Medical tourism to France: Travel and accommodation

There are a number of airlines flying to France from the UK including British Airways, BMI, BMI Baby, Ryanair, Easyjet and Air France. British Airways, for example, flies from London Heathrow with 11 flights per day (slight variation at weekends) with lead-in return fares from about £100 (including taxes fees and charges). Its subsidiary, BA Connect flies from Manchester to Paris five times a day, from Birmingham to Paris, five times a day, from Bristol to Paris five times a day and from Edinburgh to Paris three times a day.

If you’re flying to destinations other than Paris then the budget airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Flybe are good considerations as they cover destinations such as Bayonne-Biarritz, La Rochelle, Lyon and Toulouse, Carcassone, Nimes, Avignon Provence or Bergerac for very competitive prices.

There are two international airports at Paris; Roissy-Charles-de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY). Roissy-Charles-de Gaulle has two main terminals; CDG1 and CDG2 as well as a third smaller terminal; T9 which is for charter flights. All of the terminals are linked by shuttle buses and mini-metro trains and there are train links and buses into the centre of Paris. RATP buses (Roissybus) leave every 15 minutes and deposit the visitor in the very central position of L’Opéra within about 45 minutes, costing around €7. The RER train departs from CDG2 and arrives in Châtélet-les-Halles within 30 minutes and Gare du Nord in 35. Alternatively a taxi to the centre of town will cost about €40.

Orly airport (ORY) has two terminals; Orly Sud and Orly Ouest which are walking distance between one another but are also linked by a mini-metro. Orly Ouest is mainly for domestic flights while Orly Sud receives international and charter flights. The RATP Orlybus leaves every 15 minutes or so and takes about 25 minutes to reach Denfert-Rochereau metro station, additionally the Jetbus connects Orly to Villejuif-Louis Aragon metro every 15 minutes. Shuttle buses also link the airport with RER line C at Pont de Rungis, from where you can connect with a train to Gare d’Austerlitz. A taxi from Orly to the centre of Paris will cost around €35.

Arriving by boat and train

You can cross the channel with your car via the Eurotunnel between Folkestone and Calais, arriving just 35 minutes later. Passengers can travel on the Eurostar train from London Waterloo, or Ashford in Kent, to Calais, Lille or Paris Gare du Nord and arrive in the centre of Paris two and a half hours later. For more information on train travel in France contact Rail Europe.

Alternatively, take a passenger ferry to France with one of the major ferry companies such as P&O who covers Dover and Calais, Portsmouth and Le Havre, (P&O North Sea Ferries sail from Hull to Zeebrugge in Belgium and then visitors can drive into France), Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to St Malo, Portsmouth to Caen and Plymouth to Roscoff, Condor Ferries from Poole to St Malo, Transmanche Ferries from Newhaven to Dieppe, or a 45 minute sea cat with Hoverspeed from Dover to Calais and from Newhaven to Dieppe.

Norfolkline (03 28 28 95 50) also takes cars on its ferries between Dover and Dunkerque

Travelling within France

The trains in France are superb and the French State Railway (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer, SNCF) runs an excellent national network, from the űber speedy ‘Trains à Grande Vitesse’ (TGV) to overnight sleepers you can count on fast, reliable and punctual services. Paris has six major train stations with departures to various destinations around the country. There is a TGV station at CDG airport, with inter city train links to major cities such as Lille, Bordeaux and Lyon. ‘Grandes Lignes’ are the long distance trains and ‘Banlieue’ the suburban trains.

Getting about Paris on public transport is easy and inexpensive with an excellent underground train system, the Metro, and an extensive bus network. RATP (the Paris Transport company incorporating trains, bus and metro) has 14 metro lines, referred to by number and terminus names and the RER is a series of commuter trains. Walking and cycling are also favoured as you can get a real feel for the city’s ambience. Taxi ranks are located throughout the city.

Car hire is available from the airports and the roads are good, though driving in Paris itself can be a bit hair-raising! The motorways in France are very modern and mostly run with a toll system (autoroutes à péage) but you can save money on these fees by opting to travel on some of the smaller but still very efficient roads within the country, such as the RN (route nationale) and D (départementale) roads. Driving is on the right and the French Highways Association has helpful information, tips and advice, see Federation of French motorway and toll facility companies.

In terms of hotel accommodation Paris is the third least expensive city after Budapest and Frankfurt with particularly good value two star accommodation from about €110 for a double room. However expect to pay around €180 for a room in a three star hotel and around €450 for a four star luxury hotel.

Photos courtesy of the French Tourist Office.

Get a quote

If you are considering treatment abroad, Treatment Abroad will submit your enquiry to clinics and hospitals in the countries which are of interest to you, including France.

Complete the enquiry form....

Featured providers

If you want to know more about the options for private surgery in France, take a look at our featured clinics and providers.