Skip to content

Flying from Los Angeles to Paris?

Add a departure date and see which side gets the sun.

About this route

Los AngelesParis

A very long flight from United States to France. Paris is 9 hours ahead. Remember to put your watch forward when you land.

Route type International
Distance 9,103 km / 5,656 mi
Distance class Ultra-long-haul
Direction Eastbound
Est. duration About 10h 30m
Time change Destination +9h

Departing from

LAX

Los Angeles International Airport

Location Los Angeles, United States
Time zone PDT · UTC−7
Current time

The Entertainment Capital of the World

Los Angeles is a spread-out city in a much larger county, with the Pacific on one side and mountains on the other. The places travelers usually mean by "LA" can be far apart: beach cities, studio districts, downtown, canyon neighborhoods, museum corridors, and the San Fernando Valley. The region is built around driving, and a short distance on the map can become a long trip in traffic. Where you stay matters more here than in most cities, because crossing the basin can shape the day.

City access

LAX sits on the coast at the western edge of the basin, handy for the beaches and the Westside but a long way from downtown, Hollywood, or the Valley. Transit to the airport is limited and slow, so most travelers leave by car, ride-hail, or shuttle. Factor the drive into your timing, because from the eastern and northern suburbs it can be one of the longest legs of the trip.

Nearby airports

176 km / 109 mi

Surrounding hubs

543 km / 337 mi
595 km / 370 mi
949 km / 590 mi

Arriving at

CDG

Charles de Gaulle International Airport

Location Paris, France
Time zone GMT+2 · UTC+2
Current time

The City of Light

Paris is a compact, dense capital wrapped by a ring road, its historic core walkable and tightly stitched together by the Metro. Inside that ring the city is small enough to cross on foot or by train, and a car is more trouble than help. Grand boulevards, museums, and the river define the center, while much of everyday Paris and both its airports sit in the surrounding suburbs. Arriving from either airport means a train or road trip across that ring.

City access

Charles de Gaulle is the main airport, northeast of Paris. The RER B suburban train runs to the center in around forty-five minutes, alongside buses and taxis. It is a large, multi-terminal airport, so leave time to move between them.

Nearby airports

34 km / 21 mi

Surrounding hubs

308 km / 191 mi
348 km / 216 mi
399 km / 248 mi
How it works

Find out which side of the plane to sit on.

Pick your airports, set your departure time, and you're done.

We calculate the sun's position based on your flight path and departure time, then tell you which side of the plane gets direct sun and which stays shaded. No guessing, just math.

01

Enter your flight

Pick your departure and arrival airports and set your departure time at the departure airport. FlightSide estimates the duration and you can adjust it if you know the exact schedule.

02

We track the sun along your route

Your flight path is broken into hundreds of points. At each one we check where the sun is and which side of the plane it faces.

03

You get a recommendation

Which side of the plane to sit on, left or right, depending on whether you'd rather avoid the sun or enjoy it. The percentages and the map are there if you want to see why.

Want to go deeper? Accuracy, edge cases, polar routes — see the FAQ →

Latest journal

Notes from the product.

Small updates, route observations, and clearer explanations for how the app keeps evolving.