Travelling to Paris with children? This guide covers child seats, luggage logistics, long-distance fatigue, and the practical reality of moving a family through Paris airports.
Travelling to Paris with kids is wonderful. Travelling to Paris airports with kids is logistical warfare. Strollers, car seats, snack bags, jet-lagged toddlers, the constant calculation of who needs the bathroom — and you're trying to navigate one of Europe's most complex airports. This guide is for parents who want a smoother experience.
We do family pickups every week. We see what works and what doesn't.
The three challenges of family airport transfers
Challenge 1 — Car seats. French law requires children under 10 to use an appropriate car seat. Taxis are legally exempt for short journeys, but airport transfers are 25–35km — well over the threshold where you genuinely need a seat. Bringing your own from home is heavy. Renting at the airport is expensive and requires a 30-minute detour through a separate counter. Pre-booking with a chauffeur service that includes child seats removes this entirely.
Challenge 2 — Luggage volume. A family of four for a one-week trip typically packs 4 large suitcases, 2 carry-ons, a stroller, and a kids' backpack each. That's roughly 6m³ of stuff. The standard sedan taxi can take 2–3 large bags. The standard family minivan handles 5–6. Below that you're stuffing bags between feet or making two trips.
Challenge 3 — Time and patience. Adults can wait 30 minutes at a taxi rank. Kids cannot. After an 8-hour flight, the patience window is roughly 0 minutes. Anything that introduces queuing, walking, or waiting becomes a meltdown trigger.
What you actually need at each airport
CDG (Charles de Gaulle)
CDG is 25km north of Paris. The airport is large — distances between gates and the curb can be 1.5km. With a stroller, expect 25–35 minutes from clearing customs to being at your transport.
The RER B train is theoretically possible with kids but practically painful. Multiple steps, no escalator at some platforms, very crowded at peak hours. We strongly recommend skipping it for family travel.
Taxis at CDG: the official rank is outside, queue can be 15–30 minutes at peak, and you'll need to specify "I need child seats" when you book — most won't have them spontaneously.
A pre-booked chauffeur with Mercedes V-Class (van) handles 5 passengers + significant luggage + child seats pre-installed. This is the path of least resistance for families. Cost from CDG to central Paris is around €134.
Orly
Orly is closer (14km south of Paris), so transfers are quicker and cheaper. Same principles apply. Orly is split into Orly 1-2-3 (former Orly West) and Orly 4 (former Orly South) — these are physically separate buildings, so being clear about your terminal matters.
Family transfer from Orly to central Paris with a Mercedes V-Class is around €106.
Disneyland Paris
This is its own beast. Disneyland Paris is in Marne-la-Vallée, 32km east of Paris. Most families arrive by:
- RER A from central Paris (45 min, requires changing line and luggage handling)
- Direct shuttle from CDG (Magical Shuttle, scheduled departures only)
- Pre-booked private transfer (door-to-door, around €95–139 from Paris depending on vehicle)
For families specifically going to Disneyland, the door-to-door private transfer often makes more sense than the RER. You're typically tired, the kids are over-stimulated, and the last thing you want is a 45-minute train ride with a stroller after a 9-hour flight.
See our Disneyland-specific guide for hotel-by-hotel pickup logistics.
Practical tips from doing this every week
Book child seats in advance — and confirm. With taxis, you cannot reliably get a child seat. With pre-booked chauffeur services, you can — but you must specify the child's age and weight when booking. We need to know whether to install a baby seat, child seat (Group 1, ~9–18kg), or booster (Group 2/3). A booster for a 6-year-old will not work for a 14-month-old.
Pre-pack the airport survival kit in your carry-on. Snacks, change of clothes for each child, a tablet with downloaded videos, headphones, a small toy, wipes. You'll thank yourself when the customs queue takes 45 minutes.
Don't switch transport mode at the airport. If you've planned to take a taxi, take a taxi. The "let me just figure out the RER once I'm here" approach fails 8 times out of 10 with kids in tow.
For night arrivals, pre-book. The combination of "tired kids + dark + cold + no transport plan" is the worst possible airport experience. We get pickup requests at 11pm, midnight, 1am — for families this is when pre-booking matters most.
Bring a lightweight stroller, even if your kid is "almost too big". A 5-year-old who's been awake for 18 hours becomes a 4-year-old. Strollers carry kids and bags both. The umbrella stroller you almost left at home will save your trip.
Common questions from family travellers
Can I bring my own car seat from home? Yes, but most airlines treat car seats as an extra checked item. Some include it free, some charge. Check your airline's policy. The seat itself is bulky and a hassle to drag through customs. We provide seats for free in our vehicles — most chauffeur services in Paris will too if you ask in advance.
Do Paris taxis have child seats? Legally taxis can transport children without seats for short journeys, but most don't carry them. You'll be told "no problem, just hold the baby" — which is technically legal but not what you want for a 30-minute ride.
What about Uber? Uber Paris does not provide child seats. Your only option is to bring your own or use UberCar (no different from any other Uber for this purpose). Not recommended for young children.
Is the RER A to Disneyland really that bad? It's manageable for one adult with one school-age child. With multiple young kids, suitcases, a stroller, and post-flight exhaustion, it's a challenge that often results in regret.
My flight lands at 11pm — what do I do with sleepy kids at the airport? Pre-book a private chauffeur with a van. Your driver waits for you, helps with bags, has child seats installed. Within 15 minutes of clearing customs you're in the car with sleeping kids. We do this routinely — it's one of the situations where the cost of a private transfer is most clearly justified.
Want hassle-free family transport?
Book a Dahab family transfer — Mercedes V-Class with up to 5 seats + child seats installed for free, fixed price, driver waits regardless of flight delay. From €106 for Orly–Paris and €134 for CDG–Paris.
For Disneyland-specific transfers, see our Disneyland page.
Ready to book your ride?
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