Charles de Gaulle is one of the easiest places to catch an airplane from; Gare de l’est is one of the destinations you might be heading to from the airport. It’s one of the city’s landmark rail hubs and is located in the heart of Paris – just 26 kilometres from the airport – and makes it easy to get here from any means of transport out there. This is the easiest possible Paris airport transfer, whether you are traveling on to Strasbourg, Luxembourg or continue your journey eastwards, the 10th arrondissement of Paris is where you will find it.
As in most places, there are three options: private taxi service or an arranged taxi transfer, RER train with a short walk at the end, or the direct bus service that actually provides a direct service to the destination, without switching buses. This is unlike some of the more distant suburbs where a bit of creative routing is necessary, each route is fairly clean, and the choice is more about what you would like to see when you arrive on the day. We’ll cover each of these with actual costs and actual times below, and then provide a comparison table so you can make a quick decision without standing at the terminal and pondering. If Gare de l’Est is also a station through which trains depart for onward travel to eastern France, Luxembourg and parts of Germany, then there’s lots of people coming and going here, and the knowledge of what it takes to get from one station to the other to another station is even more handy.
Option 1: Taxi or Private Transfer
A taxi or private hire car is a very convenient option for this relatively short journey by Paris standards, and is indeed the quickest way of travelling door-to-door. It takes about 30 to 35 minutes to drive it on a normal day; the usual traffic snags are likely to apply during rush hour, when it can take an additional 15 to 20 minutes to reach the city via the A1.
Benefits of Private Transfers
The obvious attraction is there’s nothing to consider when it comes to getting in a car. No carrying bags onto a full commuter bus after landing, no checking which platform a suburban train leaves from, no walking between two stations after landing. A driver will leave you at the arrivals with your bags, and take you to Gare de l’Est or to your accommodation if it’s close by, without transferring. It has more importance when departing on a train and leaving it early, than when taking a holiday.
It’s also just better on the back of a really long flight. Public transport is fine here, but a lack of sleep is no excuse for not carrying your own bags through a station. A private car does just that, and most operators will monitor your flight so your pick-up time will change automatically if your plane is late or early. It’s more important than people realise when you’ve been travelling for 10 or 12 hours and you’re not looking for a departure board and want to work this one out.
Estimated Taxi & Private Car Costs
With Gare de l’Est located within the Paris city limits, one of the few routes where the official flat-rate taxi fares to and from the airport are true. Whether traffic is heavy or not, CDG Standard metered taxis cost about €53 to destinations on the Right Bank (10th arrondissement and Gare de l’Est). The consistent service is a breath of fresh air from the routes further away from the city where meter rates can spike.
Private transfers usually offer a comparable price of around €50 to €65 per person (depending on the vehicle and operator) and are slightly higher for groups in larger vehicles. Here, the primary benefit of making an advance booking isn’t so much price, as it is convenience, having a taxi driver with your name on a sign when you arrive, rather than being placed at the front of whatever line there is at the taxi rank.
Booking Your Private Transfer
If you prefer to let someone else do the job for you, you can book your ride with an operator such as T2 Transfer, which will be beneficial since you don’t have to bother about it before you leave for your flight. They know this route well, and are aware of which points into town are emptiest at specific times of the day, and they have free child/booster seats available and luggage allowance included in the ticket, so there’s no need to haggle when you arrive at the terminal. English-speaking drivers also come in handy if you are travelling on to a train and want clear instructions and directions without having to go through a language barrier first.
When you book, it will take a couple minutes: You enter the information on where you are going, what flight you enter and you get a confirmation e-mail. Make cash payment on the day or pay online in advance. Also, if the driver has your flight details, delays are automatically tracked, so you don’t have to worry when you land late and no one else is coming. This journey being so short, it is as easy as airport transport.
Reservation Form – Book Taxi with T2 Transfer
Option 2: Train
The RER B line is the usual mode of transport for the majority of people who do not have a car, and there is a reason for this: it is the best one. It is fast, it runs all day and it bypasses all the road traffic which is quite significant on a route which partly follows some rather busy motorways.
Pros & Con
There is no direct train that will get you to Gare de l’Est, however, the solution is as painless as they come. The two stations are just a few hundred metres apart and located in the same neighbourhood, and the walk between them is very simple – mostly flat and easy to follow, even if you’ve never been to Paris before – taking the RER B from CDG to Gare du Nord and then a five to ten-minute walk from Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est. The good news is that there’s no hassle with traffic, trains run every hour and it’s a short flat stroll to the end of the ride. The disadvantages are the same as with any train ride with suitcases: it can become crowded on the RER B during rush hour, especially on the early evening train when commuters are returning home from their work.
For future reference: a new CDG Express service will start in spring 2027, which will provide a direct 20-minute service between the airport and Gare de l’Est without a transfer at either end. Not yet, but it would be even easier than this one if you are on the road for the future and want to take it.
Train Tickets & Booking
RER B tickets for the train from CDG to Gare du Nord cost an average of €10-14 for an adult, and can be bought from the ticket booth at the CDG terminals before getting on or via Ile-de-France Mobilités’ app in advance. There is no need to reserve a ticket and no second ticket needed for a short walk across to Gare de l’Est, so ticketing is as simple as it gets on this trip.
Usually they ride at a reduced rate or free, according to age, and be sure to check the current rates when you get on the bus—the rates may change from time to time at the machine.
Train Travel Time & Frequency
The RER B trains from CDG are approximately hourly and the wait between them is not a problem as long as it’s around 10-15 minutes between trains until just before midnight. The journey from outside to Gare du Nord is approximately 30-35 minutes, and the walk to Gare de l’Est is a mere hop, skipping and a jump, so as a result it is likely to be the quickest public transport option on this route.
Option 3: Bus
This is a place where a straight bus runs from A to B (as opposed to some of the more complicated cross-Paris journeys, where you have to switch buses after you get off the first one or travel by two different ones), no transfers, and no having to piece together two different bus lines. Not as fast as the train but easy and inexpensive.
Bus Routes & Stops
The bus departs directly from CDG to Gare de l’Est with a stop at Gare du Nord. It leaves from the bus station above the RER Terminal 1/3 station and also stops at Terminal 2, so if you get off at any of the stations there’s always a stop close by. Well done for a proper single-seat trip from the airport to your destination, which isn’t true of a number of the routes in this series.
Bus Fares & Schedules
This is by far the lowest cost option: tickets are purchased from the driver or from a vending machine located near the stop, and cost about €2.10. The 350 runs take place 15 to 30 minutes each, depending on the time of day, from approximately 6:05am until 10:30pm. The train journey takes about 30 minutes, but the bus one takes 60-90 minutes — it’s much longer, although it’s not that different from the train in terms of distance. The N140 and N143 Noctilien night buses are available for last minute arrivals outside those times and run directly to Gare de l’Est, a convenient alternative if RER service ends at night.
Comparison Table: Cost, Time, Convenience
| Mode | Travel Time | Cost | Convenience | Best For |
| Private Transfer / Taxi | 30 – 35 minutes (up to 50+ in traffic) | €50 – €65 (flat rate ~€53 by metered taxi) | Highest — door-to-door, no transfers | Families, tired flyers, heavy luggage |
| RER B + Short Walk | 35 – 45 minutes | €10 – €14 | Moderate — no change, short walk at the end | Solo travellers, budget-conscious visitors |
| Bus (RATP 350) | 60 – 90 minutes | ~€2.10 | Moderate — direct route, but slower and busier | Budget travellers not in a hurry |
These three match up and it is pretty clear this is a track where each option is going to be fairly effective; it is more a question of priorities as opposed to a weak link. The private transfer or a taxi, which is priced by the flat rate, takes about half an hour and is very convenient, if speed and comfort are the top priority or if you have to catch an onward train on time.
The RER B is indeed the most intelligent option if you are able to take your own bag a short distance, quicker than the bus, cheaper than the taxi and running so often that you are never left long waiting in time. The bus is a viable option primarily for budget-conscious travelers who do not need to travel quickly, as the ticket cost is €2.10 and although the journey takes twice the amount of time as the train, the price is still very competitive. This is not an error question, just a time/cost tradeoff versus how much you want to think about after a long flight.
Conclusion
Charles de Gaulle to Gare de l’est is as simple as getting from Paris airport as you can get it, regardless of which one you use you will have little hassle. For the fastest and most comfortable ride (and a slightly higher price) a private transfer or flat-rate taxi will do the job in about 30 minutes. If you’re okay carrying your own bags for a short stroll, the RER B isn’t to be overlooked in terms of speed and cost effectiveness. But if it’s the money that’s important, not the time, then there is the direct 350 bus, which will take you there, though longer.
If you’d prefer to let an operator such as T2 Transfer make all of your decisions for you, you will find this small journey to be the easiest on your travel day, with an agent waiting at your arrivals who will whisk you off to Gare de l’Est. Whatever means you use to get there, you’ll soon be arriving in central Paris.
Editorial Staff at T2 Transfer is a team of experts who have vast knowledge on Paris transportation.