The cheapest public transportation to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is by regular bus, which is also fairly fast when combining bus 350 with a RER B train connection. Buses avoid the compulsory airport surcharge of trains and special airport buses.
Transport from downtown Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is always a bit of an ordeal. The best public transportation options, the fast and frequent RER B trains or Roissybus, have a hefty airport surcharge. The cheapest bus services to Charles de Gaulle are the two night bus lines (Noctilien N140 and N143) from Gare de l’Est (via Gare du Nord) that run early morning. Two regular daytime buses are bus 350 to Porte de la Chapelle and bus 351 to Nation. Bus 350 is sometimes a good option if it stops at Parc des Expositions. However, these buses are slow alternatives and double-check if they run, especially when traveling to Charles de Gaulle Airport from Paris.
Cheapest Noctilien Night Bus to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport
The cheapest transportation between downtown Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the night buses that run only from after midnight to around 5 am. These Noctilien night bus lines N140 and N143 require only a standard Bus-Tram ticket and not the airport surcharge Paris Region <> Airports ticket or Roissybus ticket.
Both Noctilien night bus lines N140 and N143 connect Paris-Gare de l’Est (via Gare du Nord) with Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG):
- Bus N143 makes the journey around twice per hour in 45 minutes to an hour.
- Bus N140 is less frequent and follows a different route to the airport that takes well over an hour from Gare de l’Est.
Both bus N140 and bus N143 stop at all three airport terminals (at Terminal 2 only at the Gare TGV and not at various gates as with many other buses).
The terminals and stations at Charles de Gaulle Airport are mostly closed at night (between around 01:00 and 5.30) but travelers who have checked in or are transferring may remain in the departure halls throughout the night.
Basic Paris Public Transportation Ticket Prices in 2025:
Single tickets: €2.50 for Metro-Train-RER, €2 for Bus-Tram, €13 for Paris Region <> Airports, and €12 for a day pass. See Guide to Paris Public Transport Tickets for prices and details.
Cheapest Public Transportation Bus 350 or 351 from Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport
The cheapest daytime transportation to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is on public transportation buses. However, from downtown, traveling time is much increased if traveling by bus rather than the RER B trains or Roissybus from Opera. These buses are without special space for luggage and follow slow routes with many stops.
For cheap transportation from downtown Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport, the following two bus lines are of interest:
- Bus 350 from Porte de la Chapelle (Métro 14), sometimes stopping at Parc des Expositions (RER B).
- Bus 351 from Nation (RER A, Metro 1, 2, 6, 9).
These cheap bus routes are rarely recommended by transportation apps but are easy enough to check. At the IdF Mobilités or RATP apps, simply specify bus routes only, or even easier, check the full itinerary and then request that certain lines, such as RER B, be avoided.
Bus 350 from Charles de Gaulle Airport
Bus 350 is sometimes a great savings option but only for the buses stopping at Parc des Expositions, where it is possible to transfer to the RER B train for Paris. Such a connection requires a Bus&Tram ticket and a Metro-Train-RER ticket, which together are only about a third of the Paris Region <> Airports ticket.
Unfortunately, only off-peak times line 350 buses stop at Parc des Expositions, as this option adds only a few minutes to traveling time compared to taking the RER B directly from the airport. From Terminal 1, the bus may even be quicker. Double-check is bus 350 stop at Parc des Expositions before setting out.
Bus 350 runs between two and four times per hour. The traveling time to Porte de la Chapelle is around an hour. Metro 12 provides transportation further into central Paris from Porte de la Chapelle.
Bus 351 from Charles de Gaulle Airport
Bus 351 travels around two to four times per hour from Nation (RER A, Metro 1, 2, 6, 9) to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Traveling time is around 60 to 80 minutes and could exceed the 90-minute limit of the Bus&Tram ticket if traveling is heavy.
These buses are rarely the best option for traveling to the airport. The standard recommendations of RER B or the Roissybus are far more convenient, if more expensive. Especially when traveling to the airport, taking a bus can be risky if traffic is unexpectedly heavy. Bus 350 via Parc des Expositions, especially from Terminal 1, is a great savings option, but unfortunately, most 350 buses do not stop at this RER B station.
Public Transportation to Airports in Paris in 2025
Public transportation, especially the train and metro, is the best way to travel from Parisian airports to downtown Paris.
- Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG): RER B trains are the best public transportation option, but the RoissyBus still runs to the Opera. Buses are slower but cheap. Private airport transfers are best booked in advance and a comfort after a long flight.
- Paris-Orly Airport (ORY): easy transportation on Metro 14, or Orlyval shuttle from Antony on RER B, or cheapest on bus 183. Book private transfers in advance.
- How to Transfer by Train between Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly Airport.
- Paris-Beauvais Airport (BVA): cheap flights but long ground transportation to downtown Paris. Private transfers are expensive.
- Public transportation to Paris-Charles de Gaulle or Paris-Orly airport requires a standard Paris Region <> Airports Ticket, which covers any metro, transilien, and RER train in the larger Paris region, including all the way to Versailles.
- Guide to Paris Public Transportation Tickets and Metro Prices — a new simplified system was introduced in 2025. Longer journeys are often cheaper than before.
- Which Paris Airport is the Best to Fly Into? CDG or Orly? It doesn’t really matter much.
- Luxury buses of Le Bus Direct (previously Les Cars Air France) no longer operate. There is no similar limousine bus service from Parisian airports to downtown.
→ Always check Paris public transportation journeys before traveling at RATP or IDF Mobilités.
