How To Get Around?
Public Transportation
The best way to explore Paris is on foot! But it has to be said that when times are tight, public transportation is not bad at all...
The metro runs from 5:30 am to 12:00 am approx. On Friday and Saturday nights, as well as on the eve of public holidays, it operates until 2:00 am approx.
RER trains run from 5:30 am to 12:00 am (approx.) every day.
When the metro closes, you can use the Noctilien night buses, which run from 12:30 am to 5:30 am approx.
A single ticket costs 2.10 € / 10 tickets are 19.10 € / 10 tickets with reduced rate (children) 9.55 €.
**You can buy them at the machines or at the ticket office. You can also use the Navigo Pass. There are different passes (such as the Paris Visit) that offer you quite inflated prices depending on the number of days you are going to stay and the number of zones you are going to visit (from 1 to 5 days and from zones 1-3 or zones 1-5). **
Paris is made up of 5 concentric zones. The things you want to visit are located in zone 1 (the historic center), and Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports, as well as the Palace of Versailles (RER C) and Disneyland Paris (RER A) are located in zone 5.
There is nothing to visit in zones 2,3 and 4. Therefore, it makes no sense to pay for a pass that includes those zones.
If you are staying for 1, 2 or 3 days, I recommend that you buy 10 tickets (which you can share with as many people as necessary). Buy the Paris Pass ONLY if you are staying for several days and visiting the zone 5 several times (going and coming from the airport, and visiting Versailles and/or Disney).
For everything else, there is UBER, Bolt (discount code: PALOMAPP6R) and FreeNow (discount code: 5vu8kpgdb)! Download the app by clicking on the link and order a taxi (10-30 € within Paris, 30-70 € to the airports).
Orly Airport
1. Take Tram 7 (T7 - Orly South Terminal) from Orly to Villejuif-Louis Aragon metro station (Line 7 - zone 3). It takes about 45 minutes. From there, take the metro 7 to your destination!
Operating hours Monday to Sunday: 5:30 am to 12:30 pm
You will need to purchase two Ticket t+ (2.10€) tickets, one for the tram and one for the metro.
2. Take the Orlybus (leaves every 8-15 minutes) that takes you directly from Orly (any terminal) to Denfert-Rochereau station in Paris (RER B and metro lines 4 and 6). It takes about 25-30 minutes. Buy your ticket at the automatic machines located next to the stops at the airport (or at Denfert-Rochereau if you are departing). You can also buy them online.
Operating hours: From Orly to Paris from 5:35 am to 12:00 am and from Paris to Orly from 6:00 am to 12:30 am
Orlybus ticket (11.20€) + Ticket t+ (2.10€) for the metro.
3. The Orlyval is the train that connects the terminals of Orly Airport, and also connects the airport with the Antony RER station (line B). It takes 6 minutes, and the complete journey (Orlyval + RER) will take you about 30 minutes to the center of Paris.
Operating hours: Every day from 6:00 am to 11:35 pm.
The Orlyval is free between terminals. From Orly to Antony it costs 14.10€. The complete journey to the center of Paris will cost you 16.20€.
Charles de Gaulle Airport
1. Take the RER B (regional train) from terminals 1 or 2 of the airport. It departs every 8-15 minutes and passes through the stations: Gare Du Nord, St. Michel-Notre Dame, Châletet Les Halles and Denfert -Rochereau where you can connect to the rest of Paris. Depending on where you get off, it will take you about 35 minutes.
Price: 11.45€ for adults / 8.80€ for children aged 4 to 10 (and the same ticket is valid for your destination in Paris). You can also use the Navigo pass (zones 1-5).
2. Another option is the Roissybus (from any of the 3 terminals) which drops you off in Paris at the Opera Garnier (rue Scribe). You can buy tickets from machines at the airport or on board (cash payment). It takes between 40 and 50 minutes (depending on traffic).
Schedule: From CDG from 5:15 am to 12:30 am. From Paris from 6:00 am to 12:30 am. It departs every 15-20 minutes.
Price: 16.20€, you can also use your Paris Visite or Navigo card.
3. You can arrange private or group transport from the airport to the door of your hotel. It will take between 30 and 60 minutes depending on where you are going and the traffic.
Hours: from 4:00 am to 12:00 am
From 54€ for 3 people
Beauvais Airport
Beauvais-Tillé Airport is located about 80 kilometers north of Paris. It does not technically belong to the city of Paris, but it is considered its "third airport."
There is a direct bus that runs between Paris and Beauvais Airport, taking about an hour and a half (depending on the schedule and traffic). The Porte Maillot bus station is the final stop in Paris, which is a few steps from the metro line 1 and the RER C train.
*Before you go down to the metro by crossing the bridge, look up to the left and you will see the tip of the Eiffel Tower!
Schedule: Buses leave according to flight schedules (and any possible delays).
Price: 18€ (17€ if you buy online). The round-trip ticket costs 29€ and children aged 4 to 11 pay 9.90€ for a single ticket or 19.80€ for a round-trip ticket.
The bus leaves the airport 20 to 25 minutes after the arrival of each flight.
*From Paris (Porte Maillot), the bus leaves 3 hours before each flight. I recommend that you leave Porte Maillot no later than 3 hours before your flight in case there is traffic!
You can buy your ticket here.
How do I get to Disneyland Paris?
1. Take the RER A train to Marne-la-Vallée Chessy from the following stations: Charles de Gaulle – Etoile, Auber, Châtelet Les Halles, Gare de Lyon, Nation. The train will drop you off at the park entrance.
The one-way journey costs €5. You can also use your Navigo or Paris Visite pass for zones 1-5.
2. If you are departing from the airports (either Orly or Charles de Gaulle), you can take the Magical Shuttle from the airport to the park or to your hotel in Disneyland Paris. The ticket price is around €20, although they sometimes have discounts if you book in advance on the website.