There are two main airports serving Paris: Orly and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. You are more likely to arrive at Roissy-CDG from international flights through major airline carriers. You may arrive at Orly if you are travelling with a low-cost company or from another French or European city. Beauvais-Tillé airport, located north west of Paris exclusively serves European destinations.
Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle International Airport ( CDG ) is connected to Paris by train, bus, car, taxi or shuttle. The public transportation methods consist of RER regional trains, RoissyBus, and Noctilien night buses, all operated by RATP, the Paris regional public transit authority. These are the least expensive transportation options between Paris and CDG airport. The RER trains from CDG Terminals 1 and 2 require approximately 25-30 minutes to reach the first major train station in Paris: Gare du Nord.
Rental car transportation through many major agencies is available directly within CDG Terminals 1 and 2, but be aware that traffic congestion and limited parking is common within central Paris. Taxis are available throughout Terminals 1 and 2. The average taxi fare will be approximately 40-50€, depending on the destination within Paris. The average journey time by road is 60 minutes.
CDG Ground Transportation: The cheapest way to travel from Charles de Gaulle airport to central Paris would be by purchasing a Paris Metro Pass for 6 Zones and take the RER train directly. The RER takes approximately 40 minutes to reach central Paris. Please note that you might have to carry your luggage up several flights of stairs when you reach your station (elevators are limited to certain stations in Paris, which may be some distance from where you want to be).
You could also consider the Air France Bus, which leaves from all terminals and services all airlines, operating between 6:00 and 22:30, depending on the routes. Route 4 drop offs are: Gare de Lyon, Gare Montparnasse, Route 2: Porte Maillot, and Etoile (Arc de Triomphe). .
Orly Airport ( ORY ) is also connected by two RER lines, and two buses. If you take the RER B, you will get a chance to board in the very high tech automatic shuttle called Orlyval (your kids will love sitting in the front and pretend they are riding it!). Taxi and car rentals are also available at Orly. From the centre of Paris, the approximate taxi rate is 35€.
For Orly and Roissy-CDG, you will find all the information you need on the Aéroports de Paris website; for RER and bus schedules, click here.
Paris-Beauvais offers a shuttle service for 13€/person between Paris (Porte Maillot) and the airport. Beauvais is about 1h15 from Paris, so you must board in the shuttle at least 3 hours 15 before your flight departure time. The SNCF also has a TER (express regional train) service to the centre of Beauvais, then taking a taxi to the airport. The taxi option from central Paris to Beauvais would be costly, and doesn't therefore come recommended!
For Beauvais : Airport official website
Trains and Buses
Trains are a lot more popular in France than buses, to go from a city to another. Thanks to the TGV (High Speed Train), you can reach a city like Marseilles (located 815km/505 miles from Paris) in just 3 hours. Depending on where you are heading, you will have to go to one of the 6 train terminal stations of Paris. Each of them is located in a different area of the city and very easy to access by metro, bus or RER.
Don’t forget to check your departure station when you book your ticket. You can book tickets on the SNCF website using any major credit card, and opting for 'Borne Libre Service', meaning you collect your tickets from the automatic ticket machines in your departure station.
However, in case of a SNCF strike or if you are on a budget, coaches (called “autocars” or “cars” in French) can be useful. The main coach company in France is Eurolines. It serves several cities in France and all European countries, but also further destinations like Morocco. In Paris, there are several boarding points that are not train stations, but usually bus stops or bus stations (gare routières). You will be told where to board when you buy your ticket.
All the information you need is on the Eurolines website.