Paris transport looks more complicated before you arrive than it usually feels once you are there.
The difficult part is not learning the Metro map. It is knowing which airport connection makes sense for your hotel, which ticket actually covers it, and whether a travel pass will save you money — or simply cost more.
I would make those decisions before landing. Once the airport transfer and ticket strategy are clear, getting around Paris becomes much easier.
Prices and operating information below were checked against official transport sources for 2026. Timetables can still change because of works, strikes or special events, so recheck your exact travel date before departure.
First: check which Paris airport you are actually flying into
Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais are not three versions of the same transfer. They are in very different positions, and the best choice depends as much on your accommodation as on the airport itself.
Charles de Gaulle (CDG): RER B is the default I would check first
For a solo traveller or a couple heading toward central Paris, RER B is usually the first option I would compare. The airport fare is €14 per person in 2026. Trains run from the airport toward Paris from roughly 4:50 a.m. to 11:50 p.m.; from central stations toward CDG, service runs to around midnight, with frequency varying by time and day.
At the airport, Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 serves Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 areas, while Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2–TGV serves Terminal 2. If you arrive late or on a day with engineering works, check the live route before following an old blog post or saved screenshot.
RoissyBus stopped operating permanently on 1 March 2026. If you still see it recommended in older guides or videos, that information is outdated.
There is now a much cheaper public-transport alternative if your route suits it: Express 9517 connects Saint-Denis Pleyel with the CDG/Roissypôle airport area and costs €2.05 with a Bus-Tram ticket loaded on Navigo Easy. It is especially worth checking if your hotel is near Line 14, Line 13 or the Saint-Denis area. Timetables were revised in August 2026, so I would use the current official schedule rather than memorising an old departure time.
Buses 350 and 351 also reach CDG for the price of a Bus-Tram ticket, but they are slower and more exposed to road traffic. I would treat them as route-specific budget options rather than the automatic choice for a first-time visitor.
If you have several large suitcases, small children or simply want door-to-door transport after a long flight, it can also be sensible to compare a pre-booked airport transfer with the RER and the regulated taxi fare before deciding.
For a family or group, I would also check the price of a private CDG transfer.
Orly (ORY): Line 14 changed the answer
For most visitors heading into Paris, I would check Metro Line 14 first. It connects Orly Airport directly with major Paris stations including Châtelet, Gare de Lyon, Madeleine and Saint-Lazare. RATP gives about 25 minutes from Orly to Châtelet-Les Halles.
The airport ticket is €14 in 2026. Line 14 airport service is listed at approximately 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., with trains roughly every 6 to 15 minutes depending on the time.
OrlyBus stopped operating on 3 March 2025. Today, Line 14 is the simple option I would check first for most central Paris stays.
There are cheaper alternatives if your destination makes them practical. Tram T7 links Orly with Villejuif-Louis Aragon and uses the €2.05 Bus-Tram ticket, but the tram ride itself is much slower than Line 14. Orlyval plus RER B is still available, yet it is no longer the obvious first choice for many central Paris journeys.
For a family or group, I would also check the price of a private Orly transfer before buying four separate €14 airport tickets. The numbers can be surprisingly close.
Beauvais (BVA): do not plan it like a Metro airport
Beauvais is much farther from Paris and should be treated as a separate transfer day, not as a quick extension of the Metro network.
For most travellers, the official Aérobus shuttle is the simplest public option. The airport currently lists several direct Paris-area routes, including Saint-Denis Université, La Défense and La Villette.
At the time of writing, the official online adult fare for the A02, A03 and A04 lines is €17.90 one way or €29.90 return. The listed journey time starts at about 1h15 for Saint-Denis Université and about 1h30 for La Défense or La Villette, depending on traffic.
The useful trick is not to choose a shuttle stop simply because it sounds most central. Choose the stop that gives you the cleanest onward route to your accommodation. Saint-Denis connects with Metro 13; La Défense with Metro 1 and RER A/E; La Villette with Metro 7 and RER E.
For the return to Beauvais, the airport advises choosing a Saint-Denis shuttle at least three hours before the flight, or La Défense/La Villette at least three and a half hours before, plus boarding time.
If you are travelling as a group or arriving very late, you can also compare a private Beauvais transfer, but I would always compare the total car price against Aérobus first because Beauvais is a long road transfer.
Prefer a private airport transfer?
If you are travelling with luggage, arriving late or simply prefer door-to-door transport, compare the current transfer price from your airport to your accommodation before deciding.
The Paris ticket system is simpler than it looks
For occasional visitors, I would remember just two everyday prices first:
The Metro–Train–RER ticket is valid across the Île-de-France rail network except the airport stations. It allows Metro/RER/train connections for up to two hours as long as you stay within the controlled network and do not exit.
The Bus-Tram ticket works on buses and trams and allows eligible surface-network connections for up to 1 hour 30 minutes.
The important catch is that a normal Metro-Train-RER ticket does not include a transfer to a bus or tram. If you change from the rail network to a bus/tram, you normally use another ticket.
Airport tickets are separate
CDG by RER B and Orly by Line 14 use the Paris Region ↔ Airports ticket at €14 per journey in 2026. The same airport ticket also covers Orlyval, but it does not cover the Beauvais Aérobus.
One detail can save frustration at the machine: the Paris Region ↔ Airports ticket cannot coexist on the same phone or Navigo Easy medium with a Metro-Train-RER ticket. If one is already loaded, use it up or keep the airport ticket on another medium.
Navigo Easy or your phone?
If you prefer a physical card, Navigo Easy costs €2 and is designed for occasional travellers. You can load ordinary Metro-Train-RER tickets, Bus-Tram tickets, a Navigo Day pass, airport tickets or Paris Visite onto it, subject to ticket-compatibility rules.
If your phone is compatible, the Île-de-France Mobilités app can also buy and validate tickets directly. I would choose whichever feels simpler to use at a crowded gate — not whichever sounds more modern.
If you plan to use ordinary Metro tickets and also need a €14 airport ticket, keep them on separate media from the start. It avoids discovering the compatibility rule while standing at a ticket machine with luggage.
Which pass is actually worth it?
This is where I would calculate instead of buying the product with the most tourist-friendly name.
Navigo Day: useful only when you will really use it
Navigo Day costs €12.30 for all zones in 2026, but airport journeys are excluded.
Five ordinary Metro/RER journeys cost €12.75. So if you know you will make five or more rail journeys in one day, the day pass begins to make sense. If you spend most of the day walking, individual tickets may still be cheaper.
Navigo Week: the pass I would always check before paying for airport returns
The all-zone Navigo Week costs €32.40 in 2026 and gives unlimited travel Monday through Sunday. It includes CDG via RER B and Orly via Metro Line 14; Orlyval is excluded.
That Monday-to-Sunday rule matters more than the price. Navigo Week is not valid for seven days from the moment you buy it.
A CDG return using two €14 airport tickets already costs €28.
If your whole trip fits inside the same Monday-to-Sunday week, paying €32.40 for an all-zone Navigo Week is only €4.40 more — and then your Metro, RER, train, bus and tram travel is covered for the rest of that week.
But a Friday-to-Tuesday trip crosses two Navigo weeks, so do not buy it automatically.
Paris Visite: convenient, but not always the cheapest
The tourist-focused Paris Visite pass includes unlimited travel for 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days and includes CDG and Orly airport services. In 2026 the adult prices are €30.60, €45.40, €63.80 and €78 respectively.
Convenience has value, but I would still run the numbers.
CDG return: €28.
Three Metro journeys per day for three days: 9 × €2.55 = €22.95.
Total with individual tickets: €50.95.
Paris Visite 3 days: €63.80.
In that example, individual tickets save €12.85.
If you make five Metro journeys per day instead, the same calculation reaches €66.25, so the €63.80 Paris Visite becomes slightly cheaper.
Three or four people? Compare the official taxi before assuming the train is cheaper
Paris airport taxis have regulated flat fares between Paris proper and CDG/Orly. The 2026 maximum official taxi fares are €56 from CDG to the Right Bank, €65 from CDG to the Left Bank, €45 from Orly to the Right Bank and €36 from Orly to the Left Bank. These are per car, not per passenger.
That changes the calculation for groups.
Four Line 14 airport tickets: 4 × €14 = €56.
Official taxi from Orly to the Left Bank: €36 maximum flat fare from the taxi rank.
Official taxi from Orly to the Right Bank: €45 maximum flat fare from the taxi rank.
So for four people, a taxi can be cheaper than four airport tickets — and it is door to door.
For CDG to the Right Bank, four €14 tickets total €56, exactly the same as the €56 regulated flat taxi fare. If you reserve a taxi in advance rather than taking one from the airport rank, an authorised reservation supplement can apply.
Paris taxis cannot add a luggage surcharge. A passenger supplement can apply from the fifth passenger.
If you want the driver arranged before arrival rather than using the official taxi rank, this is the moment where I would compare a pre-booked private transfer — not because it is automatically cheaper, but because you now have a real price benchmark.
What I would choose
- CDG + solo/couple + central Paris → RER B first.
- CDG + hotel near Saint-Denis / Line 14 + budget matters → Check Express 9517.
- Orly + solo/couple + central Paris → Metro Line 14.
- Orly + 3–4 people → Compare the regulated taxi fare before buying four airport tickets.
- Beauvais → Choose the Aérobus stop that gives you the cleanest onward route to your hotel.
- Trip fits entirely Monday–Sunday → Check Navigo Week before buying separate airport returns.
- Only a few Metro rides per day → Individual €2.55 tickets are usually enough.
- Five or more rail rides in one day, no airport → Compare with Navigo Day at €12.30.
- Heavy transport use + airport convenience for 2–5 days → Calculate Paris Visite; do not buy it automatically.
Before you travel
Paris transport is reliable enough to plan around, but maintenance works can change the best airport route on a particular evening or weekend.
Before leaving for the airport, I would check live RATP traffic information again — especially for RER B and Line 14 — and give myself more margin than the theoretical journey time.
The best Paris transport choice is not always the cheapest ticket or the fastest train. It is the option that fits your airport, your hotel, your luggage, your group size and the day you are actually travelling.
Final thought
You do not need to understand every Paris transport product before your trip.
You only need to know your airport route, how many journeys you are likely to make, and whether your dates make a weekly pass unusually good value.
Choose the ticket around your trip. Do not build your trip around the ticket.