There are four main ways to get from Charles de Gaulle Airport into Paris: the RER B train, a licensed taxi from the rank, an app car such as Uber, or a pre-booked private car. The train costs €14 per person and suits a light traveller heading to a hotel near a station. The taxi charges a regulated flat fare into the city. The app car charges whatever demand dictates at the moment you request it. A pre-booked car with Elly8.net costs from US$170 per vehicle to the 8th arrondissement, fixed in advance, with the chauffeur waiting inside arrivals.
Which one is right depends less on the airport than on you: how many people, how many bags, what time you land and where in Paris you are staying. This guide sets out what each option involves and the handful of questions worth answering before you get on the plane.
What is the best way to get from CDG to central Paris?
For one traveller with light bags arriving in daytime, the RER B at €14 is the cheapest. For a short wait and a regulated price, take a licensed taxi from the rank. For families, groups, heavy luggage, late or early flights and fixed budgets, a pre-booked car is the most predictable, from US$170 per vehicle to the 8th arrondissement with Elly8.net.
None of these is wrong. The mistake most first-time visitors make is choosing on headline price alone and discovering the cost of the choice on a crowded platform or at the back of a long queue.
First, know your terminal
Charles de Gaulle is large and spread out. It has Terminal 1, the long Terminal 2 complex divided into halls 2A to 2G, and Terminal 3. Your airline and flight decide where you arrive, and halls can change, so check your booking and the arrival boards.
Why it matters: the walk between Terminal 2 halls can be long, and the RER B leaves from stations within the airport rather than from the arrivals kerb. If you are taking the train, you will follow signs to it after baggage claim. If you are taking a taxi, you will look for the official rank outside arrivals. If you have booked a chauffeur, you will be met in your own hall, because the chauffeur checks which hall your flight is assigned to from the flight number.
Option 1: the RER B train
The RER B is a commuter rail line that runs from the airport through the northern suburbs into central Paris, stopping at Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame and beyond.
Price. The Paris Region to Airports ticket costs €14 per trip at full price and €7 at the reduced rate, with rates applicable from 1 January 2026, according to Île-de-France Mobilités. It loads onto a Navigo Easy pass or a smartphone. The same ticket covers metro line 14 and Orlyval to Orly. It is not valid on regional buses, so if you take an airport bus you need a different ticket.
What to expect. The RER B is the line Parisians use to commute, so the train is not designed for tourists with large cases. At rush hour it fills up. Large stations such as Gare du Nord and Châtelet-Les Halles involve stairs, long corridors and changes if your hotel is not on the line.
Choose it if you are one or two people with carry-on bags, landing in daylight, staying near a station on the line, and comfortable with a busy commuter train.
Option 2: a licensed taxi
Official Paris taxis wait at the rank outside arrivals. Licensed taxis are the only vehicles allowed to take passengers from the rank, and they charge a regulated flat fare into Paris, with one price for the Right Bank and another for the Left Bank. The French consumer authority's guide to regulated taxi fares explains that the airport flat fare is the exception to the usual meter, so the price is known before the trip, and that every taxi must carry a card terminal. A supplement can apply from the fifth passenger.
What to expect. A short or long queue depending on how many flights have just landed, then a direct drive. Morning arrival waves from North America can make the queue longer.
Choose it if you want a regulated price with no booking, have a normal amount of luggage, and do not mind queuing.
Option 3: an app car
Uber and similar apps operate in Paris with private hire drivers. You request the car once you have your bags, see a price before you confirm, and walk to the pickup area the app gives you, which is not the taxi rank. The price moves with demand, so it can be higher when many flights land together. Our guide to Uber in Paris covers the pickup rules and surge pricing in more detail.
Choose it if you already use the app at home, are travelling light, and land at a time when demand is normal.
Option 4: a pre-booked chauffeur
A pre-booked car is arranged before you fly. With Elly8.net, 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.
Price. CDG to the 8th arrondissement costs from US$170 in a business sedan, US$225 in a business SUV, US$275 in a First Class SUV, US$300 in a First Class Sedan and US$445 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle and all-in: chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Tolls and parking are billed at cost. A round trip costs from US$325 in a business sedan.
What to expect. The chauffeur tracks your flight, waits in your arrivals hall with a name board, helps with the bags and drives you to the door. Waiting is complimentary after a tracked landing, which covers the usual queue at passport control. See meet and greet for how the meeting works and book it as an airport transfer.
Choose it if you are a family or group, have checked bags, need child seats, land very early or late, have a meeting the same day, or want the price fixed in US dollars before you leave.
| Option | Price | Where it leaves from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RER B | €14 per person (€7 reduced) | RER B station at the airport | Solo or couple, light bags, daytime |
| Licensed taxi | Regulated flat fare, Right Bank or Left Bank | Official rank outside arrivals | No booking, normal luggage |
| App car | Shown in the app, moves with demand | App pickup area, not the rank | App users, light bags, normal demand |
| Elly8.net chauffeur | From US$170 per vehicle, fixed | Your arrivals hall, name board | Families, groups, bags, late flights, schedules |
How long is the drive from CDG to your part of Paris?
The fact sheet distance from CDG to the 8th arrondissement is about 29 km (18 mi), roughly 32 minutes on a clear road. For other districts we routed the drive with the public OSRM router; these are routed estimates on a clear road:
- Gare du Nord and the 10th: about 24.5 km (15.2 mi), around 27 minutes.
- The Louvre and the 1st: about 27 km (16.8 mi), around 34 minutes.
- The Eiffel Tower and the 7th: about 30 km (18.8 mi), around 36 minutes.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the 6th: about 30.5 km (18.9 mi), around 36 minutes.
- La Défense: about 31 km (19.1 mi), around 32 minutes.
Clear roads are the exception rather than the rule. The A1 motorway from the airport and the Boulevard Périphérique are among the busiest roads in France, and a weekday morning drive can take an hour or more. With a fixed fare, that time costs you patience but not money.
Five questions to answer before you land
- How many of you are there, and how many bags? A sedan takes up to three passengers and two large bags; a Business SUV takes up to six passengers and six bags; an Executive Sprinter takes up to twelve and twelve, as shown on the fleet page. Two adults and two children with four large cases do not fit a sedan, whatever the transport.
- What time do you land? An early morning arrival after a night flight is when energy is lowest and queues are longest. A late evening arrival can mean thinner train service.
- Is your hotel on the RER B? If it is a short walk from a station on the line, the train is attractive. If it means a change at Châtelet with luggage, much less so.
- Do you need car seats? Request them at booking for a pre-booked car; give the ages and they are fitted before pickup.
- Does the budget need to be fixed? A corporate traveller or a family on a set holiday budget may value knowing the exact price in dollars months in advance.
If the answers point to a car, our companion piece on whether a private driver is worth it over the train from CDG works through the cost per person by group size.
Arriving at Orly or Le Bourget instead
Not every flight lands at CDG. Orly, south of the city, is closer to the Left Bank, and Elly8.net transfers from Orly to the 8th start at US$135 in a business sedan, US$180 in a business SUV and US$355 in an Executive Sprinter. The €14 airport ticket covers metro line 14 and Orlyval from Orly. Le Bourget, north of Paris, is the business aviation airport, with the same fares as Orly from US$135; see private jet and FBO transfers.
Heading straight to a trade fair or meeting
Some arrivals are not going into the city at all. Paris Nord Villepinte, one of the exhibition centres operated by Viparis, sits near Charles de Gaulle, and many exhibitors and visitors go there directly from the plane. La Défense, west of the city, is the other common first stop for business travellers. In both cases the train involves changes, and a car from the terminal is usually the most direct route. A corporate account gives a company fixed fares at all three Paris airports, monthly invoicing and NDAs on request.
Going back to the airport
The return trip deserves the same thought. Airport fares are the same fixed price in either direction, so CDG costs from US$170 in a business sedan from the 8th to the terminal. Allow generous time for traffic on the A1 and for check-in and security. A pre-booked pickup at your hotel at a set time is the simplest way to make an early flight without relying on finding a taxi at dawn.
Booking and cancellation
Book in three steps: enter CDG and your flight number plus your Paris address, choose the vehicle, then press Reserve now on the published fare or use the web booker for any other address. Confirmation arrives by email. 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, as set out in the cancellation policy.
Once you are settled, our guide to Paris taxi vs Uber vs a private car covers getting around the city itself, and the Paris car service page has every published fare.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the train from CDG to Paris?
The Paris Region to Airports ticket costs €14 per trip at full price and €7 at the reduced rate, with rates applicable from 1 January 2026. It is valid on the RER B from Charles de Gaulle and on metro line 14 or Orlyval from Orly, and loads onto a Navigo Easy pass or a smartphone.
How much is a private car from CDG to Paris?
With Elly8.net, CDG to the 8th arrondissement costs from US$170 in a business sedan, US$225 in a business SUV and US$445 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle. The fare includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet; tolls and parking are billed at cost.
Where does a chauffeur meet me at CDG?
Inside the arrivals area of your terminal and hall, holding a name board, after you clear passport control and collect your bags. The chauffeur tracks your flight from the number you give at booking, so a change of landing time or hall is followed automatically.
Is the taxi from CDG a fixed price?
Yes. Licensed Paris taxis charge a regulated flat fare between the airport and Paris, with one price for the Right Bank and another for the Left Bank. The fare is posted at the rank, and every taxi must accept card payment.
How long does it take to drive from CDG to central Paris?
About 32 minutes to the 8th arrondissement on a clear road, a distance of about 29 km (18 mi). At weekday rush hours the drive can take an hour or more because of traffic on the A1 and the Boulevard Périphérique.
Can I get child seats for the ride from CDG?
Yes, with a pre-booked car. Ask for child or booster seats when you book and give the children's ages; the partner fits them before pickup. A Business SUV gives a family room for the seats, a stroller and transatlantic luggage.
