Paris airports accessibility

Paris is served by two main international airports run by the same operator, Groupe ADP. Charles de Gaulle (CDG) sits 25 km north-east of the city; Orly (ORY) sits 14 km south. A third airport, Beauvais (BVA) at 80 km north, is used by budget carriers and is outside the Paris pilot at the moment because it has no direct rail link and the coach transfer is not step-free as standard.

Both CDG and Orly are required to provide PRM (Passenger with Reduced Mobility) assistance under EC Regulation 1107/2006. The service is free, booked through your airline at least 48 hours before departure, and covers terminal transfer, lift-and-transfer at the gate, accompanied passage through security and passport control, and luggage help on arrival. The airline passes the request to Groupe ADP's contracted ground-handler, who meets you at a designated point.

Both airports run "Saphir" reception points for arriving and departing PMR passengers. Saphir is signed at the kerbside drop-off, near baggage reclaim, and at the main check-in halls, with a dedicated freephone or staffed desk.

If you have not pre-booked or your assistance fails to materialise, the Saphir desk is the recovery point. Tell your airline you are travelling with a wheelchair when you book and again at check-in, and bring a printed copy of the assistance reference number on the day.

Service dogs travel free in the cabin on EU and most non-EU carriers under EC 1107/2006 and IATA cabin rules. Bring the EU pet passport or third-country annex IV documentation, the rabies vaccination certificate, and the airline's own service-animal form. The same paperwork applies to both airports.

Pick CDG if you are arriving long-haul, transferring through Paris, or flying with a full-service carrier: it has more direct flights, more PRM staff per shift, and more terminal-to-rail options.

Pick Orly if you are arriving short-haul from Europe, you want the shortest transfer to the Left Bank, or you want the new Line 14 metro extension which is fully step-free from Orly to Châtelet. Both score similarly on PRM service quality on the official ADP accessibility page; the practical difference is the route into central Paris from each.

Transfer to central Paris from CDG: RER B (step-free at most platforms but mind the platform-train gap, board with the assistance team), Le Bus Direct coach (Line 2 to Etoile / Line 4 to Gare de Lyon, low-floor with a retractable ramp on most departures), accessible taxi (around 60 to 65 EUR fixed-rate to the Right Bank, 65 to 70 EUR to the Left Bank), or a pre-booked PMR transfer with Groupe ADP's contracted operator.

Transfer from Orly: Line 14 metro extension to Olympiades and Châtelet (fully step-free with platform screen doors, opened June 2024), Tram T7 to Villejuif-Louis Aragon (step-free), Orlyval people-mover to Antony then RER B (step-free with assistance), or accessible taxi (around 35 to 40 EUR fixed-rate to the Left Bank).

Both airports have accessible toilets in every terminal, accessible drop-off and pick-up bays at the kerbside, free wheelchair loans through the assistance desk, and at least one accessible parking row in every short-stay car park. The full per-airport breakdown lives on the venue pages below: how each terminal is laid out, how to find the Saphir point, where the accessible toilets are, and the lift-and-transfer protocol on departure.