Paris airports: Charles de Gaulle or Orly?
Paris has two main airports run by the same operator: Charles de Gaulle, the big international hub north-east of the city, and Orly, the smaller and closer one to the south. Both have a fixed taxi fare into Paris and a direct rail link, so neither is a bad choice. Which suits you depends on where you are flying from, and a little on which of our ten hotels you have booked.
The short answer
Fly into whichever airport your best flight uses, because both get you to our hotels in well under an hour. Long-haul and most international flights land at Charles de Gaulle: 33–41 minutes by road to our hotels, €56 by taxi to the Right Bank. If you have the choice on a European flight, Orly is closer and cheaper: 20–31 minutes, €45 to the Right Bank and €36 to the Left Bank, with metro line 14 straight to Châtelet.
- Passengers in 2025
- 72.0 million (Groupe ADP)
- Terminals
- 3: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 (2A to 2G), Terminal 3
- Drive to our hotels
- Typically 33–41 minutes, 27–34 km
- Taxi into Paris
- Fixed €56 Right Bank, €65 Left Bank
- Passengers in 2025
- 34.9 million (Groupe ADP)
- Terminals
- 4: Orly 1, Orly 2, Orly 3, Orly 4
- Drive to our hotels
- Typically 20–31 minutes, 16–20 km
- Taxi into Paris
- Fixed €45 Right Bank, €36 Left Bank
From each airport to our ten hotels
Typical drive times by car, and the way we would go.
| Hotel | CDG | ORY |
|---|---|---|
| Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel | 36 min | 27 min |
| Le Bristol Paris | 36 min | 28 min |
| Hôtel Madame Rêve | 39 min | 27 min |
| Shangri-La Paris | 39 min | 28 min |
| Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris | 41 min | 20 min |
| Le Grand Mazarin | 40 min | 26 min |
| Le Pavillon de la Reine | 38 min | 25 min |
| Hôtel Molitor Paris | 41 min | 23 min |
| Le Pigalle | 33 min | 31 min |
| Grands Boulevards Experimental | 35 min | 29 min |
Distance and the drive
Orly, comfortably. Typically, the drive from Orly to our ten hotels takes 20–31 minutes over 16–20 km; from Charles de Gaulle it is 33–41 minutes over 27–34 km. The gap matters most for the Left Bank and the west: Mandarin Oriental Lutetia is 20 minutes from Orly and 41 from Charles de Gaulle, Hôtel Molitor Paris 23 against 41. For Le Pigalle, in the north of the city, the two are almost level.
- Orly to our hotels
- 20–31 minutes, 16–20 km
- Charles de Gaulle to our hotels
- 33–41 minutes, 27–34 km
Fixed taxi fares from both
Both airports have fixed fares set by law, the same in both directions, with no extra fees or surcharges allowed. The only thing that changes the price is which bank of the Seine you are going to. Nine of our ten hotels are on the Right Bank; Mandarin Oriental Lutetia is on the Left Bank. Every Paris taxi must take cards.
- Charles de Gaulle to the Right Bank
- €56
- Charles de Gaulle to the Left Bank
- €65
- Orly to the Right Bank
- €45
- Orly to the Left Bank
- €36
Trains and the metro
From Charles de Gaulle, the RER B reaches Gare du Nord in about 25 minutes and Châtelet-Les Halles in about 28, every 10 to 15 minutes on weekdays. From Orly, metro line 14 runs direct to Châtelet in about 25 minutes, via Gare de Lyon and on to Pyramides, Madeleine and Saint-Lazare; Orlyval links Orly with the RER B at Antony. One €14 Paris Région Airports ticket covers all of them.
The airport buses have both gone: the Orlybus in March 2025 and the Roissybus on 1 March 2026. At night, Noctilien buses serve both airports.
Airlines, lounges and time to kill
Charles de Gaulle is the Air France and SkyTeam hub in Terminal 2, with Star Alliance in Terminal 1. It has the better lounges for a paying traveller, the Extime Lounges in Terminal 1 and Terminals 2B and 2D from €95 booked online, and restaurants from three of France's best-known chefs. Orly is home to easyJet in Orly 1 and Transavia in Orly 3, with a Priority Pass lounge in Orly 1 and the Extime Lounge in Orly 4. If you have time to spend, Charles de Gaulle spends it better; if you want to be out fast, Orly wins.
And Beauvais?
Paris Beauvais is not in Paris: it is in the Oise, about 85 km north of our hotels by road, a drive of about 71–81 minutes. It is used mainly by low-cost airlines and linked to Paris by coach. For our hotels, with a fixed taxi fare and a direct train from both main airports, we would choose Orly or Charles de Gaulle.
Questions people ask
Good questions about Paris
Should I fly into CDG or Orly for Paris?
Whichever has the better flight. Orly is closer to all ten of our hotels, 20–31 minutes against 33–41, and its Right Bank taxi fare is €45 against €56; Charles de Gaulle has far more long-haul flights.
Which Paris airport is closest to the Eiffel Tower?
Orly. Shangri-La Paris, facing the tower from Trocadéro, is about 28 minutes from Orly and 39 from Charles de Gaulle.
How much is a taxi from CDG or Orly to Paris?
Fixed by law: from Charles de Gaulle €56 to the Right Bank and €65 to the Left Bank; from Orly €45 and €36. No extra fees or surcharges can be added.
Is there a train from both Paris airports?
Yes. The RER B runs from Charles de Gaulle to Gare du Nord in about 25 minutes, and metro line 14 runs from Orly to Châtelet in about 25 minutes. Both use the €14 Paris Région Airports ticket.
Is Beauvais a Paris airport?
Only in name. It is about 85 km north of central Paris by road, 71–81 minutes' drive to our hotels, and used mainly by low-cost airlines.
Do the Roissybus and Orlybus still run?
No. The Orlybus stopped on 3 March 2025 and the Roissybus on 1 March 2026; the metro and RER replace them.
Which Paris airport is best for the Left Bank?
Orly. Mandarin Oriental Lutetia is about 20 minutes and a fixed €36 by taxi from Orly, against 41 minutes and €65 from Charles de Gaulle.
Image credits: Wilfredor (CC0) · Chabe01 (CC BY-SA 4.0)