore the approach and walk to the rank.
Uber, Bolt and the rest operate at CDG from designated pick-up areas rather than the taxi rank, and you will usually have a short walk to reach one.
The thing to understand is the pricing model. These fares are dynamic: they rise with demand. The moments when demand peaks — a bank of delayed arrivals, a strike, bad weather, a Sunday evening when half of Europe flies home — are precisely the moments you will be standing there wanting a car. The quoted fare on those evenings can exceed the regulated taxi flat fare comfortably.
They are convenient and often good value at quiet times. They are the least predictable option at busy ones.
A car reserved before you fly, at a price agreed in advance, with a driver who is already at the airport when you land.
What it changes compared with the alternatives:
What it does not change: the road. A private car sits in the same traffic as everything else. Anyone promising a fast run into Paris at eight on a Tuesday morning is selling something that does not exist.
It makes most sense when you are several people, when you have real luggage, when you land late or very early, when you are heading somewhere off the RER line, or simply when you would rather not solve a transport problem after a long flight. If that describes your arrival, see our Paris airport transfers or the wider Paris car service.
Going on to Disneyland rather than into Paris? That is a different journey with different options — see our guide to transfers from CDG to Disneyland Paris.
Before you decide when to come: the best time of year to come. Before you land: tipping in Paris — service is included by law, so the amounts are smaller than you think. On the way home: the VAT refund on shopping, which has to be validated at the airport before you check your bags in. Planning a day out of the city? guide or driver — which you actually need.
Flying private instead? See arriving at Le Bourget by private jet. Fares and journey times on this page were checked at the time of writing and change over time. Where a figure matters to your budget, confirm it against the operator or the notice posted at the rank.
Send us the flight number. We will confirm the car and the price before you travel, and we will be there if you land late.