Which side of the plane to sit on: Boston to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
Flying from Boston to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:04 AMClimbing out of Boston toward the northeast over the Gulf of Maine, the right window looks out over the Blue Hill Range and the Noepe (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Chestnut Hills and the Pawtucket Falls on the left.
- rightView of Blue Hill Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Chestnut Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Noepe (island)
- leftView of Pawtucket Falls (waterfall)
Flight path features
12:35 PMOut over the Atlantic, the left window looks out over the Slieve Miskish Mountains and Great Skellig (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cobequid Mountains and Grand-Pre on the right.
- leftView of Slieve Miskish Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Cobequid Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Grand-Pre (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Great Skellig (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
10:10 PMDescending into Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise) from the west, the left window looks out over the sunset and the Kent Downs (the low sun on the horizon), with the Alpes mancelles and reconstructed center of Le Havre on the right.
- leftCatch the sunset
- rightView of Alpes mancelles (mountain range)
- leftView of Kent Downs (mountain range)
- rightView of reconstructed center of Le Havre (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Boston to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Out over the Atlantic, the left window looks out over the Slieve Miskish Mountains and Great Skellig (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cobequid Mountains and Grand-Pre on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Boston?
Climbing out of Boston toward the northeast over the Gulf of Maine, the right window looks out over the Blue Hill Range and the Noepe (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Chestnut Hills and the Pawtucket Falls on the left.
What about on the descent into Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
Descending into Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise) from the west, the left window looks out over the sunset and the Kent Downs (the low sun on the horizon), with the Alpes mancelles and reconstructed center of Le Havre on the right.