Paris: getting there from the airport, neighbourhoods, admission prices, climate and tourist tax

Paris suits a city break to see museums, churches and monuments, many of them on the banks of the Seine. The stretch between Pont de Sully and Pont d'Iéna has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 and includes Notre-Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Not everything works entirely spontaneously: for the Palace of Versailles and the towers of Notre-Dame you have to book a time slot.

A good deal has changed for visitors recently. Roissybus and Orlybus no longer run, and paper tickets for local transport have been abolished. The Louvre, the Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles charge higher admission to visitors from outside the EEA, and the Centre Pompidou remains closed until 2030.

Getting there and from the airport into the city

At the main German airports around 1.4 million passengers boarded with Paris as their destination in 2025, 9th place among all foreign destinations according to the Federal Statistical Office. Around 1.19 million of them flew to Charles de Gaulle (CDG), just under 250,000 to Orly (ORY).

In 2025 CDG was France's largest airport with around 72 million passengers, and Orly, with just under 35 million, the second largest. A separate shuttle runs to Paris-Beauvais airport from Porte Maillot. The airport ticket and Navigo passes are not valid there (as of September 2026).

Charles de Gaulle: by RER B in 25 to 30 minutes

Two RER B stations serve CDG airport. “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1” serves Terminals 1 and 3, “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2” Terminal 2 and the TGV station. The automatic CDGVAL train runs free of charge between the terminals (as of September 2026).

According to Île-de-France Mobilités the journey to the centre takes 25 to 30 minutes, with a train every 6 to 15 minutes (as of September 2026). The RATP, by contrast, gives a frequency of 10 to 20 minutes (as of September 2026). Towards Paris the trains run from 4:50 to 23:50, from Gare du Nord to the airport from 4:53 to 0:15 (as of September 2026).

With the airport ticket you may change between Metro, RER and trains for two hours. It is not valid on buses, and an outward and return journey on one ticket are not allowed. You buy it in the “Île-de-France Mobilités” app or load it onto a Navigo Easy card, which then may not hold any other ticket (as of September 2026). On 1 January 2026 the price rose from €13 to €14. If you have a Navigo Semaine for all zones or a Paris Visite pass, you do not need it.

Buses to CDG: Roissybus discontinued

The Roissybus, which had run between Opéra and CDG since 1992, was discontinued on 1 March 2026. Île-de-France Mobilités cites its dependence on road traffic and almost 40% fewer passengers since 2023 as the reasons. New is express line 9517 from Saint-Denis-Pleyel: 30 minutes direct to RoissyPôle, valid with the bus-tram ticket (as of September 2026). The same €2.05 ticket is valid on line 350 from Porte de la Chapelle (60 to 80 minutes) and line 351 from Nation (70 to 90 minutes).

Orly: Metro 14 instead of Orlybus

Since 24 June 2024 Metro line 14 has run to “Aéroport d'Orly”, from Châtelet in less than 25 minutes. The Orlybus from Denfert-Rochereau has not existed since 3 March 2025: with the extended line 14 it had lost 80% of its passengers.

The Orlyval connects all terminals with the RER B station Antony in 6 minutes; the airport ticket is valid here too. Cheaper is tram T7 with a bus-tram ticket for €2.05, which takes 45 minutes to Villejuif-Louis Aragon (as of September 2026). For onward travel by Metro or RER you need a second ticket. Anyone arriving on Metro 14 without an airport ticket has been able to pay by bank card at the exit since 30 June 2026. Île-de-France Mobilités gives €14 for this in the text and €14.80 in the price list (as of June 2026).

By train from Germany

According to bahn.de, trains from Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich arrive at Paris Est station. From Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof the fastest journey takes 3 hours 43 minutes, with up to 7 direct services a day (as of 23 September 2026). From Stuttgart it is 3 hours 13 minutes and up to 5 direct services (as of 24 September 2026).

From Munich there is at most one direct TGV a day, taking 5 hours 44 minutes. With one change it takes 5 hours 22 minutes (as of 24 September 2026). For Berlin, bahn.de gives 7 hours 59 minutes with at least one change as the fastest connection (as of 22 September 2026).

Where to stay: the neighbourhoods compared

On 1 January 2026 Paris had a total of 1,629 hotels with 87,546 rooms, most of them 3-star. Bruitparif, the region's noise observatory, provides indications on noise. It measures with sensors in several busy nightlife districts (as of September 2026).

Sights: times, prices and reservations

The Paris Museum Pass is valid for over 50 museums and sights in Paris and the region, for one entry per venue. For 2 days it costs €85, for 4 days €105 and for 6 days €125 (as of September 2026). The validity period starts with the first visit.

Louvre: €22 in the EEA, otherwise €32

Citizens and residents of EEA states such as Germany and Austria have paid €22 admission since 14 January 2026. Everyone else pays €32, and anyone who accidentally buys at the EEA rate has to pay an extra €15. Everyone under 18 and 18- to 25-year-olds from the EEA go free. On the first Friday of the month from 18:00 everyone gets in free of charge, except in July and August (as of September 2026).

It is open on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 18:00, on Wednesdays and Fridays until 21:00, and closed on Tuesdays. Last entry is one hour before closing. The museum recommends a time slot reserved online, even with a free pass. If you go out, you cannot get back in (as of September 2026).

Eiffel Tower: stairs to the 2nd floor for €14.80

Since 12 January 2026 adults pay €36.70 per person for the lift to the top and €23.50 to the 2nd floor. With the stairs to the 2nd floor it is €14.80, with stairs and lift to the top €28.00 (as of January 2026). Young people aged 12 to 24 pay €18.40 for the top, children under 4 nothing. The top is not accessible for people with reduced mobility.

It is 674 steps to the 2nd floor, a climb of 30 to 45 minutes according to the operator. Stair tickets are available at the south pillar and online with a fixed time (as of September 2026).

Notre-Dame: free admission, towers with reservation

After the fire of 15 April 2019 the cathedral reopened on 7 and 8 December 2024. Admission is free; a time slot, available only via the official website or app, is recommended. Slots are usually released two days ahead, the day before or on the same day (as of July 2026). It is open Monday to Friday from 7:50 to 19:00, on Thursdays until 22:00, and at weekends from 8:15 to 19:30 (as of July 2026).

The towers, with 424 steps, cost €16; reservation is compulsory and there are no tickets on site. From April to September they are open from 9:00 to 23:00, from October to March until 17:30 (as of September 2026).

Sainte-Chapelle: €16 in the EEA, €22 for everyone else

The chapel is in the Palais de Justice, so checks at the entrance are stricter and large bags are prohibited. Citizens and residents of the EEA pay €16, everyone else €22, on a combination ticket with the Conciergerie €23 or €30 respectively (as of September 2026). On the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December admission is free. It is open from April to September from 9:00 to 19:00, otherwise until 17:00.

Musée d'Orsay: cheaper at the ticket office than online

The Orsay is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 to 18:00, on Thursdays until 21:45. Admission costs €16 online, €14 at the museum ticket office; under-18s and residents of the EEA under 26 go free. Until summer 2028 the museum is rebuilding its reception area and points to changed access conditions (as of September 2026).

Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre

The basilica charges no admission and is open every day from 6:30 to 22:30. Between 10:30 and 17:00 you wait 10 to 15 minutes to get in. 280 steps without a lift lead up to the dome; adults pay €8 and buy the ticket on site only (as of September 2026). The funicular goes up the hill with the normal Metro-Train-RER ticket, and since 8 July 2026 by bank card too.

Arc de Triomphe: 284 steps, lift under maintenance

From April to September admission costs €22, from October to March it is €16 (as of September 2026). On the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December it is free. 284 steps lead up to the terrace, and the lift is under maintenance until further notice. It is open from April to September until 23:00, from October to March until 22:30 (as of September 2026).

Centre Pompidou: closed until 2030

The building in Beaubourg has been closed since 22 September 2025 and is due to reopen in 2030. In spring 2027 the “Centre Pompidou Francilien” opens in Massy in the Essonne département (as of September 2026).

Day trip to Versailles

The palace and park of Versailles have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. The palace is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 18:30, with last entry at 17:45. The shortest walk is from the RER C: from Versailles Château Rive Gauche it is 10 minutes. The trains from Montparnasse and Saint-Lazare stop at stations from which you walk 17 to 18 minutes (as of September 2026).

The Passeport is valid for the whole estate and is the only ticket with a time slot for the palace. From 1 April to 31 October it costs €35, otherwise €25 (2026 rate). Citizens and residents of the EEA pay €3 less in each case with proof. From November to March the gardens are free.

Best time to travel: climate in Paris

The values come from the Météo-France station Paris-Montsouris, 1991 to 2020 standard period. Rain days are days with at least 1 mm of precipitation. The table shows four selected months.

July is the sunniest month and has the fewest rain days at 7.4, with September following at 7.5. On 14 days a year the thermometer reaches 30 °C or more on average, in July alone on 5.5 days. The record is held by 25 July 2019 with 42.6 °C. In hot weather opening times can change: because of the heatwave the Arc de Triomphe was open only from 10:00 to 14:30 from 22 to 27 June 2026.

In summer: swimming in the Seine

Since 2025 there have been three bathing spots on the Seine: Bercy, Bras de Grenelle with a view of the Eiffel Tower and Bras Marie opposite the Île Saint-Louis. They are free, and you do not need to reserve. In 2026 they opened daily from 4 July, provided current, water quality and weather allowed. Anyone who can swim and is at least 1.20 m tall may bathe. Because of storms the season ended on 29 August (as of August 2026).

Costs

The table gives prices for adults. Hotel, flight and car hire prices are deliberately missing.

Taxe de séjour: the 2026 tourist tax

The host collects the taxe de séjour in addition to the price of the stay, per adult and night. Since 2025 this has included a surcharge of 200% for Île-de-France Mobilités: in a 3-star hotel that is €3.40 of a total of €5.53 per night. Two adults staying five nights in such a hotel therefore pay €55.30 in tourist tax.

For accommodation without stars, such as unclassified holiday flats, 5% of the net price per person and night applies plus surcharges, at most €15.93 (valid since 1 January 2026).

Practical information

You pay in euros. Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere; with EC or Maestro cards there can be problems when paying. According to france.fr the sockets are type E (as of September 2026). The emergency number is 112, plus 15 for the ambulance service, 17 for the police and 18 for the fire brigade (as of August 2026).

Tickets for Metro, RER and bus

Since 1 January 2025 a Metro-Train-RER ticket has cost the same regardless of zones; in 2026 it is €2.55 (valid since 1 January 2026). It is valid for two hours on the Metro, RER, suburban trains and funicular. For bus and tram you need a separate ticket for €2.05; if you combine RER and bus, you buy both.

The paper ticket was abolished on 1 November 2025 (as of April 2026). Since then you load tickets into the Île-de-France Mobilités app or onto the Navigo Easy card, which costs €2 at stations.

Paying contactless by bank card is only an emergency solution. It works on almost all buses in Paris and the petite couronne and on the funicular, in each case for €2.55 without a change. Metro line 1 follows in July 2027, the rest of the rail network by 2030 (as of June 2026).

The Navigo Semaine for all zones costs €32.40 and is always valid for a fixed week from Monday to Sunday, even if bought in the middle of the week (as of September 2026). Paris Visite is valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days in the whole of Île-de-France, including airports and Versailles (as of September 2026). The Metro runs on weekdays until about 1:15, on Fridays, Saturdays and before public holidays until 2:15; at night 47 Noctilien bus lines take over (as of October 2025).

The current rules on entry, safety and health are set out by the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• If you are on a tight budget: The tourist tax alone costs €5.53 per adult and night in a 3-star hotel, the top of the Eiffel Tower €36.70 and Versailles in high season €35.
• If you arrive without planning: Time slots are compulsory for the Palace of Versailles and the towers of Notre-Dame, and tower tickets are not available on site.
• If you do not cope well with heat: In July there are on average 5.5 days with 30 °C or more, and the record is 42.6 °C.
• If you are looking for sun in winter: January brings on average only 59 hours of sunshine and 9.9 rain days.
• If you are not good on your feet: The top of the Eiffel Tower is not accessible for people with reduced mobility. At the Arc de Triomphe the lift is under maintenance, and 280 steps lead up to the dome of Sacré-Cœur.
• If you want a quiet night's sleep: In the Marais, the Latin Quarter and at the Canal Saint-Martin, Bruitparif measures the noise of busy nightlife districts.
• If you want to visit the Centre Pompidou: The building in Beaubourg is closed until 2030.