Paris Weekend Break

Getting to and travelling in Paris

In order to maximize your Paris weekend break you need to get from your departure location to Paris as quickly and cheaply as possible. In this respect Paris, possibly more than any other city, gives you flight, train and ferry options that open up a near limitless number of travel options. See below for more details.

By air

Paris has three airports, Charles de Gaulle, Orly and the much smaller Beauvais. All offer international arrivals and departures and all are served by one or more major carrier.

• The Charles de Gaulle international airport is 15 miles north of Paris and uses Terminals 2 and 3 for European and domestic flights. Easyjet is the airports main "cheap fare" carrier and Easyjet use Terminal 3. You can get to the centre of Paris from the airport via the Paris Metro which runs 4 trains every hour during peak times. The journey has a duration of about 25 minutes and a cost of about 8 euros.
• The Orly airport is 10 miles south east of central Paris and is the city's second major airport with 2 terminals. There is a direct train service passing between the airport and central Paris with a cost of around 10 euros and a travelling time of less than 40 minutes. Trains run approximately every 5 to 15 minutes during peak times.
• The Beauvais Airport is located 50 miles north west of central Paris. Beauvais’s main carrier is the excellent budget airline Ryanair and since their arrival this airport has increased its traffic significantly.

Airlines flying in and out of Paris

The following airlines are just some of those offering a service to one or more of the 3 Paris airports. The budget airlines have been highlighted at the top of the list.

Easyjet (Terminal 3 Charles de Gaulle)
Ryanair (Beauvais airport)
Jet2 (Charles de Gaulle)
Aer Lingus
AOM French Airlines (Air Outre-Mer)
Air Canada
Air France
Air Inter
American Airlines
British Airways
Continental Airlines
Delta Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Qantas
United Airlines
US Air

Traveling to Paris via train (the Channel Tunnel)

Anyone in the UK with access to a main line railway station can travel to Paris by using a combination of UK domestic railway services and the Euro Star (Channel tunnel) service. This service also has the facility for travelers to bring their car along with them.

Direct travel from London to Paris normally takes approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes with trains departing approximately every hour. A return ticket for one adult can range from as little a one hundred pounds to over five hundred pounds depending on departure times and traveler flexibility. Peak times are, as ever, more expensive than off peak times and there are additional costs for car transportation.

Cross Channel Ferry

For visitors from the UK the cross channel ferry offers a car friendly way of getting to a French port and then driving on to Paris.

There are several ferry operators running competitive services between different ports including Dover and Calais and prices (not including a car) can start from as little as twenty pounds return per person.

Many ferries offer an overnight stay and facilities can include not only cabins and dinning rooms, but shows and entertainment. Many of these trips are promoted as mini cruises and add to the vacation experience.

Travelling by train or ferry will probably require you to extend your Paris weekend break by a few days, but even so these options offer the additional flexibility of being able to take your car with you.