Getting There

The two Paris airports -- Orly (airport code: ORY) and Charles de Gaulle (airport code: CDG) -- are about even in terms of convenience to the city's center, though taxi rides from Orly may take less time than those from de Gaulle. Orly, the older of the two, is 14km (8 2/3 miles) south of the center; Charles de Gaulle is 22km (14 miles) northeast. Air France serves Charles de Gaulle (Terminal 2C) from North America. U.S. carriers land at both airports.

Most airlines charge their lowest fares between November 1 and March 13. Shoulder season (Oct and mid-Mar-mid-June) is a bit more expensive, though we think it's the ideal time to visit France.

By Plane -- Paris has two international airports: Aéroport d'Orly, 14km (8 2/3 miles) south of the city, and Aéroport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, 23km (14 miles) northeast. A shuttle (16€/$23) makes the 50- to 75-minute journey between the two airports about every 30 minutes.

Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy) -- At Charles de Gaulle (tel. 01-48-62-12-12 or 39-50 from France only), foreign carriers use Aérogare 1, while Air France uses Aérogare 2. From Aérogare 1, you take a moving walkway to the passport checkpoint and the Customs area. A navette (shuttle bus) links the two terminals.

The free shuttle buses also transports you to the Roissy rail station, from which fast RER (Réseau Express Régional) trains leave every 10 minutes between 5am and midnight for Métro stations including Gare du Nord, Châtelet, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, and Denfert-Rochereau. A typical fare from Roissy to any point in central Paris is 8.20€ ($12) per adult (5.60€/$8.10) for children 4 to 10. Travel time from the airport to central Paris is around 35 to 40 minutes.

You can also take an Air France shuttle bus (tel. 08-92-35-08-20 or 01-48-64-14-24; www.cars-airfrance.com) to central Paris for 13€ ($19) one-way, 20€ ($29) roundtrip. It stops at the Palais des Congrès (Port Maillot) and continues to place Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile, where subway lines can carry you to any point in Paris. That ride, depending on traffic, takes 45 to 55 minutes. The shuttle departs about every 20 minutes between 5:40am and 11pm.

The Roissybus (tel. 01-58-76-16-16), operated by the RATP, departs from the airport daily from 6am to 11:45pm and costs 8.60€ ($12) for the 45- to 50-minute ride. Departures are about every 15 minutes, and the bus leaves you near the corner of rue Scribe and place de l'Opéra in the heart of Paris.

A taxi from Roissy into the city will cost about 47€ to 60€ ($68-$87); from 8pm to 7am the fare is 40% higher. Long, orderly lines for taxis form outside each of the airport's terminals.

Orly Airport -- Orly (tel. 01-49-75-52-52 or 39-50 from France only) has two terminals -- Orly Sud (south) for international flights and Orly Ouest (west) for domestic flights. A free shuttle bus connects them in 3 minutes.

Air France buses leave from Exit E of Orly Sud and from Exit F of Orly Ouest every 12 minutes between 6am and 11:30pm for Gare des Invalides; the fare is 9€ ($13) one-way, 14€ ($20) round-trip. Returning to the airport (about 30 min.), buses leave both the Montparnasse and the Invalides terminal for Orly Sud or Orly Ouest every 15 minutes.

Another way to get to central Paris is to take the RER from points throughout central Paris to the station at Pont-de-Rungis/Aéroport d'Orly for a per-person one-way fare of 6€ ($8.70), and from there, take the free shuttle bus that departs every 15 minutes from Pont-de-Rungis to both of Orly's terminals. Combined travel time is about 45 to 55 minutes.

A taxi from Orly to central Paris costs about 30€ to 50€ ($44-$73), more at night. Don't take a meterless taxi from Orly -- it's much safer (and usually cheaper) to hire one of the metered cabs, which are under the scrutiny of a police officer.

The Paris Airport Shuttle -- The Paris Airport Shuttle (tel. 01-53-39-18-18; fax 01-53-39-13-13; www.parishuttle.com) is the best option for airport transit. It charges 25€ ($36) for one person or 19€ ($28) per person for two or more going to and from Charles de Gaulle or Orly. Both shuttles accept American Express, Visa, and MasterCard, with 1-day advance reservations required.

Getting There from Elsewhere in Europe

By Plane -- From London, Air France (tel. 0870/142-4343; www.airfrance.com) and British Airways (tel. 0844/493-0787 in the U.K.; www.britishairways.com) fly frequently to Paris; the trip takes 1 hour. These airlines operate up to 17 flights daily from Heathrow. Many travelers also fly out of the London City Airport in the Docklands.

Direct flights to Paris operate from other U.K. cities such as Manchester and Edinburgh. Contact Air France, British Airways, or British Midland (tel. 0870/607-0555; www.flybmi.com). Daily papers often carry ads for cheap flights. Highly recommended Trailfinders (tel. 0845/058-5858; www.trailfinders.com) sells discount fares.

You can reach Paris from any major European capital. Your best bet is to fly on the national carrier, Air France, which has more connections into Paris from European capitals than any other airline. From Dublin, try Aer Lingus (tel. 800-IRISH-AIR; www.aerlingus.com), which schedules the most flights to Paris from Ireland. From Amsterdam, try NWA/KLM (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com).

By Train -- Paris is one of Europe's busiest rail junctions, with trains arriving at and departing from its many stations every few minutes. If you're in Europe, you may want to go to Paris by train. The cost is relatively low -- especially compared to renting a car.

Rail passes as well as individual rail tickets are available at most travel agencies or at any office of Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245 in the U.S.; www.raileurope.com) or Eurostar (tel. 800/EUROSTAR in the U.S.; www.eurostar.com).

Paris has six major stations: Gare d'Austerlitz, 55 quai d'Austerlitz, 13e (serving the southwest, with trains to and from the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, the Pyrénées, and Spain); Gare de l'Est, place du 11-Novembre-1918, 10e (serving the east, with trains to and from Strasbourg, Reims, and beyond, to Zurich and Austria); Gare de Lyon, 20 bd. Diderot, 12e (serving the southeast, with trains to and from the Côte d'Azur [Nice, Cannes, St-Tropez], Provence, and beyond, to Geneva and Italy); Gare Montparnasse, 17 bd. Vaugirard, 15e (serving the west, with trains to and from Brittany); Gare du Nord, 18 rue de Dunkerque, 15e (serving the north, with trains to and from London, Holland, Denmark, and northern Germany); and Gare St-Lazare, 13 rue d'Amsterdam, 8e (serving the northwest, with trains to and from Normandy). Buses operate between the stations, and each station has a Métro stop. For train information and to make reservations, call tel. 08-92-35-35-35 from abroad, or 36-35 from France, between 8am and 8pm daily. From Paris, one-way rail passage to Tours costs 30€ to 51€ ($44-$74); one-way to Strasbourg 55€ or 80€ ($80 or $116), depending on the routing.

Warning: The stations and surrounding areas are usually seedy and frequented by pickpockets, hustlers, hookers, and addicts. Be alert, especially at night.

By Bus -- Bus travel to Paris is available from London as well as many cities on the Continent. In the early 1990s, the French government established incentives for long-haul buses not to drive into the center of Paris. The arrival and departure point for Europe's largest operator, Eurolines France, 28 av. du Général-de-Gaulle, 93541 Bagnolet (tel. 08-92-89-90-91; www.eurolines.fr), is a 35-minute Métro ride from central Paris, at the terminus of line no. 3 (Métro: Gallieni), in the eastern suburb of Bagnolet. Despite this inconvenience, many people prefer bus travel.

Long-haul buses are equipped with toilets, and they stop at mealtimes for rest and refreshment.

Because Eurolines does not have a U.S. sales agent, most people buy their tickets in Europe. Any European travel agent can arrange the sale. If you're traveling to Paris from London, contact Eurolines (U.K.) Ltd., 52 Grosvenor Gardens, Victoria, London SW1 0AU (tel. 0870/580-8080; www.nationalexpress.com for information or credit card sales).

Most buses arrive at the Eurolines France station, 28 av. du Général-de-Gaulle, Bagnolet (tel. 08-92-89-90-91; www.eurolines.fr; Métro: Gallieni).

By Car -- The major highways into Paris are A1 from the north (Great Britain and Benelux); A13 from Rouen, Normandy, and northwest France; A10 from Bordeaux, the Pyrénées, the southwest, and Spain; A6 from Lyon, the French Alps, the Riviera, and Italy; and A4 from Metz, Nancy, and Strasbourg in the east.

By Ferry from England -- Ferries and hydrofoils operate day and night, with the exception of last-minute cancellations during storms. Many crossings are timed to coincide with the arrival and departure of trains (especially those between London and Paris). Trains let you off a short walk from the piers. Most ferries carry cars, trucks, and freight, but some hydrofoils take passengers only. The major routes include at least 12 trips a day between Dover or Folkestone and Calais or Boulogne.

Hovercraft and hydrofoils make the trip from Dover to Calais, the shortest distance across the Channel, in just 40 minutes during good weather. The ferries may take several hours, depending on the weather and tides. If you're bringing a car, it's important to make reservations -- space below decks is usually crowded. Timetables can vary depending on weather conditions and many other factors.

The leading operator of ferries across the channel is P&O Ferries (tel. 0871/664-5645 in the U.K.; www.poferries.com). It operates car and passenger ferries between Portsmouth, England, and Cherbourg, France (three departures a day; 4 hr., 15 min. each way during daylight hours, 7 hr. each way at night); and between Portsmouth and Le Havre, France (three a day; 5 1/2 hr. each way). Most popular is the route between Dover, England, and Calais, France (25 sailings a day; 75 min. each way).

Under the Channel -- Queen Elizabeth II and the late French president François Mitterrand opened the Channel Tunnel in 1994, and the Eurostar Express has daily passenger service from London to Paris and Brussels. The $15 billion tunnel, one of the great engineering feats of our time, is the first link between Britain and the Continent since the Ice Age. The 50km (31-mile) journey takes 35 minutes, with actual time spent in the Chunnel 19 minutes.

Eurostar tickets are available through Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245; www.raileurope.com). In London, make reservations for Eurostar (or any other train in Europe) at tel. 0870/518-6186. In Paris, call tel. 01-70-70-60-88, and in the United States, call tel. 800/EUROSTAR; www.eurostar.com. Chunnel train traffic is competitive with air travel, if you calculate door-to-door travel time. Trains leave from London's St. Pancras Station and arrive in Paris at Gare du Nord. Fares are complicated and depend on a number of factors. The cheapest one-way fare is Leisure RT, requiring a purchase at least 14 business days before the date of travel and a minimum 2-night stay. A return ticket must be booked to receive this discounted fare.

The Chunnel accommodates not only trains but also cars, buses, taxis, and motorcycles. Eurotunnel, a train carrying vehicles under the Channel (tel. 0870/535-3535 in the U.K.; www.eurotunnel.com), connects Calais, France, with Folkestone, England. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, running every 15 minutes during peak travel times and at least once an hour at night.

Before boarding Eurotunnel, you stop at a toll booth to pay, and then pass through Immigration for both countries at one time. During the ride, you travel in air-conditioned carriages, remaining in your car or stepping outside to stretch your legs. An hour later, you simply drive off.