Getting to France Cheaply: Airports, Trains and the Ryanair Maths
A €40 flight into Beauvais is not a €40 flight into Paris, and once the coach is counted the train from London often wins.
Budget Routes Editorial
August 15, 2026 · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Reaching France cheaply is mostly an exercise in counting the whole journey rather than the fare.
- Budget airlines fly to airports that are nowhere near the cities they are named after, and once the coach is added the arithmetic often reverses.
- Beauvais is 85 km from Paris.
- The most common budget mistake for a non-Paris trip is flying to Paris and then taking a TGV.
- Beauvais: 75–90 min coach — €17 each way.
Reaching France cheaply is mostly an exercise in counting the whole journey rather than the fare. Budget airlines fly to airports that are nowhere near the cities they are named after, and once the coach is added the arithmetic often reverses.
The Paris airports, with transfers
| Airport | To centre | Transfer cost |
|---|---|---|
| Charles de Gaulle | 35 min RER | €11.80 |
| Orly | ~30 min (M14/Orlybus) | €10–11.50 |
| Beauvais | 75–90 min coach | €17 each way |
Beauvais is 85 km from Paris. A €25 fare into Beauvais is a €59 journey once the return coach is counted, plus roughly three hours of transfer time. It is also tied to flight schedules, so a delay can leave you waiting.
Compare that honestly against a €55 fare into CDG before deciding which is cheap.
Taxi note: the CDG and Orly flat fares are regulated — about €56 and €65 from CDG to the Right and Left Bank, and €36 and €44 from Orly. Fixed regardless of traffic, which makes a taxi predictable rather than risky when you have luggage.
From the UK: the Eurostar arithmetic
| Eurostar | Budget flight | |
|---|---|---|
| Fare | £45–80 booked ahead | £25–45 |
| Transfers | None — centre to centre | £20–35 both ends |
| Time | 2h20 plus 45 min check-in | 1h15 plus 3h of airports |
| Bag | Included, generous | £25–50 extra |
Booked three to eight weeks ahead, the Eurostar usually wins on total cost and reliably wins on total time. The flight only makes sense on a very cheap fare with hand luggage only.
Fly to where you are actually going
The most common budget mistake for a non-Paris trip is flying to Paris and then taking a TGV.
France has genuine regional airports at Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Nantes, all with real city connections. Flying into the one nearest your destination almost always beats Paris plus a train — a TGV to Marseille costs €40–90 booked ahead and takes over three hours, and you have to cross Paris between stations to get it.
For Provence, fly Marseille or Nice. For the southwest, Bordeaux or Toulouse. For the Alps, Lyon or Geneva.
Trains inside France
TGV — book three to eight weeks ahead for Prem's fares, which can be a third of the walk-up price. Fares rise steadily as the date approaches.
Ouigo — the low-cost TGV. Genuinely cheap, and it departs from peripheral stations such as Marne-la-Vallée rather than Gare de Lyon, which costs you 45 minutes and an RER fare. Factor that in.
TER regional trains — flat fare, no reservation needed, buy on the day. Fine for short and medium hops and often overlooked.
Intercity buses — FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus cover the country at a fraction of TGV prices, slowly.
BlaBlaCar ridesharing is genuinely mainstream in France and frequently the cheapest way between cities, at roughly half a discounted train fare.
Timing
Late April to mid-June and September to mid-October: good weather, everything open, prices below peak. July and August are the expensive months, and in mid-August much of France goes on holiday itself, which closes shops and restaurants in cities while filling the coast.
Winter city breaks are genuinely cheap outside the Christmas markets period, and Paris in February costs a fraction of Paris in June.
Frequently asked questions
Is Beauvais a Paris airport?
Not in any practical sense. It sits about 85 kilometres north of the city and the dedicated coach to Porte Maillot takes 75 to 90 minutes at around 17 euros each way. Any fare into Beauvais needs roughly 34 euros and three hours of transfer added before comparing it with a flight into Charles de Gaulle or Orly.
Is the Eurostar cheaper than flying from London to Paris?
Once transfers are counted, frequently yes. A booked-ahead Eurostar fare of 45 to 80 pounds runs city centre to city centre in 2h20, while a 30 pound flight adds airport transfers at both ends, bag fees and airport time, typically totalling three to four hours and 60 to 90 pounds. The train usually wins on both cost and time.
Which French regional airports are useful?
Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Nantes all have genuine city connections and are worth flying into directly if your trip is not Paris-focused. Flying into a regional airport near your actual destination almost always beats flying to Paris and taking a TGV, once the train fare and the crossing of Paris are counted.
How far ahead should I book French trains?
Three to eight weeks for TGV routes, where advance Prem's fares can be a third of the walk-up price. Regional TER trains are flat-fare and do not need booking. The Ouigo low-cost TGV service is cheaper still but departs from peripheral stations such as Marne-la-Vallée rather than central Paris, which is a real cost in time.
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