Which side of the plane to sit on: Chicago to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
Flying from Chicago 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.
Sit on the LEFT: Catch the sunset
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:05 AMClimbing out of Chicago toward the northeast, the right window looks out over the Indiana Dunes National Park, the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve and the Big Bay (canyons and wild country), with the Gogebic Range on the left.
- leftView of Gogebic Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Indiana Dunes National Park (national park)
- rightView of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (waterfall)
- rightView of Big Bay (bay and coastline)
Flight path features
1:21 PMOut over the Atlantic, the left window looks out over the sunset, the Mealy Mountains and the Monts Groulx (the low sun on the horizon), with the Lower Peninsula on the right.
- leftCatch the sunset
- leftView of Mealy Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Monts Groulx (mountain range)
- rightView of Lower Peninsula (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
12:38 AMDescending into Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise) from the northwest, the right window looks out over Paris & the Eiffel Tower (the city spread out below).
- rightCity lights of Paris & the Eiffel Tower (the City of Light from above)
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 Chicago to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
Sit on the LEFT: Catch the sunset. Out over the Atlantic, the left window looks out over the sunset, the Mealy Mountains and the Monts Groulx (the low sun on the horizon), with the Lower Peninsula on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Chicago?
Climbing out of Chicago toward the northeast, the right window looks out over the Indiana Dunes National Park, the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve and the Big Bay (canyons and wild country), with the Gogebic Range 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 northwest, the right window looks out over Paris & the Eiffel Tower (the city spread out below).