RER B or taxi from CDG airport

The first time I landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle, I stood in the arrivals hall for a good ten minutes trying to decide between the train and a taxi, bag straps already cutting into my shoulder. Years and several more landings later, I still make that same call every time, because the honest answer is that neither option is always right. It depends on your bags, your patience, and how much you want to think about anything for the next forty-five minutes.

Where you actually land

CDG sits about 25 km northeast of central Paris. That distance matters less than what happens once you’re moving: on a good run, either the RER B or a taxi gets you into the city in well under an hour. On a bad one, both can drag past that. Neither option is a shortcut around Paris traffic or a crowded train — they’re just different kinds of unpredictable.

For the broader picture of every option between CDG and the city — not just these two — the CDG to Paris city centre guide and the general Paris airport transfers guide lay out shuttles, private transfers and pre-booked cars alongside the RER B and the taxi rank.

The RER B, honestly

The RER B is the direct rail link from CDG into central Paris, stopping at Gare du Nord and Châtelet, both a short walk or connection from most central hotels. I default to it when I’m travelling light: one bag I can lift onto a train without drama, no stroller, no second suitcase for someone else.

What I like about it: it’s not affected by traffic, and once you’re on the platform you have a rough sense of when you’ll arrive. What I don’t love: it can be crowded, especially during the morning and evening rush, and CDG’s RER B platforms involve stairs and distance between terminals and the train that aren’t fun with a full-size suitcase. If you’re jet-lagged and disoriented after a long flight, navigating ticket machines and platform signage in a language you may not read is its own small tax on your patience. I’ve watched people freeze in front of the ticket machine at the exact moment their gate group would have been three trains behind them.

The RER B is part of the Île-de-France Mobilités network, alongside the Paris metro and the tram lines. Since the January 2025 fare reform, airport trips use the single Metro-Train-RER ticket, which you load onto a Navigo Easy card or a phone — paper tickets are on their way out. I won’t write a price here because it isn’t fixed and changes; check current fares before you fly rather than trusting an old blog post, including this one.

If you’re new to the Navigo Easy system, the Paris metro tickets and Navigo guide walks through how to load the ticket and top it up once you’re inside the terminal, and the broader Paris RER and trains guide is worth a look if you’ll be using the RER B or RER lines again during your stay, not just on arrival day.

The taxi, honestly

A taxi from CDG is the option I reach for when I’m travelling with someone who has mobility issues, when we have more bags than hands, or when we’re arriving very late at night and I don’t want to think about transfers. It’s a flat-rate fare to central Paris, taken only at the official taxi rank outside the terminal — never from anyone approaching you inside the arrivals hall.

That last point is the one piece of honesty I want to be blunt about. CDG has a long-running scam where unofficial drivers work the arrivals hall, offering to carry your bags or take you into the city for a fare they name on the spot. They are not part of the official taxi queue, their cars are often unmarked, and the price quoted in the terminal rarely matches what you’re asked to pay at the other end. If someone in ordinary clothes greets you by name-tag guessing or offers a ride before you’ve reached the taxi rank sign, walk past them. The real rank has a queue, a marshal, and metered or flat-rate cars lined up in order. It takes two extra minutes to find and it saves you from an argument over money after a nine-hour flight.

The taxi’s own downside is traffic. The forfait (flat fare) to central Paris doesn’t change if you’re stuck on the A1 for forty minutes, but your patience will. I’ve had taxi rides from CDG take twenty-five minutes and I’ve had them take over an hour on a bad Friday evening. I don’t write the fare amount here because it changes and any number I gave you today would likely be wrong by the time you read this — ask the driver or check the airport’s signage on arrival.

If you’d rather compare cars, ride-hailing apps and taxis side by side beyond just the CDG rank, the taxis and ride-hailing in Paris guide covers how those options work once you’re already in the city. And on the scam point above: it’s not unique to CDG’s arrivals hall, so it’s worth reading the Paris scams and pickpockets guide before your trip, not after someone’s already tried it on you.

How I actually decide

Factor	RER B	Taxi
Luggage	Fine with one bag, harder with several	Easiest with multiple bags
Group size	Awkward for families with young kids	Comfortable, one fixed price for the car
Traffic risk	None — rail is unaffected	Real, especially rush hour
Predictability	Frequent trains, but crowding varies	Flat fare, but travel time varies
Where to catch it	Signed RER B platform in the terminal	Official taxi rank only, never inside the hall
Night arrivals	Runs but less frequent late	Straightforward, no schedule to check

If I’m solo with a backpack, it’s the RER B every time. If I’m with my partner and we’ve overpacked, or we land after 10pm, it’s the taxi rank, no debate. The genuinely wrong move is standing in the arrivals hall for fifteen minutes going back and forth — by then you’ve lost any time advantage either option offered.

Once you’ve made it into the city

However you get in from CDG, the first thing worth sorting is where you’re staying, since that decides how much more transit you’ll be doing once you’ve already put your bags down. The where to stay in Paris guide breaks down neighbourhoods by how central and well-connected they are, which matters more on your first night than it will by day three.

If your flight lands early enough to salvage part of the day, don’t waste it deciding between the RER B and a taxi for longer than you need to — pick one, get moving, and let the one day in Paris itinerary do the planning for you. A private guide can also take the pressure off a jet-lagged first afternoon: a private Louvre tour is a good option if the Louvre is high on your list and you’d rather not navigate ticket lines on no sleep.

And if you’ve got extra days built into the trip, CDG’s location north of the city makes it a genuinely convenient jumping-off point for excursions further out — a Champagne day trip with tastings or an Étretat day trip to the Normandy coast are both worth considering once the airport transfer stress is behind you.

What this page doesn’t cover

This is specifically about CDG. If you’re flying into Paris Orly instead, the calculation is different — Orly has had its own metro line 14 connection since June 2024, which changes the comparison, and that airport deserves its own page rather than a shared answer. Don’t assume what’s true for CDG applies at Orly, or the other way around.

The same logic doesn’t carry over to Paris-Beauvais either — it’s a different airport entirely, about 85 km north of the city and served mostly by low-cost carriers, with no RER B connection and no taxi rank shortcut of the kind described above. The Beauvais airport to Paris guide covers that transfer on its own terms.

RER B vs taxi from CDG: your questions

Is the RER B or a taxi faster from CDG?

Neither is reliably faster. The RER B isn’t affected by road traffic but can be crowded and involves walking and stairs at CDG; a taxi is more comfortable with luggage but is exposed to traffic on the approach into Paris, especially at rush hour.

Where do I catch the official taxi at CDG?

Only at the marked taxi rank outside the terminal, in the marshalled queue. Never accept a ride from someone approaching you inside the arrivals hall — that’s a well-known scam at CDG, and the cars involved aren’t part of the official taxi service.

Does the RER B go directly to central Paris from CDG?

Yes, the RER B runs directly from CDG to Gare du Nord and Châtelet in central Paris, with no need to change trains for most central destinations.

How much does the taxi from CDG to Paris cost?

There’s a flat fare (forfait) to central Paris, but the amount changes and isn’t listed here. Check current pricing on arrival or with your driver rather than relying on an old figure.

Do I need to buy a special ticket for the RER B from CDG?

Since the January 2025 fare reform, CDG-to-Paris RER B journeys use the standard Metro-Train-RER ticket, loaded onto a Navigo Easy card or your phone. Paper single tickets are being phased out, so plan to use a card or phone rather than counting on buying a paper ticket at the machine.

Is the RER B safe to take with luggage?

It’s manageable with one bag but harder with multiple large suitcases, since CDG’s RER B platforms involve stairs and some distance from the terminal. If you’re travelling with a lot of luggage or with young children, the taxi rank is usually the less stressful choice.

What should I do if a stranger offers to help with my bags at CDG arrivals?

Politely decline and head straight for the official taxi rank or RER B signage. Unofficial “helpers” and unmarked drivers working the arrivals hall are a known scam at CDG, and accepting help from them often leads to an inflated, undisclosed fare.