Beauvais–Tillé airport (BVA) is the classic budget trap: the flight is cheap, and the transfer is the part people underestimate. It sits roughly 85 km north of Paris in the Oise department, and getting from Beauvais airport to Paris city center takes close to an hour and a half even on a good day — a fact that quietly sabotages many a budget morning.
This guide compares every real option — the official airport shuttle coach, the cheaper bus-plus-TER train route, taxis, ride-hailing, and rental cars — with realistic times, honest cost ranges, and the scheduling traps that catch first-timers. You will know which option fits your flight time, your luggage, and your patience before you land.
The short version: most people should take the official shuttle to Porte Maillot. Read on for why, and for the situations where the train or a taxi genuinely wins.
Key takeaways
- The official airport shuttle coach to Porte Maillot is the best default: roughly 75–90 minutes, about €16–18 booked online, with luggage stored in the hold.
- BVA is about 85 km north of Paris in the Oise — budget at least an hour and a half, not the 40 minutes a glance at a map suggests.
- Coaches leave about 20–25 minutes after each flight arrival and wait for delays; dawdle and you wait for the next one.
- The train route (city bus plus TER to Gare du Nord) is cheaper but adds a station transfer, and the last TER leaves Beauvais around 21:30 — never for late arrivals.
- A taxi costs several times more than the shuttle; it only makes sense for groups splitting the fare or genuinely late flights.
- Buy shuttle tickets online before you travel — the on-site price at the airport is higher than the online fare.
Beauvais airport to Paris at a glance: which transfer fits you?
Five ways exist to cover the roughly 85 km between BVA and central Paris, and they differ far more in cost and convenience than in raw speed. Start with the honest comparison table.
| Option | Door-to-door time | Approx. cost, one way | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official shuttle coach (Aerobus to Porte Maillot) | 75–90 min | Roughly €16–18 online, more at the counter | Most travelers, first-timers, big suitcases | Leaves 20–25 min after your flight lands — miss it and you wait |
| City bus + TER train | About 2 hours, more with waits | Roughly €10–15 all-in | Budget travelers with flexible plans | Two changes and a 15-min bus hop to the station; the last train leaves Beauvais around 21:30 |
| Taxi | 60–75 min | Roughly €150–190 flat fee | Groups of 3–4 splitting the fare, heavy loads | Confirm the flat fee before you get in |
| Ride-hailing app | 60–75 min | Variable, usually in the taxi ballpark | No-cash travelers | Pickup area gets busy when a planeload lands at once |
| Rental car | 70–90 min driving | Car hire + fuel + Paris parking | Road-trippers heading beyond Paris | Driving into central Paris is slow; parking is expensive |
Reality check: "Paris" in the airport's name is marketing. BVA is in the Oise, about 85 km north of the city — the quickest real transfer takes over an hour, so plan every connection as if you are coming from another city.
The official airport shuttle: BVA to Porte Maillot by coach
The official airport shuttle — branded Aerobus and run with the airport itself — is the default choice for good reason: it is the only direct, non-stop link between the terminal and Paris, and its schedule is built around flight arrivals rather than the other way round.
How the shuttle actually works
- Non-stop to Porte Maillot. Coaches drop you at the Pershing coach park, 22–24 boulevard Pershing, a short walk from metro line 1 and RER C — convenient for the Right Bank, Champs-Élysées, and most of central Paris.
- Timed to your flight. Coaches leave the airport about 20–25 minutes after each flight lands and hold for late arrivals, so you are never chasing a fixed timetable after a delayed landing.
- Luggage rides in the hold. Unlike the metro, the coach takes proper suitcases, strollers, and oversize bags without drama.
Shuttle logistics at a glance
| Direction | Departures | Duration | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport → Porte Maillot | Roughly every 15–30 min, starting about 20–25 min after each landing, through to the last flights of the day | 75–90 min | ~€16–18 online, slightly more at machines and counters |
| Porte Maillot → airport | Every 15–30 min from early morning to early evening | 75–90 min | A return ticket works out cheaper than two one-ways |
Buying online is cheaper than buying on site, and your ticket arrives as a QR code you show at boarding — no paper needed. The driver does not sell tickets, so sort yours before you queue. Full schedules and fares live on the official shuttle page.
Pro tip: Buy a return when you arrive. You will almost certainly fly home from BVA too, and the round-trip fare undercuts buying two one-way tickets on the day.
By train: city bus to Beauvais station, then TER to Paris
If the shuttle is the comfortable default, the train is the money-saver. There is no rail station at the terminal, so the route works in two hops: a short city-bus ride to Beauvais station, then a TER regional train into Paris Gare du Nord.
- Catch the local bus to Beauvais station. The Corolis line 6 city bus runs between the terminal and the station — roughly 15 minutes and a couple of euros. A dedicated airport shuttle also serves the station and town center.
- Buy a TER ticket. Grab it on the SNCF Connect app or at the station machines; regional fares are modest and can drop further if booked ahead.
- Ride the TER to Paris Gare du Nord. The direct train takes around 1 hour 15 minutes and runs roughly every hour through the day.
- Connect from Gare du Nord. Metro lines 4 and 5, RER B, and several buses sit right outside — most central addresses are then 10–25 minutes away.
Count on about two hours door-to-door even when connections line up. That is the price of the savings, so this option belongs to travelers already comfortable carrying luggage through one extra change.
- Cheapest all-in. The combined bus-plus-train usually lands around €10–15 per person.
- A greener choice. Trains beat coaches on emissions if that matters to you.
- Not for late arrivals. The last TER from Beauvais departs around 21:30–22:00 — a late budget flight will see you stranded for the night.
Check live timetables and fares on SNCF Connect the week of your trip.
Watch out: The train route saves money, not stress. If your flight lands after early evening, or you are travelling with a full-size suitcase and a small child, take the shuttle and spend the difference on a good dinner.
Taxi and ride-hailing from Beauvais airport: pricey but private
Taxis are the fastest practical option, the most flexible, and by a wide margin the most expensive. A licensed cab covers the run in roughly 60–75 minutes on a clear road, but the fare dwarfs every other choice on this list.
What a taxi from BVA actually costs
Paris taxis use a published flat-fee system for airport runs, and the Beauvais run falls outside the standard CDG and Orly rates. In practice, expect somewhere in the range of €150–190 to central Paris, with the exact figure depending on which side of the Seine your hotel sits and whether it is a holiday or the middle of the night — confirm the rate before the journey starts, and always take the official rank or a pre-booked car rather than a tout.
Ride-hailing as the alternative
- Price can flex below the flat fee. App-based cars occasionally undercut taxis, but surge pricing on a stormy night can swing just as far the other way.
- Pickup is the catch. When a full flight empties at once, the ride-hailing area gets congested — match with your driver and agree on the exact meeting spot.
- Pay by card. Cards are the norm in the app; keep a little cash for tolls either way.
Who should pay for the privilege? Groups of three or four splitting the fare, anyone arriving after the last coach and train, and travelers with so much luggage that a bus queue sounds like a bad joke.
Money-saving tip: Four people sharing a taxi at roughly €40 each beats four shuttle tickets plus metro fares — and gets everyone door-to-door. Check your group size before dismissing the taxi as a luxury.
Rental car from Beauvais airport: only if you are going further
Car-rental desks sit in the terminal at BVA, and for a narrow slice of travelers a hire car is genuinely the smart move — just not for the standard Paris city break.
- Only rent if you are leaving Paris behind. BVA's position northwest of the city is handy for Normandy, the Somme battlefields, and the Loire; heading straight into Paris with a hire car means the périphérique ring road, congestion charging rules, and hotel parking that can run past €30 a night.
- One-way hires change the math. If you fly into BVA and out of CDG or Orly, a one-way rental saves a long journey back to a distant airport — always quote the drop-off when you compare prices.
- Low-emission zones apply. Parts of central Paris restrict older vehicles; check your car's sticker before driving in, or skip the car entirely.
- Budget the parking, not just the hire. A week of central parking can cost more than the rental itself; filter hotels with included parking.
The rule of thumb: if your first night's address is in Paris, take the shuttle. If your first night's address is a gîte in Normandy, take the keys.
Shuttle, bus, or taxi: which Beauvais transfer is best for you?
Every transfer makes sense for someone. Match your situation to the right choice here.
| If you are… | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A solo budget traveler, no deadline | City bus + TER train | Cheapest all-in at roughly €10–15; you have time to burn |
| A first-time visitor with one big suitcase | Official shuttle | One booking, luggage in the hold, direct to Porte Maillot |
| A couple with hand luggage only | Official shuttle | Simple, predictable, and metro line 1 from Porte Maillot covers the Right Bank |
| A group of 3–4 | Taxi | Splitting the flat fee often beats four shuttle tickets |
| A family with kids and mountains of bags | Taxi or pre-booked shuttle | Nothing beats door-to-door with small children |
| Landing after about 21:30 | Taxi or ride-hailing | The last train and the coach frequency both thin out late |
| Road-tripping to Normandy or the Loire | Rental car | BVA's position suits a northwest route perfectly |
The tie-breaker: If you cannot decide in ten seconds, take the official shuttle. It is the option that is simultaneously the most forgiving of delays, the most luggage-friendly, and cheap enough to feel like a fair trade.
Scheduling your transfer: buffer time and late flights
BVA runs on budget-airline rhythm: bursts of early-morning departures and late-evening arrivals. That rhythm decides which transfer you can use as much as your budget does.
The "one coach per flight" reality
The official shuttle does not run on a city-bus clock — coaches are dispatched shortly after each flight lands, roughly every 15–30 minutes through the day, and they wait when your aircraft is late. That is a gift on a delayed inbound, and a trap the other way: if you are the slow walker who stops for a sandwich before finding the coach, the one that should be there for your flight has already left, and you wait for the next dispatch.
Timing your outbound trip
- Leave Paris 3 hours before departure. Shuttles from Porte Maillot are scheduled around your flight time, so aim for one roughly three hours before wheels-up; some airlines want a little more.
- Arrive at the terminal 2 hours before a short-haul flight. Security at a busy bank of departures moves slowly, and a missed 06:00 flight costs far more than any transfer saving.
- Never book a tight onward connection. A 90-minute shuttle followed by a 90-minute pad is the minimum buffer most travelers wish they had used.
If your flight is delayed: the shuttle waits — the train does not, and a taxi costs the same at midnight as at noon. On a late inbound, let the coach absorb the delay rather than gambling on rail connections.
Luggage, tickets, and last-minute prep
A little preparation turns a stressful transfer into an ordinary commute. Run this checklist before you fly.
- Buy shuttle tickets online first. The online fare undercuts the on-site price, and you skip the machine queue with a QR code already on your phone.
- Pack for the coach. The shuttle has a proper hold and a step up into a coach — fine for anything, but keep a small bag with passport, phone, and chargers for the ride itself.
- Keep cash minimal. Cards work for shuttle machines, trains, and taxis; a €20 note covers the unexpected.
- Save your tickets offline. Tuck your shuttle booking, TER tickets, boarding passes, and hotel address into one offline trip file in AnchorTrip before you land — nothing kills a transfer like hunting for a QR code with no signal in an arrival hall.
Finally, treat every price in this guide as a range, not a promise: fares and schedules shift with the season, so glance at the official shuttle and train pages the week of your trip to confirm before you go.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Beauvais airport from Paris, really?
About 85 km north of the city, in the Oise department rather than in Paris itself. The official shuttle takes roughly 75–90 minutes to Porte Maillot, and the train route runs closer to two hours door-to-door.
Is the official Beauvais airport shuttle the best option?
For most people, yes. It is non-stop to Porte Maillot, luggage-friendly, timed to flight arrivals, and roughly €16–18 online. The train route only wins if you are on a tight budget and have time to spare.
How much does a taxi from Beauvais airport to Paris cost?
Expect roughly €150–190 to central Paris as a flat fee, with the exact figure depending on which side of the Seine your hotel is on and the time of day. Confirm the rate with the driver before you set off.
Can I take a train from Beauvais airport to Paris?
Not directly. Take the Corolis line 6 city bus from the terminal to Beauvais station (about 15 minutes), then a TER regional train to Paris Gare du Nord, which takes around 1 hour 15 minutes.
Where does the Beauvais airport shuttle drop you in Paris?
At Porte Maillot, at the Pershing coach park by the Palais des Congrès, close to metro line 1 and RER C. From there the Right Bank and most of central Paris are 10–25 minutes away by metro.
How early should I leave for a flight from Beauvais airport?
Shuttles from Porte Maillot are scheduled roughly three hours before departure, and arriving at the terminal two hours early is the safe habit for short-haul budget flights. Check the exact timing for your airline before you travel.
Which airlines fly from Beauvais airport?
Mostly low-cost carriers — Ryanair and Wizz Air are the two biggest at BVA, though the exact route map shifts seasonally. That is why most passengers arrive by the official shuttle from Paris: the airport's whole schedule runs on budget-airline departures and arrivals.