Paris - Le Bourget

1Musée de l'Air

This is the famous French Air Museum, it is on the site where the Salon is held biennial. There are a lot of aircraft parked outside to take a nice picture of. A lot of interesting planes can be found inside the display halls. Just to the north of it you find an apron where larger executive aircraft are parked.

2The hangars along the road

Le Bourget has one long main road; it takes you along every hangar and apron, all the way up to the end of the airfield. You have to enter every road between the hangars to make sure you do not miss anything. Sometimes the aircraft are packed together and thus blocking the view. It is also possible to take some nice shots through and over the fence. At spot number 2, you have a good view over the maintenance facility of Air France, this is also the place where the French Air Force E-3s receive their maintenance. On to spot 3 now…

3Main apron

If you continue along the road, you get to the main apron, this is where most of the visiting aircraft load and unload their passengers. At the left side of the Transair Hangar there was an opening in the fence where you had a look over the apron, but a wall has been erected on that spot. So if you walk up the road, next to the gate, you can see a bit from there as well. But beware of the notorious French Gendarmes inside the office…

4Dassault Falcon Service

The last spot is the Dassault Falcon Service facility. If you follow the road next to it to the left up to the fence, you will be very close to the main taxiway. As it is a very busy place here, you can take nice photos through the fence of aircraft taxiing by and of the parked aircraft at Dassault. There are also a lot of nice Falcons parked inside for maintenance, but unfortunately, they masked the windows a couple of years back, so it is quite hard to see through. But when it is dark and the lights are on inside, you have a good view. On the opposite side of Dassault there are a couple of other hangars, you can check them out by going back to the main road and follow it all the way to the back.

5East side approach - hill

At the roundabout at the northeast exit, cross the N17. On your left side there is a small hill which provides an excellent vantage point for the approach of runway 27.

6East side approach - crossing

A good spot for runway 25 can be found at the crossing of roads N17 and N370. When leaving the N17 to get onto the N370 in the direction of Aulnay-sous-Bois, park your car on the shoulder of the exit, there is a patch of asphalt there. From the crossroads, you have a good view on the approach to runway 25, also traffic for runway 27 passes behind you and can be watched.

7Northwest side ramp view

When leaving the terminal and hangar area, turn left on the D317. Take the first exit towards the N370 (Gonesse) and turn left again at the traffic lights. Follow the signs towards Gonesse and Bonneuil-en-France. When entering Bonneuil-en-France, turn left at the first traffic lights into the Rue du Pont Yblon. At the end of the road park your car near the cemetery. Then walk past the 'gate' and follow the fence of the airfield past the corner where, from a crash gate, you have a good overview of the airfield, and you can take pictures of anything using runway 07-25 (bring a small stepladder with you). With a large bin, this spot is also useful for noting some of those aircraft parked behind the hangars and not visible from public areas in the hangar zone.
While walking here, you might want to peek through the hedge every now and then; especially during the Salon this is probably your only chance to get a good overview of all the aircraft parked on the western platforms.

8North side view

For another spot near runway 07-25, leave the cemetery and turn left at the first junction (Chemin de la Piste). At the end of this road, past several car demolition firms, you can climb several small mounds close to the fence. When anything is parked outside the Thales school, it might be visible from here.

9West side approaches 07 & 09 - behind factory

The two runways 07 and 09 intersect at the threshold. To get to the nearby crash gate from spot 8, go to the main road in Bonneuil-en-France and go left on the D84. At the large crossroads, go left onto the D125 towards Dugny. Go straight, over the two large roundabouts, by now the road is called D114. From the second roundabout, running over a road that is still under construction, take the fifth street left, this is a road that leads to the Aeronavale. It is a bit difficult to explain, just work your way to the east from Dugny! You should end up at the Rue Jacques et Sébastien Lorenzi. Go left at the gate, along the fence towards a crash gate. This is the Chemin de Garges.
Alternatively, from the museum, follow the D50 clockwise around the airfield an take the D114 at the second roundabout towards Dugny. At the roundabout in town, take the second exit, Rue Adolphe Devaux. At the T-junction with Rue Guyenmer, go right. This becomes the aforementioned road to the gate.
Incidentally, the construction works are for a road along the perimeter.

10South west side approach - a.m.

From spot 9 head into Dugny and go left on the D114 towards the N17 and A1. Take the D50 and enter the park at the runway 03 threshold. From here you are in a good position for that runway with afternoon light.