How to Get from Charles de Gaulle to Beauvais: Every Transfer Option Compared (2026 Guide)
You have just completed customs at CDG Terminal 2E, are holding your luggage, and Google Maps says Beauvais is "an hour away". It's not precisely lying—but it's also not providing you with the full picture.
The distance between Charles de Gaulle and Beauvais is roughly 85 kilometres and includes the northern countryside. By road, the trip takes between 75 and 95 minutes on a clear day; but if you have to cope with the rush hour around the airport exits, the journey can exceed two hours.
The guide is intended for those going to the town itself—for example, if they want to see its Gothic cathedral, attend a business meeting, or visit a friend—and not just for travellers using the low-cost flights available at Beauvais-Tillé Airport a few kilometres outside the town. If you have heavy luggage and short patience, booking a private transfer in advance will avoid the problem of not knowing what to do when driving. Nevertheless, let us look at all the options first.
Quick Answer: The Best Way from Charles de Gaulle to Beauvais
Driving is the fastest option, a private transfer the most comfortable, and the combination of train and bus the cheapest—on the condition that you are willing to take a detour through central Paris and change stations. For most travellers who have luggage, a private transfer charged €€ is a better choice than a taxi that costs €€€ and is also a better option than the trouble of using a € public transport link which can take three times as long.
| Distance | Fastest option | Cheapest option | Most comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~85 km | Private transfer / taxi (A16 direct) | Train + local bus (via Paris Nord) | Private transfer |
Understanding the CDG → Beauvais Routee
Beauvais is almost directly north of Paris, located in the Oise department and therefore well outside the Île-de-France region, which contains CDG. This matters because you are not just passing through the city; you're leaving its influence entirely.
When drivers leave CDG, they usually take the A1 or go around via the Francilienne (N104) before joining the A16, which then proceeds in a fairly straight line to Beauvais. It is this same A16 that goes on to the Somme and the Channel coast, so after you've joined it the road is simple — it's wide, fast and unimpressive. The kind of traffic that troubles people is not on the A16; it's the traffic they encounter when leaving airport premises and passing the roundabouts near Roissy-en-France in the first ten minutes.
There is no direct train; in fact there isn't — anybody who says there is is confusing it with the shuttle service from central Paris to Beauvais-Tillé Airport, which is a completely different arrangement and doesn't begin at CDG. If you want to get to Beauvais by rail from CDG, you'll have to turn back into Paris, typically using the RER B, and then take a mainline train from Gare du Nord. It is possible, but it involves a detour rather than a shortcut.
Your Transfer Options, One by One
On this route, price and comfort are more in conflict than on most routes. Here's what is actually available.
Private Transfer
Verdict: It is the least stressful method for completing a route when there is no good public transport shortcut.
A car that has been booked in advance will be waiting for you at CDG arrivals; the driver will have a name board and will be checking your flight in case it is delayed, and will take you directly from the airport to your destination in Beauvais via the A16, with no need to change trains and no requirement to carry your suitcases up the stairs at Gare du Nord.
- Time: 75–95 minutes in normal traffic, longer at peak periods
- Price level: €€, priced per vehicle rather than per person
- Luggage: as much as the car or van can hold, agreed in advance
Pros: fixed price agreed before you travel, one continuous ride, no connections
Cons: costs more than public transport for a single traveller; needs booking ahead
Taxi
The verdict is that it's all right if you just want to leave and go, but not so good for your money.
Taxis can be obtained at the CDG terminals without having to book them; although they follow the same A16 route as a private transfer, since the journey is so long the fare is not based on a fixed rate as is often the case with shorter trips within Paris – instead it is calculated according to both distance and time, so if you exit slowly from the airport you will be charged more.
- Time: similar to a private transfer, 75–95 minutes typically
- Price level: €€€, and less predictable than a pre-agreed fare
- Luggage: standard boot space unless you request a larger vehicle
Pros: available on demand, no advance planning needed
Cons: fare isn't fixed, price climbs if traffic is bad, vehicle size isn't guaranteed
Train + Local Bus (via Paris Nord)
The verdict is that it is possible and actually quite good for a single traveller with only a light luggage load—though it is not as good when travelling with a family and four suitcases.
To get there, take the RER B (or another connection) to central Paris, change at Gare du Nord for a mainline train bound for Beauvais station, and then complete the journey with a short Corolis city bus or by walking into the city centre, according to where you are staying.
- Time: around 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes including the change
- Price level: €, the cheapest option by a clear margin for one person
- Luggage: manageable with one bag, harder with more — Gare du Nord's platforms involve stairs
Pros: by far the lowest cost per person, frequent departures
Cons: at least one change, roughly double the driving time, awkward with heavy bags
You can check official train schedules and connections on the SNCF timetable page
Bus (FlixBus)
Verdict: worth a look, but don't plan your day around it.
FlixBus links CDG with the Beauvais area a few times each week instead of every day, and usually ends at a stop known as Beauvais Sud rather than in the town centre. It is a reasonable budget option if your flight schedule coincides with one of these services.
- Time: around 90 minutes when the direct service runs, longer with any transfer
- Price level: €, similar to the train for solo budget travellers
- Luggage: hold space available, similar to standard coach rules
Pros: cheap, comfortable seating for a long-ish ride
Cons: limited weekly schedule, drop-off point isn't always central
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Option | Door-to-door time | Price level | Luggage | Transfers needed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 75–95 min | €€ | Flexible, pre-agreed | None | Families, tight connections, heavy bags |
| Taxi | 75–95 min | €€€ | Standard boot | None | Spontaneous departures |
| Train + bus | ~2h15–2h30 | € | Limited with stairs | At least 1 | Solo budget travellers |
| FlixBus | ~90 min (if direct) | € | Coach hold | 0–1 | Budget travellers with flexible plans |
Which of the options is right for you??
For families having young children: the change at Gare du Nord involving stairs and a stroller is something you'll recall for the wrong reasons. You can altogether avoid this by arranging a private transfer with a car seat.
For sole budget travellers: if you're taking one backpack and have some extra time, the train through Paris Nord is actually acceptable—it's the straightforward budget solution in this case.
When there are four or more people, divide four train tickets against a single €€ vehicle ticket booked for the entire group, and as a result the private transfer usually ends up being cheaper per person rather than more expensive.
For business travellers, it is more important to have predictability than to save money on the ticket; if the arrival at CDG is delayed then your appointment in Beauvais is not affected by this because the car has a fixed price and includes flight tracking.
For people having a lot of luggage: if you have more than one suitcase the train and bus route becomes a real pain. Take the direct option.
For arrivals in the late night or early morning: on this route the frequency of public transport decreases outside of daytime hours; in such cases a booked transfer or a taxi is much more reliable.
The Case for Booking a Private Transfer with Top Paris Transfer
The train is cheaper for a single traveller, and we won't deny that. But most people taking this route are not travelling alone — and that's where the figures change.
A private transfer costing €€ per vehicle ends up being cheaper per person than four individual € train fares when you take into account the local bus journey and the time spent waiting to change at Paris Nord, not to mention the advantage of not having to deal with connections while travelling with children and their luggage. At that point, the two options are no longer comparable.
We monitor your flight to CDG, so if your landing is delayed, your pickup won't be missed, as a name board will be available at arrivals no matter when you touch down. The price is settled before you travel, something that is important on a route where taxi meters can quickly add up in the heavy traffic close to the airport exits. You can arrange child seats and extra luggage space in advance, rather than discussing them at the time.
A recent example was a group of five people travelling from Lisbon to CDG, connecting that same evening for a wedding near the Beauvais cathedral, having two large suitcases and a garment bag which had to stay flat throughout the journey. They reached their destination in a single transfer—there were no steps at the station and no need to handle the bags on the bus.
👉 Book a private transfer from Charles de Gaulle to Beauvais with Top Paris Transfer: the price is fixed, and the driver will be waiting for you at the arrivals hall.
When to Travel: Traffic & Timing on This Route
Morning trips from CDG (between about 7 and 9 AM) overlap with commuter traffic being directed onto the A1 and around the Roissy roundabouts; that is where most delays on this route occur—not on the A16 itself. Midday and early afternoon are generally the busiest times.
From about 5 PM, traffic volume increases as commuters leave the Paris area heading north, and journey times tend to reach the two-hour level. The roads are quietest late at night and in the early morning, but public transport is also at its lowest level then, so more travellers tend to use taxis or booked transfers.
You should expect heavier traffic at the times of the year when the French school holidays change, as families in the Oise and Picardy areas travel in both directions along the A16 corridor.
What This Route Really Costs (Including the Costs Nobody Mentions)
Prices for the different driving modes—private transfer and taxi—are €€ and €€€, respectively, and are charged per vehicle; the fact that one price includes everyone in the car changes the calculations for groups.
The cost of public transport is given in euros, but it is per person and increases with each traveller. Moreover, it doesn't take into account the small expenses that people tend to forget, such as the local Corolis bus ticket needed to complete the journey to central Beauvais, the physical effort involved in carrying their bags through Gare du Nord, or the buffer time you should plan if you want to catch a connection on the same day.
For a family of four carrying luggage, the cost difference between a private transfer and public transport shrinks when you factor in each ticket and connection, and the private transfer still beats public transport in both time and convenience.
Mistakes to Avoid on the CDG → Beauvais Journey
- If there is a direct train. There isn't; people fail to catch their flights because they plan for a same-day connection without first checking the Paris Nord change.
- Confusing Beauvais town with Beauvais-Tillé Airport.**** The airport is a few kilometres outside town in Tillé. Do not book a transfer or taxi to "Beauvais Airport" if you actually need the town centre.
- It is the exit for the CDG airport that tends to be underestimated, not the A16. The motorway drives smoothly, but the first ten minutes after leaving the airport take up your buffer time.
- If you are booking a FlixBus trip with a tight connection, note that the schedule only operates a few times a week, not every day—be sure to check it before depending on it.
— When travelling in a group, the pricing is on a per-person basis. If you compare four train tickets with one vehicle fare, rather than the other way around, that comparison determines which option appears cheaper. - If you're taking a same-day arrival-to-departure route, don't leave yourself with a tight schedule; a journey that should take ninety minutes might end up taking two hours with little notice.
FAQ
Is there a direct train from Charles de Gaulle to Beauvais?
You don't need to go into central Paris first—usually by taking the RER B—and then change at Gare du Nord for a mainline train bound for Beauvais; the total travel time, including the change, is about two hours fifteen to two hours thirty minutes.
What is the fare for a taxi from CDG to Beauvais?
Taxi fares on this route aren't fixed; they're based on distance and time, so the fare is usually on the higher side (€€€), especially if you leave during a period of light traffic.
How long does it take to get from Charles de Gaulle to Beauvais?
It will take about 75 to 95 minutes by car or private transfer in normal traffic conditions, but during rush hour near the airport exits this could exceed two hours. Public transport usually takes twice as long.
Is the bus operating every day on the route from CDG to Beauvais?
It doesn't have to be so. For example, FlixBus and similar coach services have operated only a few times each week rather than every day, so it's advisable to check the current timetable before counting on it for a quick connection.
Is Beauvais-Tillé Airport the same as Beauvais town?
Not at all — that is a frequent mistake. The airport is in Tillé, a short way outside Beauvais, so make sure the booking indicates the town centre if you are actually going there.
Would it be worthwhile for a family to have a private transfer?
Yes, when travelling with three or more people and having luggage, a €€ vehicle fare shared among several people usually ends up cheaper per person than buying separate public transport tickets, and it also removes the need for the Gare du Nord connection.
How can you get to Beauvais from CDG the quickest during the times when it's not peak hour?
Driving directly via the A1/A16 corridor, whether by taxi or private transfer, remains the fastest option outside rush hour — typically under 90 minutes door-to-door.
