France is one of the most accessible countries in Europe. By air, Paris is served by two major international airports: Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) in the northeast (Europe's second-busiest passenger airport after Heathrow) and Orly (ORY) in the south. CDG handles long-haul flights and most European Air France services, while Orly concentrates European low-cost carriers and domestic flights. Beauvais-Tillé (BVA), 90 km north of Paris, hosts Ryanair and Wizz Air with very low fares but a long transfer to Paris (1h15 by shuttle).
Major provincial cities have their own international airports: Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS), Marseille-Provence (MRS), Nice-Côte d'Azur (NCE — France's third-busiest airport), Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS), Bordeaux-Mérignac (BOD), Nantes-Atlantique (NTE), Strasbourg-Entzheim (SXB), Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (EAP, shared with Switzerland and Germany). These airports host numerous direct European flights (EasyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, Volotea, Transavia) and let travellers bypass Paris if targeting a specific region.
From the UK, Eurostar links London-St Pancras to Paris-Nord in 2h16, Lille in 1h22 and Disneyland Paris directly in season. From North America, direct flights to CDG take 7-8 hours (East Coast) to 10-11 hours (West Coast); Air France, Delta, United, American, Air Canada and British Airways via London are the main carriers. From Asia, allow 11-13 hours direct.
The train is a strong alternative within Europe. Eurostar from London and Brussels, Thalys from Amsterdam and Cologne, TGV Lyria from Geneva and Zurich, TGV INOUI from Barcelona and Milan, OUIGO and new competing operators (Trenitalia France, RENFE-SNCF cooperation) cover the bulk of routes. All trains arrive at city centres — no airport transfer.
Once in France, the TGV is the backbone of internal transport. Paris-Lyon in 1h57, Paris-Marseille in 3h10, Paris-Bordeaux in 2h04, Paris-Rennes in 1h25, Paris-Strasbourg in 1h46. Buy tickets on sncf-connect.com (up to four months ahead for the best fares). The TER (regional) and Intercités networks complete the coverage to medium-sized towns. A car remains useful for countryside exploration (Provence, vineyards, Brittany, Basque Country), but motorways are tolled (€15-25 per 500 km) and city traffic is heavy. BlaBlaCar carpooling and FlixBus/BlaBlaBus long-distance buses are cheaper alternatives for younger travellers or tight budgets.
Read also
- Île-de-France: Paris and its royal setting — The world's capital of cultural tourism, the Palace of Versailles and weekend escapes in the Chevreuse Valley.
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur — Lavender, calanques, the Riviera: Nice, Marseille, Avignon, Saint-Tropez and the hilltop villages.
- Paris, the City of Light — Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Montmartre — the French art of living in the world's capital of style.
- Mont-Saint-Michel, wonder of the West — The thousand-year-old abbey between sky and sea, one of France's most-visited sites.
- Bordeaux, the Aquitaine pearl — The UNESCO-listed Port of the Moon, world capital of wine and gateway to the Basque Country.