Which side of the plane to sit on: San Francisco to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
Flying from San Francisco 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
9:06 AMClimbing out of San Francisco toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Vaca Mountains and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the right.
- rightView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- leftView of Vaca Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- rightView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Flight path features
2:48 PMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the sunset and the Amedee Mountains (the low sun on the horizon), with the Clearwater Mountains and the Lamb Point on the right.
- leftCatch the sunset
- leftView of Amedee Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Clearwater Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Lamb Point (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
5:29 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 San Francisco to Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise)?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the sunset and the Amedee Mountains (the low sun on the horizon), with the Clearwater Mountains and the Lamb Point on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from San Francisco?
Climbing out of San Francisco toward the northeast, the left window looks out over the Vaca Mountains and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the right.
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).