A Paris airport transfer that is genuinely waiting for you starts with one detail: your flight number. With it, the chauffeur tracks the landing, checks which terminal and hall your flight uses, and stands in the arrivals area with your name once you have cleared passport control and collected your bags. Without it, a driver is waiting for a time on a booking, not for you.
Elly8.net transfers are fixed, all-in and charged in US dollars before you fly: from US$170 in a business sedan from Charles de Gaulle to the 8th arrondissement, and from US$135 from Orly or Le Bourget. This guide covers the hours around the drive itself: what to send when you book, what the new European border checks mean for your arrival time, where you are met at each airport, and what happens when a flight does not go to plan.
How do you book a Paris airport transfer that is waiting when you land?
Book in advance with your flight number, arrival airport, passenger names, bag count and hotel address. The chauffeur tracks the flight, adjusts to the real landing time and waits inside arrivals with a name board after passport control and baggage claim. Waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary. Fares are fixed per vehicle.
The booking itself takes a few minutes on the Paris car service page: choose the airport, enter the flight number and the address, pick a vehicle class and press Reserve now. Your confirmation arrives by email with the details of the pickup. Everything after that is the desk's job: following the flight, briefing the chauffeur and adjusting if the plan changes.
What to send when you book
Most arrival problems come from missing information rather than late flights. A complete booking has six things in it.
The flight number, not just the time. Schedules change, and the hall or terminal a flight uses can change too. The number lets the chauffeur follow the aircraft rather than the schedule you printed weeks ago.
The name on the board. Give the name of the person the chauffeur should look for, especially if an assistant or travel agent is booking for an executive or a family member. If discretion matters, ask for initials or a company name instead.
Passengers and bags, honestly counted. This decides the vehicle. A business sedan carries three passengers and two bags; a business SUV or van carries six and six; an Executive Sprinter carries twelve and twelve. Count the stroller, the golf bag and the garment bag. The capacities are on our fleet page.
Children's ages. Child and booster seats are available on request, fitted before pickup. The partner needs the ages to bring the right seats.
The exact address. A hotel name is fine for the palace hotels of the 8th, but a rented apartment needs the street, the building number and any entry code. Some streets in the 1st and the Marais are partly pedestrianised, and the chauffeur plans the nearest permitted drop-off from the address you give.
A mobile number that works in France. If your phone plan does not cover roaming, sort that out before you fly, so the desk can reach you if anything changes.
Before you fly: the new border checks
Passport control is where a Paris arrival loses most of its time, and the process changed recently. The European Union's Entry/Exit System replaced manual passport stamping with electronic registration. According to the Paris tourist office's EES and ETIAS guide, it was introduced on 12 October 2025 and records a facial photo, a passport scan and fingerprints for travellers aged 12 and over from outside the EU; children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting. Your first entry under the system takes longer, and later entries are quicker.
The second change has not happened yet. ETIAS, an online travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors such as US and Canadian citizens, is expected to begin in 2027, per the same guide, at a cost of €20 and valid for three years or until the passport expires. Check the official sources before you travel in 2027.
None of this affects your transfer booking, but it explains why complimentary waiting after a tracked landing matters in Paris. The chauffeur does not start the clock at touchdown and leave if you are still in the passport queue.
Charles de Gaulle: where your chauffeur meets you
CDG is the airport almost every transatlantic flight uses. It is divided into Terminal 1, the long Terminal 2 complex with halls 2A to 2G, and Terminal 3, and the walk between halls in Terminal 2 can be considerable. Because the chauffeur tracks your flight number, they wait in the arrivals area of the hall your flight actually uses, holding a name board, once you have collected your bags and passed through customs.
If you cannot see your chauffeur straight away, stay in the arrivals hall rather than walking out to the kerb, and call the number on your confirmation. The meeting point is inside, not at the taxi rank. The Paris tourist office lists the official taxi ranks by terminal gate in its CDG guide, and it warns travellers never to accept rides from people who approach them inside the terminals. A genuine pre-booked chauffeur already has your name and booking reference and will not need to tout for you.
From CDG to the 8th is about 29 km (18 mi), roughly 32 minutes on a clear road and often an hour at rush hour. The road itself, with routed times to other districts, is covered in our guide to CDG to Paris city center by car.
Orly and Le Bourget
Orly (ORY). South of the city, Orly is about 19 km (12 mi) from the 8th, roughly 29 minutes on a clear road, and is the closer airport for the Left Bank. It handles domestic and European flights and a share of transatlantic leisure routes. The meeting works the same way: tracked flight, name board in arrivals. The tourist office's Orly guide lists the regulated taxi fares from Orly at €36 to the Left Bank and €45 to the Right Bank.
Le Bourget (LBG). Paris's business aviation airport is about 19 km (12 mi) north of the 8th, roughly 27 minutes on a clear road. There is no arrivals hall in the airline sense; your chauffeur meets you at the handler's terminal and, where the operator allows it, at the aircraft. Send the tail number or the handler's name with the booking. More on private jet and FBO transfers.
| Airport | Distance to the 8th | Clear-road drive | Business Sedan | Business SUV | Executive Sprinter | Round trip from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles de Gaulle (CDG) | 29 km / 18 mi | about 32 min | US$170 | US$225 | US$445 | US$325 |
| Orly (ORY) | 19 km / 12 mi | about 29 min | US$135 | US$180 | US$355 | US$260 |
| Le Bourget (LBG) | 19 km / 12 mi | about 27 min | US$135 | US$180 | US$355 | US$260 |
Every fare is per vehicle and includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. First Class Sedans cost US$300 from CDG and US$240 from Orly or Le Bourget for travellers who want an S-Class-level car.
When the flight does not go to plan
Early or late landing. Nothing to do. The chauffeur follows the tracked landing time and adjusts.
Long passport or baggage queues. Waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary, which covers the usual delays at CDG on a busy transatlantic morning.
Lost or delayed luggage. Filing a baggage report can take a while. Call the desk from the baggage hall so the chauffeur knows you are still inside; if the wait runs well beyond the included time, that extra waiting is billed at cost, and the desk can tell you where you stand.
Cancelled or diverted flight. Contact the 24/7 desk as soon as you have the new arrival, and we move the booking. If you are rebooked through another European hub and land at Orly instead of CDG, say so; the fare changes to the Orly fare.
Change of plans before you fly. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, with refunds to the original card. The full terms are on the cancellation policy page.
Is a booked transfer worth it, or should you take the taxi?
Be clear-eyed about the alternatives. The Île-de-France Mobilités Paris Region to Airports ticket costs €14 on the RER B to CDG and on metro line 14 or Orlyval to Orly, and for one traveller with light bags heading to a station on the line, it is good value. Official taxis at the rank charge regulated fixed fares to the city, and for two travellers with ordinary luggage and no time pressure, a taxi is a reasonable choice. Private hire cars, unlike taxis, must be booked in advance; the tourist office's taxi and private hire guide notes they cannot be hailed in the street.
A booked transfer wins when the arrival itself is the problem to solve: young children who need seats, a family's worth of suitcases, a meeting an hour after landing, an elderly parent who should not stand in a queue, or a group that needs one vehicle instead of three taxis. Our comparisons on chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs airport shuttle set out where each option wins.
Going home: the departure transfer
The fixed fare works both ways: hotel to CDG costs the same as CDG to the hotel, from US$170 in a business sedan, and Orly or Le Bourget from US$135. When you set the pickup time, allow for three things: the drive at that time of day, airline check-in and security, and the exit registration that the Entry/Exit System now records when you leave the Schengen area. On a weekday morning, the drive alone can take twice the clear-road time.
Many travellers book the arrival and departure together as a round trip, from US$325 at CDG and US$260 at Orly or Le Bourget in a business sedan. If you arrive by plane and leave by Eurostar from Gare du Nord to London, book the second leg as a train station transfer and continue with our London chauffeur service at the other end.
Booking for someone else
Travel advisers and hotel concierges book Paris arrivals for clients every day. Travel agent accounts and hotel accounts let you book under your own account with the traveller's name on the board, and confirmation by email. For executives, a corporate account adds monthly invoicing and NDAs on request.
If you are still choosing a driver for the rest of the stay, our guide on hiring a private driver in Paris covers the rules and etiquette North Americans most often ask about. For the airport service in general, see airport transfers and meet and greet.
Rides in Paris are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. Flying on to the Alps after Paris? The same desk books Geneva airport transfers.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should you book a Paris airport transfer?
As soon as your flight is confirmed. There is no penalty for booking early, and cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup. Booking early matters most in busy weeks such as Paris Fashion Week, Roland-Garros and the Paris Air Show, when chauffeured vehicles across the city are in high demand.
Where exactly will the chauffeur meet me at CDG?
In the arrivals area of the terminal and hall your flight uses, holding a name board, after passport control, baggage claim and customs. If you cannot see the chauffeur, stay inside the arrivals hall and call the number on your confirmation rather than going out to the taxi rank.
What if passport control takes a long time?
The chauffeur follows the tracked landing time, and waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary. The Entry/Exit System makes a first entry slower because your photo and fingerprints are recorded, so the extra time is expected. If you are delayed for an unusual reason, call the desk.
Is the fare charged in euros or dollars?
In US dollars, by card, when you reserve. The fare is fixed per vehicle and includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost, so there is nothing to pay the chauffeur on the day.
Can you book a car seat for a child?
Yes. Request child or booster seats when you book and give each child's age, and the partner fits them before pickup. A business SUV or van, from US$225 from CDG, gives a family room for seats, a stroller and transatlantic luggage in one vehicle.
What happens if my flight is cancelled?
Contact the 24/7 desk with your new flight and we move the booking to the new arrival. If the new flight lands at a different Paris airport, the fare changes to the published fare for that airport. Cancellation fees apply only if you cancel the transfer itself.
