🇫🇷CDG Airport to City Center 2026: RER B, the €14 Ticket and Three Traps

The practical way from Charles de Gaulle (CDG) into Paris is the RER B train: 35–40 minutes, €14.

But the airport fare was completely restructured in January 2025. The paper RER ticket that older guides tell you to buy no longer exists — the replacement is digital only, and it comes with restrictions that strand people at the fare gates. Sort the ticket out first, then worry about the train.

The ticket

Officially the Ticket Paris Région <> Aéroports.

Price	€14 adult · €7 child 4–9 · free under 4
Format	Digital only — no paper version exists
Carrier	Navigo Easy card (€2) · transport app · Apple Wallet
Covers	Metro, RER A–E, Transilien, TER and express trams T11–T13 across fare zones 1–5
Valid for	2 hours of transfers from first tap
Direction	One way — not a return

The same ticket works at both airports, and it now covers CDG → Orly transfers via RER B + Orlyval, which cost extra before 2025.

Not covered: Roissybus, Orlybus, buses 350/351, city buses, night buses, trams T1–T10.

Three things that catch people out

1. One card cannot hold both ticket types.

A Navigo Easy card (or phone) cannot store the airport ticket and ordinary metro tickets at the same time. It's one or the other, and you have to wait four hours after the last validation before you can load the other type.

In practice: you land, buy an airport ticket, ride into the city — and that same card will not get you onto the metro later that day. Either buy two Navigo Easy cards, or keep the airport ticket on a card and metro tickets on your phone.

2. Every traveller needs their own card or phone.

You cannot tap one card twice for two people. Children need their own card too. A family of four needs four.

3. The Navigo Easy card cannot be bought online in advance.

It's sold only at ticket windows and machines in Paris — it can't be posted abroad. If you want to walk straight off the plane and go, buy the ticket on your phone before you fly: on iPhone, Apple Wallet → Transit Cards → Paris/Navigo, where the fare is listed as "One Way from/to Airports". On Android, use the official Île-de-France Mobilités app.

Which station for which terminal

CDG has two train stations, and the naming is genuinely confusing:

Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 — inside the Roissypole building, serving Terminals 1 and 3. The "1" is the station number, not the terminal number.

Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 – TGV — between 2C and 2E, serving Terminal 2 only.

Landing at T1: take the free CDGVAL shuttle to T3/Roissypole. Note that CDGVAL also stops at two car parks in between — don't get off early.

Landing at T3: follow signs for "Ground Transports / Terminal 1, 2", then a covered walkway for 5–7 minutes to Roissypole.

Landing at T2: follow "Paris RER" signs to the station between 2C and 2E.

Express trains save about 12 minutes

RER B runs both stopping and express services, and the platform screens show how many stops each train makes.

• Express: CDG T2 → CDG 1 → straight to Gare du Nord, no stops in between
• Stopping: around 9 stops on the way

That's roughly 22 minutes versus 34 to Gare du Nord. If you're in a hurry, read the screen before boarding.

First and last trains (from CDG T2): first 04:50, last 23:50, the same every day including holidays. Every 6–21 minutes.

Central Paris stops: Gare du Nord → Châtelet–Les Halles → St-Michel–Notre-Dame → Luxembourg → Port-Royal → Denfert-Rochereau → Cité Universitaire.

Staying near Montmartre or Sacré-Cœur, get off at Gare du Nord; near the Louvre, Châtelet–Les Halles; on the Left Bank, St-Michel.

Two warnings about buying on the spot

Terminal 2 station has two kinds of ticket machine. The Île-de-France machines (white or white-and-blue, labelled TICKETS | Navigo) sell Paris fares; the SNCF Grandes Lignes machines (yellow or grey) sell TGV tickets and are no use to you. The T1/T3 station only has the first kind, so there's nothing to get wrong there.

American Express does not work in the ticket machines. With an Amex you'll need the staffed ticket window, which also accepts cards without chip and PIN. Both stations have one, and staff speak English.

The alternatives

Taxis run on a flat fare, not the meter.

• To the Right Bank (north of the Seine): €56
• To the Left Bank: €65

That covers luggage and up to four passengers, at any hour. Join the queue at the official rank and ignore anyone inside the terminal who approaches you offering a ride — those are unlicensed.

Buses 350/351: €2.50, 60–90 minutes. The cheapest option, and miserable with luggage. Note they are not covered by the €14 airport ticket — you need a separate bus fare.

On Roissybus: this airport coach has been reported as discontinued in March 2026, though some transport references still list it. Check the RATP / Île-de-France Mobilités site on the day before you count on it.

Which passes work

• Navigo weekly pass (Navigo Découverte): ✅ accepted
• Paris Visite: ✅ accepted
• Navigo day pass (Navigo Jour): ❌ no longer accepted

If you were going to buy a weekly pass anyway and your arrival falls inside its Monday–Sunday week, the pass covers airport journeys and you don't need a separate airport ticket.

Pickpockets

RER B is one of the worst lines in Paris for pickpocketing — precisely because it's full of people who have just landed, are dragging luggage and aren't paying attention.

Wear your bag on your front, keep your phone out of an outside pocket, and be most careful boarding and alighting at Gare du Nord and Châtelet–Les Halles. See the practical guide to pickpockets.

FAQ

Does the €14 ticket reach Versailles or Disneyland?

Yes. It covers zones 1–5 — Versailles is zone 4, Disneyland zone 5 — as long as the whole journey is completed within two hours of your first tap.

What if RER B is on strike?

French strikes usually thin the service rather than stop it. If your schedule is tight, switch to a taxi (the flat fare doesn't rise during strikes) or pre-book a transfer.

How do I use it going the other way?

The same. Start at any metro, RER or Transilien station in zones 1–5 and transfer onto RER B for the airport — but the whole trip must finish within two hours, or the gates at CDG won't open.

How far ahead can I buy it?

There's no expiry on a phone ticket, so buying days before you fly is fine — the clock only starts on first tap.

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For the other airport, see Orly Airport to City Center. For the wider trip, see the Paris travel guide and where to stay in Paris.

Fares and schedules reflect publicly available information as of August 2026. Île-de-France Mobilités revises fares each January — check the official site before you travel.