Getting There

By Plane

Paris has two international airports: Orly (tel. 01-49-75-15-15), 14km (8 3/4 miles) south of the city, and Charles de Gaulle (Roissy; tel. 01-48-62-22-80), 23km (14 miles) northeast. A 13€ ($17) Air France shuttle operates between the two every 30 minutes, taking 50 to 75 minutes. Orly is more convenient to central Paris, with cheaper transportation costs, but you really don't have a choice here in most cases. Transatlantic flights land at Charles de Gaulle, with Orly used for domestic and charter flights. For information on both airports, go to www.aeroportsdeparis.fr.

High season on most airlines' routes to Paris is usually June to the beginning of September. This is the most expensive and most crowded time to travel. Shoulder season is April to May, early September to October, and December 15 to December 24. Low season is November 1 to December 14 and December 25 to March 31.

The Major Airlines

From North America -- One of the best choices for travelers in the southeastern United States and the Midwest is Delta Airlines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com). Delta flies direct to Paris from Atlanta, which is a hub for frequent flights from cities such as New Orleans, Phoenix, Columbia (South Carolina), and Cincinnati. Delta also operates daily nonstop flights to Paris from Cincinnati and New York.

Another good option is Continental Airlines (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com), serving the Northeast and much of the Southwest through its busy hubs in Newark (New Jersey) and Houston. Continental provides nonstop flights to Paris from both cities.

The French flag carrier, Air France (tel. 800/237-2747; www.airfrance.com), uses Paris as a hub and offers daily or several-times-a-week flights to Paris from Newark; Washington, D.C.; Miami; Chicago; New York; Houston; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Boston; Cincinnati; Atlanta; Montreal; Toronto; and Mexico City.

In 2004, Air France acquired control of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which is leading to the creation of Air France-KLM, the world's biggest airline in terms of revenue. In the lifetime of this edition, KLM and Air France will begin coordinating their schedules and fares, acting as a unit. Airline spokespersons predict that the merger in time will lead to lower costs, lower fares, and better connections between flights.

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) provides daily nonstop flights to Paris from Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago, Miami, Boston, and New York.

US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com) offers daily nonstop service from Philadelphia to Paris.

If you'd like to see London before traveling on to Paris, British Airways (tel. 800/247-9293; www.britishairways.com) has dozens of flights from North American cities to London. You can fly first from, say, New York to London and then take the BA shuttle flight to Paris following a holiday in England.

Canadians usually choose Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262 from the U.S. and Canada; www.aircanada.ca) for flights to Paris from Toronto and Montreal. Nonstop flights from Montreal and Toronto depart every evening. Two of the nonstop flights from Toronto are shared with Air France and feature Air France aircraft.

From the United Kingdom -- From London, Air France (tel. 0845/084-5111; www.airfrance.com) and British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850 in the U.K.; www.britishairways.com) fly frequently to Paris, offering up to 17 flights daily from Heathrow. Aer Lingus (tel. 866/IRISH-AIR; www.aerlingus.com) has frequent direct flights from Dublin to Paris throughout the day. Many commercial travelers also use regular flights from the London City Airport in the Docklands. There are also direct flights to Paris from major cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh, and Southampton. For more information, contact Air France, British Airways, or British Midland (tel. 0870/607-0555; www.flybmi.com).

From Australia -- Getting to Paris from Australia is rather difficult, because Air France (tel. 02-92-44-21-00; www.airfrance.com) has discontinued all direct flights to and from that country, requiring transfers through, among others, Singapore, with ongoing service to and from Sydney provided by Qantas. Consequently, on virtually any route, and with any airline you take, you have to change planes at least once en route. British Airways (tel. 1300-767-177; www.britishairways.com) flies daily from both Sydney and Melbourne to London in time for any of several connecting flights to Paris. Qantas (tel. 612/13-13-13-68-46; www.qantas.com.au) can route passengers from Australia into London, where plentiful connections exist for the hop across the Channel.

Getting Into Town from the Airport

Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy) -- At Charles de Gaulle, foreign carriers use Aérogare 1, and Air France uses Aérogare 2. From Aérogare 1, take a walkway to the passport checkpoint and the Customs area. A shuttle bus (navette) links the terminals.

The free shuttle bus connecting Aérogare 1 with Aérogare 2 also transports passengers to the Roissy rail station, from which fast RER trains (Line B) leave every 15 minutes daily between 5:30am to 11:30pm for such Métro stations as Gare du Nord, Châtelet, Luxembourg, Port Royal, and Denfert-Rochereau. A typical RER fare from Roissy to any point in central Paris is 13€ ($17) in first class or 8€ ($10) in second.

You can also take either of two Air France shuttle buses, both of which depart from Roissy for points within central Paris. Line 2 departs at 15-minute intervals every day between 6am and 11pm, charging 10€ ($13) each way for the 40-minute transit to the place de l'Etoile, with a stop en route at Porte Maillot. Line 4 departs at 30-minute intervals every day between 7am and 9:30pm, charging 12€ ($16) for the 50-minute trip to the Gare Montparnasse, making an intermediate stop at the Gare de Lyon en route. From any of those points within central Paris, Métro lines can carry you on to virtually any other point within the city.

Another option, the Roissybus (tel. 01-48-04-18-24), departs from a point near the corner of the rue Scribe and place de l'Opéra every 15 minutes from 5:45am to 11pm. The cost for the 50-minute ride is 8.20€ ($11).

Taxis from Roissy into the city run about 45€ ($59) on the meter. At night (8pm-7am) fares are about 40% higher. Long queues of both taxis and passengers form outside each of the airport's terminals in a surprisingly orderly fashion.

Orly Airport -- Orly has two terminals: Orly Sud (south) for international flights and Orly Ouest (west) for domestic flights. A free shuttle bus links them.

Air France buses (tel. 01-41-56-89-00) leave from Exit E of Orly Ouest and from Exit K, Platform 5, of Orly Sud every 15 to 20 minutes from 5:40am to 11pm for Gare St-Michel, Gare d'Austerlitz, or Gare Montparnasse in central Paris at a cost of 11€ ($14) one-way. Another bus goes direct to Roissy Airport (CDG).

An alternative method for reaching central Paris involves taking a monorail (Orly Val) to the RER station of Anthony and then the RER train into downtown Paris. The Orly Val makes stops at the north and south terminals, and continues at 8-minute intervals for the 10-minute ride to the Anthony RER station. At Anthony, you'll board an RER train (Line B) for the 30-minute ride into the city. The cost of the Orly Val monorail plus the RER (Line B) transit into Paris is 9€ ($12), a fare that may seem a bit high, but that offsets the horrendous construction costs of a monorail that sails above the congested roadways encircling the airport.

A taxi from Orly to the center of Paris costs about 40€ ($52), more at night and on weekends. Returning to the airport, buses to Orly leave from the Invalides terminal to either Orly Sud or Orly Ouest every 15 minutes, taking about 30 minutes.

Caution: Don't take a meterless taxi from Orly Sud or Orly Ouest -- it's much safer (and usually cheaper) to hire a metered cab from the taxi queues, which are under the scrutiny of a police officer.

Airport Shuttle -- A commuter service is provided by PariShuttle, 103 rue Villiers de l'Isle Adam, 75020 Paris (tel. 01-53-39-18-18; www.parishuttle.com). Before collecting your baggage at the airport, you can call its toll-free number (tel. 08-00-69-96-99) and make your way later to the arranged meeting point. You can also call and reserve by phone before your arrival in Paris. PariShuttle will take you to your desired address in Paris, and service in the eight-seat minivans runs 7 days a week. The cost is 25€ ($33) per person or 19€ ($25) per person if two or more people are traveling together.

By Car

Driving in Paris is definitely not recommended. Parking is difficult; traffic is dense; and networks of one-way streets make navigation, even with the best of maps, a problem. If you do drive, remember that Paris is encircled by a ring road called the périphérique. Always obtain detailed directions to your destination, including the name of the exit on the périphérique you're looking for (exits aren't numbered). Avoid rush hours. Few hotels, except the luxury ones, have garages, but the staff will usually be able to direct you to one nearby.

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

By Train

If you're already in Europe, you might decide to travel to Paris by train, especially if you have a Eurailpass. Rail passes or individual rail tickets within Europe are available at most travel agencies, at any office of Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245; www.raileurope.com), or at Eurostar (tel. 800/EUROSTAR in the U.S., 0870/510-4105 in London, 01-70-70-99-49 in Paris; www.eurostar.com).

There are six major train stations in Paris: Gare d'Austerlitz, 55 quai d'Austerlitz, 13e (serving the southwest, with trains from the Loire Valley, the Bordeaux country, and the Pyrenees); Gare de l'Est, place du 11 Novembre 1918, 10e (serving the east, with trains from Strasbourg, Nancy, Reims, and beyond to Zurich, Basel, Luxembourg, and Austria); Gare de Lyon, 20 bd. Diderot, 12e (serving the southeast with trains from the Côte d'Azur and Provence to Geneva, Lausanne, and Italy); Gare Montparnasse, 17 bd. Vaugirard, 15e (serving the west, with trains from Brittany); Gare du Nord, 18 rue de Dunkerque, 15e (serving the north, with trains from Holland, Denmark, Belgium, and Germany); and Gare St-Lazare, 13 rue d'Amsterdam, 8e (serving the northwest, with trains from Normandy).

For general train information and to make reservations, call Rail Europe at tel. 01-70-70-60-88 daily from 7am to 8pm. Buses operate between rail stations. Each of these stations has a Métro stop, making the whole city easily accessible. Taxis are also available at designated stands at every station. Look for the sign that says TETE DE STATION. Be alert in train stations, especially at night.

By Ferry from England

Despite competition from the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel), services aboard ferries and hydrofoils operate day and night in all seasons, with the exception of last-minute cancellations during storms. Many Channel crossings are timed to coincide with the arrival/departure of major trains (especially those between London and Paris); trains let you off a short walk from the piers. Most ferries carry cars, trucks, and massive amounts of 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 40 minutes during good weather; the slower-moving ferries can take several hours, depending on weather and tides. If you're bringing a car, it's important to make reservations, as space below decks is usually crowded. Timetables can vary depending on the weather and many other factors.

The leading operator of ferries across the Channel is P&O Ferries (tel. 0870/520-0333 in England; www.poferries.com). It operates car and passenger ferries between Portsmouth, England, and Cherbourg, France (three departures a day; 4 1/4 hr. each way during daylight hours, 7 hr. each way at night); between Portsmouth and Le Havre, France (three a day; 5 1/2 hr. each way). The most popular routes are between Dover and Calais, France (25 sailings a day; 75 min. each way), which costs 19€ ($25) one-way for adults; children under 4 go free.

The shortest and most popular route is between Calais and Dover. Hoverspeed operates at least 12 hovercraft crossings daily; the trip takes 35 minutes. It also runs a SeaCat (a catamaran propelled by jet engines) that takes longer, just under 1 hour, between Dover and Calais. For reservations and information, call Hoverspeed (tel. 800/677-8585 in North America or 0870/164-2114 in England; www.hoverspeed.com). Typical one-way fares are 19€ ($25) per person.

If you plan to transport a rental car between England and France, check in advance with the rental company about license and insurance requirements and additional drop-off charges. Be aware that many car-rental companies, for insurance reasons, forbid transport of one of their vehicles over the water between England and France. Transport of a car each way begins at 150€ ($195).

Under the Channel

One of the great engineering feats of our time, the $15-billion Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) opened in 1994, and the Eurostar Express now has daily service from London to both Paris and Brussels. The 50km (31-mile) journey takes 35 minutes, though actual time spent in the Chunnel is only 19 minutes. Stores selling duty-free goods, restaurants, service stations, and bilingual staffs are available to travelers on both sides of the Channel.

Eurostar tickets are available through Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245; www.raileurope.com). In Great Britain, make reservations for Eurostar at tel. 0870/518-6186; in the United States, call tel. 800/EUROSTAR. Chunnel train travel is roughly competitive with air travel, if you calculate door-to-door travel time. Trains leave from London's Waterloo Station and arrive in Paris at the Gare du Nord.

The tunnel also accommodates passenger cars, charter buses, taxis, and motorcycles, transporting them under the Channel from Folkestone, England, to Calais, France. It operates 24 hours a day, running every 15 minutes during peak travel times and at least once an hour at night. You can buy tickets at the tollbooth at the tunnel's entrance. With Eurotunnel (tel. 0870/535-3535; www.eurotunnel.com), gone are the days of weather-related delays, seasickness, and advance reservations.

Before they board Eurotunnel, motorists stop at a tollbooth and pass through British and French immigration at the same time. Then they drive onto a 1km-long (half-mile) train and travel through the tunnel. During the ride, motorists stay in air-conditioned carriages, remaining inside their cars or stepping outside to stretch their legs. When the trip is completed, they simply drive off. Total travel time is about an hour. Once on French soil, British drivers must remember to drive on the right-hand side of the road.