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If you fly into France, here are a few pointers on how to get
to the centre of Paris.
Apart from taxis (expensive ) which are a good solution if you
arrive late at night, tired out and laden down with lots of luggage,
or if you do not know some kind person (relatives or friends)
with a car to come and pick you up at the airport (the simplest
solution, especially if you are going to stay in the suburbs),
there are three ways of getting into town:
The
most comfortable: Air France coaches
These coaches will take you into town in about 30 minutes if the traffic on the motorway is flowing freely. The coach will drop you off at the Gare des Invalides terminal where you can get a metro or an RER-C line train.
Tickets cost 40 F for one person,. They depart every 12 minutes
between 5.50am and 11pm. Passengers can also alight at Porte d'Orléans
and Montparnasse en route.
The
most reliable: Orly-Rail train
No problems with traffic jams in this case. You first take Orly-Rail bus (this bus is free) which will take you in just a few minutes to Pont de Rungis station from where the Orly-Rail train takes you along the RER-C line to Paris (Austerlitz, Pont Saint-Michel and Invalides stations from where you can take a metro).
This train line also stops at a certain number of suburban stations. The Orly-Rail train terminates at Boulevard Victor station from where you can catch a train heading for Versailles. Tickets cost 28F and trains run every 10-to-15 minutes from 5.35am to 11.17pm.
It takes about 30 minutes to get to Invalides station.
The
fastest: ORLYVAL
Modern high-speed automatic shuttle which connects xith the B line of the RER at Antony.
Guaranteed service every day from 5.50am to 11.48pm (ORLYVAL timing to connect with RER train times).
Travelling times: 29 minutes to Châtelet, 61 minutes to Roissy-CDG and 42 minutes to La Défense.
Tickets cost 52 F each for Orly-Paris and 69 F for Orly to Roissy-CDG.
The
cheapest: ORLYBUS
Direct to Denfert-Rochereau where there is a Metro station (ticket
: 30 F).
This airport, located in the northern suburbs of Paris, is much further from the centre of the city than Orly.
You should bear this in mind when calculating your travel time
if you are then going on to take a train from a Paris station
(allow at least an hour to get to the Gare du Nord and at least
an hour and a half to get to Gare de Lyon and Austerlitz stations).
Here again, apart from taxis or a friend or relative's car, there
are 3 possibilities:
Air France coaches take you to the Air France terminal at Porte Maillot, which is also a station on the No. 1 metro line. The coach takes at least 30 minutes. Tickets cost 65 Francs
Coaches depart every 15 minutes between 5.40am and 11pm. The coach
continues on from Porte Maillot to Place de l'Etoile - Charles
de Gaulle (where you can get the metro and the RER line). You
can also get an Air France shuttle service from Porte Maillot
to Paris-Orly airport (departures every 20 minutes between 6am
and 11pm).
Train
(Roissy Rail)
The principle is the same as for Orly-Rail. You take a “Roissy Rail” bus which takes you to the Roissy station in a few minutes. From there, the train runs along the RER-B line to Paris. This line with the Paris metro at the following stations: Gare du Nord, Châtelet-les-Halles, St-Michel, Denfert Rochereau.
Tickets cost 45 Francs (valid for continued travel on the metro)
and trains depart every 15 minutes from 5.00am to midnight. The
trip into the city centre takes about 30 to 40 minutes.
ROISSY
BUS
Direct to the Nation metro station in Paris (12th Arrondissement).
The ticket costs 40F.
Generally speaking, if you are in a hurry to get into Paris it
is best to avoid road transport and take the train during peak
hours (traffic on the motorways leading into the city from the
airport from 8 to 10am and leading out to the airport from 5 to
7 pm is very heavy). Make sure you leave yourself enough time
(2 to 3 hours from the time your plane lands) if you have to catch
a train in one of the Paris main stations to travel out to the
provinces. Do not forget that trains and buses run less frequently
at weekends and that delays are possible during major holiday
periods, especially school holidays.
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