Charles de Gaulle is located on one end of Paris while Issy-les-Moulineaux is on the other along the Seine just south-west of the Eiffel Tower and behind Porte de Versailles. It’s not a name the majority of travellers will identify on the spot, but it is a very popular spot for business trips thanks to the tech and media firms that have settled there and for people that are looking for a hotel that is a little further out of the way from downtown Paris but is still within easy reach of all of the attractions.
Not prodigious distances, some 35-40 kilometres, but the path goes across or around the whole of the city and this alters the calculation from that of a suburb just outside the ring road. There are three ways to get here – by taxi or the RER train system (with one transfer), or by airport bus and public transport for the last leg of the journey. These are all easy to do once you know what you’re doing, so let’s run through each one in all good faith with honest time and cost.
Option 1: Taxi or Private Transfer
If you’re not in the mood to consider connections after a long flight then a private transfer is the easiest alternative for covering the distance. It covers about 35 to 40 kilometres, usually along the A1 and the Paris ring road, and usually takes between 40 and 50 minutes. Throughout the day the traffic around the périphérique is not always reliable, but perhaps it is safe to set an hour, and more than an hour on the evenings rush.
Benefits of Private Transfers
The main draw isn’t really the speed on paper, it’s what you avoid dealing with. No change of trains at Saint-Michel or Denfert-Rochereau with suitcases. No standing on an unfamiliar RER platform trying to figure out which branch of the RER stops where you need it. No carrying a bag on the last few steps from a station which presses into your shoulder. A driver will be waiting, getting your bags and taking you directly to your hotel or office in Issy, without you having to consider any transfers.
It’s also just a bit easier to predict. The trains operate independently of the time of landing and delays are a regular occurrence to the point that they are hardly noticed by Parisians anymore. A private transfer, on the other hand, is one where the transfer is scheduled based on your travel time to and from the airport. One thing less to worry about after a long flight thanks to decent operators that are able to track your flight number and adjust the pickup accordingly.
Estimated Taxi & Private Car Costs
The typical fare for a metered taxi from the CDG rank to Issy-les-Moulineaux is between €70 and €100, depending on congestion, time of day, and night or holiday rates. To be noted: fixed flat-rate fares that you may have heard of for CDG taxis are valid within Paris and Issy is on the outskirts of the city, so most of the time the fare will be calculated by the meter. Private transfers are typically slightly more expensive and usually booked in advance, with a typical car usually costing you €65-eu85 and larger vehicles for groups costing a bit more.
At first sight, it might appear that the fixed pricing isn’t worth much. Once the traffic slows down on the ring road, a metered fare increases—and delays are not rare here. With a transfer arranged ahead of time, the number you agreed to at booking is exactly what you’ll pay, whatever the périphérique looks like that afternoon.
Booking Your Private Transfer
It may be better to book a taxi service through a dedicated taxi booking service, like T2 Transfer, than to simply grab the first one in line. They know the different streets around Paris that they need to use to get to and from their work on different days of the year depending on the traffic, and that is important on a cross city journey than on a short suburban ride. Child and booster seats, luggage allowance and free of charge – all come with the vehicle on request, no hidden charges at drop-off and English speaking drivers make the whole process easier if you don’t feel confident with your French navigation skills immediately after landing.
Booking itself is easy. You provide pickup and destination information, receive an e-mail confirmation of your flight, and pay on the spot or online ahead of time. Your flight will be automatically tracked so if you land late, you don’t have to worry about your car giving up and leaving! It’s the simplest to make the trip from CDG to Issy for anyone who arrives with luggage and little sleep or just doesn’t trust their luck.
Reservation Form – Book Taxi with T2 Transfer
Option 2: Train
The train makes this journey quite easily and there are more than enough regular travellers on it who don’t think twice before travelling on it. Yes there’s a change partway through, but it’s a manageable one, and the frequency of both lines involved makes up for it.
Pros & Con
The route departs from CDG and makes a change to the RER C at Saint-Michel Notre-Dame or Denfert-Rochereau station, in central Paris, on which train is the direction of Issy or Issy-Val de Seine station. The plus side is that both are key lines of the Paris regional network with regular services and no need to pre-book or miss a service. However, the source of every journey between two stations has its disadvantages and in this case, it is taking your own bags through a station full of trams and RER C, which is somewhat less reliable than the other lines, and does sometimes arrive a minute late, something that Parisians have learned to get used to.
As the town is located along the Seine, and therefore is not compactly grouped around one station, you could also have a short walk from the station itself, depending on your location in the town. It’s only a short walk away, usually about 10 to 15 minutes, unless you have a lot of bags that you want to take with you, and if so, you can always get a taxi from the station.
Train Tickets & Booking
Remember that a ticket for Ile-de-France is valid for both legs of the trip as the mainline stations are all within the larger regional fare zones and not within individual ticket zones. The ticket booth will be located inside the CDG terminals and the ticket price will be approximately €13 to €18 per adult, or you can decide it in advance using the Ile-de-France Mobilités app. It’s as simple as it gets, with no seat reservations needed on either of the RER lines, although please bear in mind that if you’re travelling during a peak time of the day, there may be standing room only.
Prices are typically discounted or free based on the child’s age, and it is best to check the current price on the machine as prices can change from time to time and by region.
Train Travel Time & Frequency
The first leg of the train to Pairs rarely requires a long wait, as RER B trains from CDG generally run every 10 to 15 minutes during most of the day. RER C trains to Issy are slightly less frequent, usually every 10 or 20 minutes, depending on the hour of day, but still reasonably frequent. As a whole, travel time on this route is typically in the range of 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, and it’s considerably quicker than taking the bus along that same route, but slightly slower than driving directly there.
Option 3: Bus
In fact, there is no direct bus service from CDG to Issy-les-Moulineaux and those who opt for this service are actually traveling two legs, not one. Still a viable choice, but not as neat as the train.
Bus Routes & Stops
The first leg is one of the airport shuttle services to central Paris, either the Roissybus service to Opéra or the RATP 350 service to Gare de l’Est, whichever is more convenient for your onward journey. Then it’s the turn to use public transport in Paris (either Metro line 12 towards Mairie d’Issy or T2 tram to follow the river, passing a number of stops near Issy-Val de Seine). It is more self-assembled than the train route, but all the legs are on established and regular services and you are never waiting a long time between legs.
Bus Fares & Schedules
The price of the airport shuttle leg is at about €13 and it is running every 15/20 minutes during most of the day. The onward leg of Metro or tram is available on Paris tickets, and costs about €2-2.50 for one trip, both lines run often enough, normally every 5-10 minutes, so it’s not that big a deal when you reach the heart of Paris. The total journey time (with the change) is typically between 1 hour 30 minutes and 1 hour 45 minutes, while total cost adds up to approximately €15 to €18, which is comparable to the train, but with an additional change and a little more walking.
Comparison Table: Cost, Time, Convenience
| Mode | Travel Time | Cost | Convenience | Best For |
| Private Transfer / Taxi | 40 – 50 minutes (up to 70+ in traffic) | €65 – €100 | Highest — door-to-door, no transfers | Families, tired flyers, heavy luggage |
| Train (RER B + RER C) | 55 minutes – 1h 15m | €13 – €18 | Moderate — one change, frequent trains | Solo travellers, budget-conscious visitors |
| Bus (Airport Bus + Metro/Tram) | 1h 30m – 1h 45m | €15 – €18 | Lower — two legs, more walking | Budget travellers not in a hurry |
When comparing, it’s largely a matter of the value you place on your own time and comfort versus the cost. The private transfer is the obvious choice if getting from point A to B quickly and without hassle is paramount: this journey takes under 40 minutes on a good traffic-free day, and no transfer is needed. The train is in a decent middle ground, it is only slightly slower than driving, not that expensive, and certainly requires only one transfer on decent regional lines.
The total cost of the bus combination is approximately equal to the train, but the time is much longer and there is lots more moving parts, so in the end, it is less of an option for anyone except those who are so tight with their budget that they can afford it or those that like seeing the city go by from street level. The RER offers the best combination of convenience and cost for travellers who land with any amount of bags, and the transfer is the preferred option for those who don’t want to touch a station.
Conclusion
The best way to go from Charles de Gaulle to Issy-les-Moulineaux depends on your mode of transport. For business travelers who are pressed for time, families with many suitcases, and anyone in between, traveling to and from the airport is a smooth and efficient process with a private transfer. The train will be a dependable and inexpensive way to get around and for solo travellers or those who feel at ease in doing one change on the RER, it won’t be much more time consuming than driving.
If the timid-to-travel attitude is not an issue, and you wish to maximize your savings, then the bus and the Metro will also suffice – only on a more patient schedule. However, if you’re not interested in saving a few euros, you don’t have to stress about the cross-city trip when you can make the process as simple and easy as possible by hiring a private transfer service, such as T2 Transfer. It is very easy to arrive in Issy-les-Moulineaux, whatever the means of transport you choose, before you realize it, you’ll be settled in the town with the rest of Paris only back across the river.
Editorial Staff at T2 Transfer is a team of experts who have vast knowledge on Paris transportation.