Certainly not at the Charles de Gaulle airport. Consistently one of the most complained about airports in the world, there is now a small glimmer of hope for its future. A project is underway to create the CDG Express, a train that will whisk you away from the airport and to Paris’s Gare de l’Est (pretty central) in about 20 minutes.

The catch? We’ll be waiting until 2027 — if we’re lucky.

In the meantime, what’s the best way to get into Paris? Opinions are split. For those with extra cash to burn, it’s a private car service or taxi. For the rest of us, well, we have other options.

Below are the best affordable options for getting to and from central Paris from Charles de Gaulle. We’re writing this with a typical traveler in mind, someone who’s carrying a standard piece of check-in luggage and a small backpack or bag, and who has an average tolerance for discomfort. Ready to hit the town? Here are your options:

Related: How not to blow your budget on a taxi from the airport

Riding the RER B to central Paris offers a no-frills welcome to the city. Photo: EuroCheapo

Option 1: RER B to Gare du Nord

Financially, the RER B train to Gare du Nord is your most economical option. At €11.40, it’s relatively quick and efficient if there are no strikes.

But the train is, well, unsavory at best. While I’ve never had any problems per se, the last trip to the airport was animated by two lovely men smoking some seriously stinky blunts and blasting angry rap music on their iPhones. Pickpockets and scam artists, mixed with crowded peak hour commutes and hauling your luggage up and down, make it one of the least welcoming entrances into Paris.

I take it, but I hate it.

Verdict: Thumbs down.

Option 2: Roissybus to Opera

For a bit more money (€13.70) the Roissybus will take you every 15-30 minutes between CDG and the Opera Metro station. You’ll have to worry about traffic and potentially crowds, but at least you’ll be avoiding lugging your bags around the transportation system. However, it can be stressful if you’re stuck in traffic.

Verdict: Thumbs down.

Option 3: Public Night Bus

For those who take weirdly early flights because they’re cheap, getting to Charles de Gaulle can be a headache. The Metro only starts around 5:30 am, so there’s little hope of making a 7 am flight.

You can take the night bus, called the Noctilien, from the Gare de l’Est station, which runs while the Metro is closed. Buses 140 and 143 leave for CDG about every 30 minutes or so, but battling the night crowds can be, well, a nightmare.

Verdict: Thumbs down.

All aboard the SuperShuttle! Photo: kennejima

Option 4: SuperShuttle

Sometimes you’ll be tempted to take a taxi for about €50-70, but that’s far from the budget route. If you don’t mind getting to the airport a bit early and getting to know your fellow passengers, opt for the SuperShuttle. The door-to-terminal shared van service costs €20-40, depending on the time of day, but it’s probably the most affordable option for a semi-private airport service.

Verdict: Thumbs up.

How do you get into Paris?

Which of these options do you use to get into Paris? Do you have a favorite — or an addition to our list? Share your budget-friendly tips for getting in from Charles de Gaulle in the comments below!

The post How do you get from Charles de Gaulle to Paris without spending too much? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Why? Because the RER (regional train) and Paris Metro ticket machines only accept “EC” credit cards that are security-chip enabled. American credit cards are not equipped with this technology and, for the most part, don’t work.

Getting into Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport… with an American credit card

I think that the easiest (and most economical) way into Paris from Charles de Gaulle is the city’s regional train, the RER. The train departs several times an hour from train stations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at CDG. The trip takes between 25-35 minutes to central Paris, depending on whether it’s running express or making local stops along the way.

RER tickets cost €8.20 per person, each way. Dozens of ticket machines are located in the airport terminals, making it (hypothetically) easy to grab a ticket and hop onto a train. However, the machines only accept EC credit cards. When we’ve tried to purchase a ticket with an American-issued card, the screen simply states “Card not valid.”

Machines also take euro notes and coins, but if you’ve just arrived in Europe, you may not be arriving with any euro currency. Of course, you could first swing by an airport ATM, although lines can be long and ATMs often dispense bills in high denominations, not exactly handy for an 8 euro ticket.

The solution?

One solution is to buy your ticket from the ticket counter. I have resorted to this in the past—which is never fun, as it usually involves waiting in a long line. However, the ticket agents do accept American credit cards. Many American tourists, faced with this solution, get in line.

I finally got my ticket.

During my trip to Paris this month, I went through all the motions: I tried my MasterCard on two machines and was rejected by both. I then turned and gazed at the line snaking out from the ticket office. I was certain to spend the first 45 minutes of my time in Paris waiting to pay for a regional train ticket. Sad.

But then I noticed several peppy, smiling customer service personnel drifting about the floor, between the machines, asking bemused tourists if they needed help.

Just for kicks, I approached a young woman and explained my dilemma. “The machine won’t take my credit card.”

“You’re trying to use an American card, right?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“This might not work, but there’s one machine over here that sometimes takes American cards,” she said, and led me past several clusters of ticket machines to one particular, inconspicuous machine, which appeared to me to be just like the others.

And sure enough, it worked. For some reason, that one machine accepted my MasterCard and saved me from the RER ticket line of tears.

Good luck with those Metro tickets!

Metro tickets… Rejection, part deux

Over the past several years, Paris has closed down Metro ticket booths in many stations and replaced them with automated vending machines. (In many cases, the ticket booths have been replaced with information booths. But they won’t sell you tickets.)

The ticket machines are pretty easy to use, unless—you guessed it!—you’re trying to use an American credit card. In short: They’re not accepted.

The solution: Pay in cash (some machines only accept coins, while others accept bills) or go to one of the Metro stations that still actually has a ticket counter (these can be found in the most-popular stations in central Paris).

What do you think?

Have you had any issues with using an American (or any other) credit card in Paris or other French cities like Marseille or Lyon? Have you been able to use your card? Do you have another creative solution? Tell us about it!

The post Paris Transit: Buying RER and Metro tickets with an American credit card appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.