Paris Flights and Travel Guide

Paris, the City of Light, is one of the world's most magical cities, a byword for romance, glamour and style. Its landmarks - the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, L’Opéra de la Bastille, Notre Dame Cathedral - are world famous. 

Its 20 arrondissements spiral out from the middle of the city on the right bank of the River Seine, each one with its own personality. La Cite, part of the 1st District, is the historic heart of Paris, home to the cathedral and the Sainte Chappelle. The Latin Quarter is the traditional student quarter, centred on the Sorbonne and Panthéon, a district of cheap restaurants and charming old streets. Pigalle and Montmartre, the ninth and 18th arondissements, are where Paris parties. Le Marais is the Jewish quarter and the 13th district, Chinatown, is where Paris's large Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian communities live and trade. 

Paris's sweeping boulevards, public squares, fine palaces, old townhouses, little market streets and hidden courtyards contain a wealth of attractions with more than enough to occupy tourists who have landed on cheap flights to Paris. 

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Paris Climate

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When to Fly to Paris

Peak Season:
Most travellers arrive on cheap flights to Paris between April and October. Although August is considered peak, it is when many Parisians leave the city on vacation. There are hotel discounts to be snapped up and less traffic, but you may find that most of the best restaurants close too.

Off Season:
Runs from November 1 to March 31.

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Getting Downtown Paris

After disembarking their cheap flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle, tourists can whizz into Paris on the RER (suburban railway). Roissybus is also an option. 

All the major rental car companies are represented at the airport. 

There are also bus and train services from Paris-Orly Airport.

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Getting Around Paris

Paris is a compact city, just 6km across at its widest point. Walking is by far the best way to get this pulse of this beautiful city. 

Renting a car is doable, but parking on Parisian streets can be a problem. 

The metro, Paris's subway system, is world class and will run you around Paris for fares of little more than a euro. 

The bus system too is comprehensive. Some of the lines can be a neat way of taking in the sights for fewer euros than a tourist bus. Lines 28, 29, 38, 39, 48 and 68 are standouts for this. 

"Velib" bikes are a recent success story. The self-service “bike hire” system is available 24/7. There are cycle racks throughout Paris - pick up at one and drop off at another. Not including the deposit, it costs about €1 per day. A boat trip along the Seine is a must-do. 

The Batobus has an advantage over other bateaux mouches in that you can hop-on and hop-off as you feel like it. Batobus has stops near all the most popular sights and the boat pass is valid all day.

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Paris Insider Information

• Paris is made for strolling around. A great place to start is the Jardin du Luxembourg. Families with small children will enjoy the model boats, rides on Shetland ponies, puppet shows and playgrounds. 
• Annual events include the Fête de la Musique, a popular, free event that takes place on June 21, the Journées du Patrimoine heritage weekend in September and the annual Nuit Blanche all-night cultural festival in October. The Bastille Day parade marches down the Champs-Elysées on July 14. 
• For a month from July 21 Paris gets its own beach. The roads along the Right Bank of the Seine are closed to traffic and covered in sand and deckchairs for "Paris Plage". 
• Most national museums, including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and Centre Pompidou, are free on the first Sunday of every month. If your cheap flights to Paris are not timed for this, the Paris Museum Pass offers free and unlimited access to more than 60 museums (just permanent collections) and monuments in and around Paris for a period of two, four or six days. The cost ranges from about €30 to €60. Children under 18 don't need a pass. You can buy a pass at participating museums and monuments, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, the Carrousel du Louvre Tourism Information stand and Paris Offices of Tourism. 
• Monet's grand Nymphéas are on show in the Museum l'Orangerie in the Jardin des Tuileries. There are paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse and Soutine too. It's open every day except Tuesday, May 1 and December 25 between 9am and 6pm. Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. 
• Shopping: for clothes and accessories, head to the small boutiques of the northern Marais, rue d’Orsel in Montmartre or the atelier boutiques of rue de Charonne and rue Keller close to the Bastille. 
• Père Lachaise cemetery, final resting grounds of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison among many others is at its best in the autumn. Free maps of the famous tombs are available from the conservation office. 
• There are free tours (in English) of Notre Dame Cathedral on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2pm and Saturdays at 2.30pm.

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Paris Airports

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