London Toolkit 
Rome Toolkit Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) bus transfers to Paris
Le Bus Direct, Roissybus & RATP Paris airport bus transfers compared
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) bus and coach transfers to Paris city centre offer a variety of scheduled full size airport bus services to several Paris city centre points. Roissybus, Le Bus Direct and Noctilien Night buses are coupled with two local bus routes to the centre of Paris stopping every few hundred yards.
There is also a Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) hotel van shuttle service offering a door to door shared airport transfer option to/from your Paris hotel.
The cheapest airport bus transfer options between Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Paris city centre are operated by RATP, including the Roissybus service.
Comparing public transport buses to/from central Paris
RATP run the Paris public transport system (public buses, RER trains and Metro). A bonus for those visitors to Paris with one eye on the wallet is that a Paris public transport travel pass can include the Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) transfer if your transport pass is valid for zones 1 to 5 of the Paris public transport system.
Previously, the Le Bus Direct Paris airport bus transfer offered two bus services between Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Paris city centre which was formerly run by Air France the French airline. This service ended in April 2020, a victim of the pandemic and reduced passenger numbers.
The Le Bus Direct Paris was the most expensive Paris airport bus service justified by a superior level of service with more plush and roomy airport coaches.
The cheapest airport bus transfer between Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and the centre of Paris is the public bus run by RATP. However, the terminus for this cheap Paris airport bus service is not in the centre of Paris and is only used by a small number of visitors where the price of the airport transfer is everything.
All Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle bus transfers routinely suffer large delays through traffic congestion at peak times. During the working week the motorway and orbital road around Paris can be little better than a parking lot.
Do leave plenty of contingency time when going out to Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport or indeed the return journey.
CDG Airport bus & train map to central Paris
Map showing bus and train routes to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris
An alternative to a bus transfer to Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport is to use the train. The RER Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport train service has the advantage of not suffering from the potential traffic congestion of the buses and is a similar price.
CDG Airport terminals
There are 3 passenger terminals at Paris Roissy CDG Airport, notably terminals 1, 2 and 3. Terminal 2 is the biggest so far and is split into sub-terminals. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from one end of terminal 2 to the other so there are several airport bus pick-up and drop points for terminal 2.
Only the RoissyBus service stops at terminal 3. Terminal 3 is linked to terminal 1 by the free CDGVAL shuttle train or you can walk it just as fast under a covered walkway.
Airport bus boarding/drop in central Paris
The fact that all five services terminate in different parts of Paris, mean that the location of your final destination within Paris may well be the dominant factor in determining which is best for your needs.
Le Bus Direct run two separate services between PCDG airport and the centre of Paris. One goes to the Gare de Lyon railway station, east of the city centre and then goes on to the south side of the city and another major railway station, Montparnasse.
The other goes to the heart of tourist Paris, stopping at the Champs-Elysees before terminating at the Eiffel Tower. These are the most luxurious and expensive airport bus services.
Arguably the most popular CDG Paris bus transfer option is Roissybus, operating to Opera in the centre of the city.
There are a couple of local Paris buses, routes 350/351 that connect CDG Airport with the centre of Paris. These are normal Paris buses with stops every few hundred yards in Paris itself. Out by CDG Airport these buses take a more express routing. These buses are the cheapest and slowest transfer option.
Roissybus compared with Le Bus Direct
Roissybus
Arguably the most popular Paris bus transfer option is Roissybus, operating to Opera in the centre of the city.
In Paris the terminal is quite prominent on the corner of of Rue Scribe and Rue Auber, immediately to the west of the Opera itself. At CDG the bus stops at all passenger terminals.
Buses run from around 6am to 12.30am the next day at 15 or 20 minute intervals in the airport to Paris direct, 45 minutes earlier in the opposite direction.
Scheduled journey time is 60 minutes but can be much more with road congestion at peak commuting times.
Adult one-way fare €14.15 walk up and €16.20 buying in advance online: CDG airport is in zone 5 of the Paris public transport system. There are a number of Paris public transport passes which in some circumstances may be of interest to visitors to use on the Roissybus.
You can save time by buying your ticket in advance at automatic ticket machines. The RATP website also has an online facility.
Le Bus Direct
Le Bus Direct is no longer operational. Its service ended in April 2020 due to reduced passenger numbers caused by the pandemic. The information below is for reference only.
Le Bus Direct runs two separate services between CDG Airport and the centre of Paris. One goes to the Gare de Lyon railway station, east of the city centre and then goes onto the south side of the city and another major railway station, Montparnasse.
The other route goes to the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Elysees, just west of the city centre, before terminating by the Eiffel Tower.
Line 2 (Arc de Triomphe/Eiffel Tower)
Buses to and from the Champs-Elysees/Eiffel Tower, (line 2) run between 6am and 11pm at about 30 minute intervals.
Buses do not pick-up at terminal 3 at CDG airport.
Adult one-way fare €18.00 (return fare €31.00) Children under 4 free.
Line 4 (Gare de Lyon/Montparnasse)
Buses run between 6am and 11pm at about 30 minute intervals. Journey time scheduled at 75 minutes.
Buses do not pick-up at terminal 3 at CDG airport.
Adult fare €18.00 (return fare: €31.00) Children under 4 free.
Noctilien Night Buses
For those arriving or leaving at unsocial hours the Noctilien Night bus is the best option, running between around midnight and 5am these buses connect Paris-Gare de L'Est with Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Many transportation passes are valid on the night buses or you can buy your ticket on the bus, although these will be slightly more expensive than those bought in advance.
Local Paris buses 350/351
There are a couple of local Paris buses, routes 350/351 that connect CDG Airport with the centre of Paris. These are normal Paris buses with stops every few hundred yards in Paris. Out by CDG airport these buses tend to take a more express route.
The 351 bus runs about every 15-30 minutes to Nation Metro just to the east of the centre of Paris. The route goes to the past Gallileni Metro where the main long distance coach terminal is sited together with lots of cheap chain hotel options.
The 350 bus runs a similar frequency to the Gare de l'Est station via Gare du Nord station. Both buses run from about 6am to 8.30pm or 10.30pm with a journey time scheduled around 80 minutes.
Both terminate at the bus station at CDG airport above terminal 1/3 RER station in front of the ibis hotel and both pickup from terminals 1 and 2.
Adult fare €6.00: (3 single tickets on the Paris local bus network)
CDG AIRPORT TRANSFERS - PRICE COMPARISON 2024
Indicative one way adult fare between central Paris and Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport
| Transfer | Price |
|---|---|
| RER Train (Chatelet/Gare du Nord) * |
€11.80 €13.50 online** |
| Roissybus (Opera) * | €17.90 €18.40 online** |
| 350/351 public bus * | From €2.15 |
| Hotel shuttle van | From €43 |
| Private car | From €70 per vehicle |
* Paris public transport passes valid for zones 1-5 accepted.
** Additional booking fee applies when purchased online.
