Taxi wait times at CDG and Orly: how to avoid them

Walking out of the terminal after a long flight to find a line of travellers at the taxi rank is a common sight at both Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly. The wait is not fixed: it depends on how many taxis are available at that moment against how many passengers come out at the same time. When several wide-body aircraft land within minutes of each other, demand suddenly outstrips supply, and the queue grows.

We do not publish a real-time wait, because it changes from one hour to the next and no honest estimate holds for every day. Instead, this page explains what makes the queue vary, when it tends to grow, and the surest way to avoid it: booking a flat-fare taxi that waits for you in the arrivals hall.

How does the taxi rank work at CDG and Orly?

Each terminal has an official taxi rank, signposted at the exit of the arrivals area. Travellers queue there, and taxis are called forward one after another from a holding area set aside for them away from the terminals.

This system guarantees an official taxi and the regulated flat fare to Paris, but it creates a queue whenever arrivals come in faster than taxis can move up to the terminal. At Roissy-CDG, terminals 1, 2 (halls 2A to 2G) and 3 each have their own rank; at Orly, so do terminals Orly 1 to 4. The wait can therefore be very different from one terminal to another at the same moment.

When does the queue get longer?

• In the morning, when overnight long-haul flights arrive in close waves.
• On Sunday evenings and at the end of school holidays, with mass returns.
• On strike days or when the RER B is disrupted, as travellers switch to taxis.
• During the major trade fairs at Paris Nord Villepinte and Le Bourget.
• In the rain, when nobody wants to walk to the train.

These situations sometimes stack up: a Sunday at the end of the holidays with disrupted rail traffic is the worst case. Conversely, in the middle of a weekday, away from arrival peaks, the rank can flow freely. The problem is that you only find out once you are off the plane.

How can you avoid waiting for a taxi at the airport?

Book your taxi before the flight. The driver tracks the actual landing, waits for you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and takes you straight to the car, without going through the queue.

The price remains the regulated flat fare to Paris: booking costs no more than queuing. If the flight is late, flight tracking shifts the pick-up at no extra charge, and time is allowed for baggage claim and customs. For a group or a family, it also guarantees you leave together, in a vehicle suited to the suitcases and child seats.

• Never follow someone offering a taxi in the hall: only rank taxis or booked cars are authorised.
• Give your flight number and terminal when booking.
• Keep your phone on at landing for the driver's message.

All about prices on the Paris taxi prices page. To book directly: Roissy-CDG taxi or Orly taxi.