FRA9 FILE · Plan your trip
Airports in France
Choose the right airport for your final destination and onward transfer.
See the essentials at a glance
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key points: Paris · Lyon · Nice · Marseille
Choose the airport for the final destination
Paris-CDG has the broadest intercontinental network and a TGV station; Orly is often simpler for southern Paris and European flights; Beauvais mainly serves low-cost airlines but lies far from Paris. Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Basel-Mulhouse can avoid a Paris connection. Compare the final address and door-to-door transfer, not only the airfare.
Paris: CDG, Orly or Beauvais?
CDG connects to central Paris by RER B and its terminals by CDGVAL. Orly has a Metro 14 station at Terminal 3, plus Orlyval and tram T7. Beauvais normally requires a long coach transfer. With children, a wheelchair or several bags, the apparently cheaper arrival can become slower and more expensive.
Flight connections: avoid changing airports
A CDG-Orly or Beauvais-CDG connection is not a terminal transfer. You may need to enter France, collect baggage, cross the region, check in again and clear security. Buy separate tickets only with a very large buffer, the right to enter France and a financial fallback if the first service is late.
Transport tickets and live information
Buy metro, RER, coach and rail tickets only from the operator, an official machine or a recognised app. On travel day, verify the terminal, rail works, the coach's actual stop and the final departure. FRA9 explains the structure; the official live board decides the journey.
Baggage, assistance and control
Notify the airline of reduced-mobility or medical assistance within its stated deadline. Keep medicines, documents, batteries and a change of clothes in cabin baggage. Tax-free goods in checked luggage may need to remain available before bag drop; on a connection, verify whether bags are checked through.
The door-to-door calculation
Add flight time, terminal walking, immigration, baggage, coach waiting, transfer, city connection and the last kilometre. For departure, add the airline's arrival margin and disruption risk. This total is what should be compared with another airport, a direct train or a night near the terminal.
Editorial responsibility and change log
Publication team: FRA9 · Editorial lead: Pınar Mehmet
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