Recently my family and I spent a few days in Paris before going from Central Paris to CDG Airport before our flight home. Charles De Gaulle (CDG) Airport is about 20 miles east of Downtown Paris, so you’ll want to make sure you leave yourself plenty of time. In our case, we actually went out from Paris to CDG the night before, choosing to spend the night at the Holiday Inn Express Paris / CDG Airport Hotel before our morning flight. And then, when our flight was cancelled, we ended up spending a SECOND night at that same hotel. We did a bit of research on the cheapest and best way from Paris to CDG Airport, so I thought I’d share some of that with you.

How To Get From Paris to Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG)

You have a few different options to get from Paris to Charles De Gaulle Airport, depending on how many people you have, what kind of luggage you have and your preference for spending time or money. As with most things, the cheapest way to get from Paris to CDG is likely going to take more time, and the fastest way from Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport will likely be more expensive.

Uber, Taxi or Car from Paris to Roissy-en-France / CDG

You can absolutely take a taxi from Paris to CDG. Currently, taxis have a flat rate between Charles de Gaulle airport and the Paris city center – it’s 56 Euros from anywhere on the “right bank” and 65 Euros from the “left bank”. Uber and Lyft and other ridesharing services are likely to be around this amount, though prices are going to vary widely depending on the time of day and where exactly you’re going. There are also a variety of shared airport buses and private or shared airport transfer services. Generally, these are going to be more expensive.

Another option is a service like Welcome Pickup, where you can book a private car for point to point service between your origin in Paris and CDG Airport (or Orly, or anywhere else)

RER B Train From Paris To CDG

If you are looking to take public transportation from Paris to CDG Airport, the easiest way to do that is by taking the RER B Train. If you’ve been using the subway and other public transportation already during your time in Paris, you’ll likely already be familiar with the RER trains. It costs 11.80 Euros and it should take around 35 minutes, depending on where you pick up the train. You can also use a Zone 1-5 Navigo card. In our case, we did not have a Zone 5 card and were looking for something a bit cheaper.

RoissyBus – Bus 352

The RoissyBus is another public transportation option. It costs €16.60 and again, you can use a Zone 1-5 Navigo card. Roissybus operates every day, including public holidays with departures every 15-20 minutes. The average journey time between Paris-Opéra station and CDG is 60 minutes, though of course that will vary quite a bit, depending on traffic.

Taking Bus 351 – The Cheapest Way From Paris to CDG Airport

Again, we were looking to explore the cheapest way from Paris to CDG Airport, so we decided on taking Bus 351 from Paris to CDG Airport. Bus 351 goes from Nation-Trone to CDG, making a few stops along the way. It was €2.10 through the Navigo system (though apparently you can also buy tickets directly from the driver in which case it’s slightly more expensive). Google Maps says this should take about 70 minutes, though it took a bit longer for us as we were headed out to the airport during rush hour.

Bus 350 is another option that is going to be similar to Bus 351 in terms of its cost and conditions. It goes from Porte de la Chapelle to CDG

Step By Step Directions For Bus 351 From Paris To CDG Airport

Let me share our journey on Bus 351 from Paris to Charles De Gaulle airport. First, we took the subway to the Nation transit center. You’ll want to exit through Exit #1, av. du Trone

That puts you out on the southeast corner of the Place de la Nation roundabout (about where the People Paris Nation hotel is on the picture below). It’s a bit tricky to figure out exactly where you are and where you need to go. The Bus 351 bus stop is where the circle is in the image below – it’s kind of what looks like the middle of the road in a dedicated bus lane.

There are a bunch of bus stops / bus lanes right when you come out of the Metro (see picture below).

These are NOT the bus stops you want – instead, cross the eastbound lanes of traffic (to the left of the picture above), and go into the median of av. du Trone and there is a separate bus lane where Bus 351 waits.

Why You Might Not Want To Take Bus 351 From Paris To CDG Airport

Okay – so that doesn’t seem too bad, right? So why would you NOT want to take Bus 351 from Paris to CDG Airport. Well, it is CROWDED! I don’t know if it’s always this crowded or if it was just because it was around 5pm when we took the bus to the airport. It was pretty crowded when we boarded Bus 351 at Nation, and we weren’t able to find any seat. Plus, we each had a rollaboard suitcase and a backpack and there were no luggage racks or anything (since this is just a local bus).

Bus 351 is not really an express bus, but it’s not exactly a local bus making stops every few blocks. Instead, it has several long stretches of freeway driving coupled with a few times when it makes more frequent stops. As I mentioned, it was already fairly crowded when we got on, but then before it got on the freeway it made a few more stops where a LOT of people got on. By the time we got on the highway and in stop-and-go traffic, it was so crowded that none of us could really even move. And then we were stuck there for the better part of an hour before enough stops were made that we were able to get seats. The last 20 or 30 minutes (in a seat) were not too bad.

The picture below does not do it justice as to how crowded it was.

Once you get to CDG Airport on Bus 351, it drops you off outside the terminal. You’ll need to go inside the terminal and take the free CDGVal shuttle if you need to go to another terminal or an airport hotel.

The Best Way From Paris To CDG Airport

Normally, I am a fan of the cheapest way to get places, but if I knew how miserable and uncomfortable Bus 351 was going to be, I probably would have sprung for the extra cash to take a different way to get from Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport. We did save about 40 Euros (for the 4 of us), but it probably would have been money well spent. I think the best way from Paris to CDG Airport is probably the RER B train – it’s still relatively cheap compared to other options and likely to be faster and a more pleasant ride. If you have more people and/or more luggage, a taxi or private pickup may be a better option.

The Bottom Line – How To Take Bus 351 From Paris to CDG Airport

You have several different options when trying to get from Paris to CDG Airport. While taking Bus 351 from Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport is probably the cheapest way to do it, it may not be the best way. If you’re by yourself and/or comfortable taking public transportation, the RER B train is probably your best option. If you have more luggage or if there are more people in your party, consider taking a taxi or a private pickup. Good luck and safe travels!

What’s your take on the best way from Paris to CDG Airport? Ever taken Bus 351? Leave your thoughts in the comments below

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