Transfer in Paris: a guide to what to do at Charles de Gaulle Airport

So, first, briefly about the "anatomy" of the French capital's air gate. Charles de Gaulle Airport has three main terminals, with the second one divided into six more - A, B, C, D, E, F and G. It is worth noting right away that all transcontinental flights arrive at Terminal 2E.

Transit between terminals

It is easiest if your flight arrives and departs from Terminal 2: you can easily get to the terminal you need (2A-2G) on foot. And if you need to change from one terminal to another, shuttle buses will help you. By the way, the lines of these shuttles are marked in different colors, depending on which terminals the bus runs between.

Thus, the green line shuttles connect terminals 1, 2A and 2C (running from 5:00 to 00:00). The blue line serves terminals 2A, 2C-2F (from 5:00 to 23:45). Yellow Line buses run between terminals 2F-2E-2G-2F c 5:30 to 21:45, and Red Line buses run between terminals 2G-2E from 5:30 to 02:00. All shuttles are free of charge.

But to move between the three main terminals (T1 - T3), you will have to use the CDGVAL train (also free of charge).

Baggage

Everything is easy with luggage if you are flying with the same airline or companies that are members of the same alliance - in this case your luggage will be checked until the final point of your trip, and there will be no need to re-check it at the transit airport.

Another thing is if you purchased separate tickets, say, not only to Paris, but also from Paris to a third country or on a domestic flight from another airport. In this case, you will need to collect your luggage and then check-in again and drop it off before boarding. Therefore, our advice to you: if you buy tickets and connect flights on your own, and not through a travel agency or booking service, it makes sense to allocate more time for the transfer (at least two hours), because there may be queues at check-in/passport control counters, and the airport is not small.

It's a long transplant. What to do?

There are times when you arrive in Paris. Paris and there's still plenty of time before your next flight. What to do? Entertainment opportunities of the airport are not unlimited, so if your layover lasts more than 6 hours, you can combine the pleasant with the useful and go on a tour of the city.

The company "ParisCityVision", which organizes various tours around the capital, can help you in this. For a reasonable price (~ from 30 euro) for an hour and a half you will ride through the city streets on a comfortable panoramic bus, learn the history of the main districts of the capital, see the most picturesque parks and boulevards, and at the same time admire the openwork bridges on the Seine and get acquainted with the most outstanding sights of the city.

You can book a hotel in Paris with a discount of up to -65% on the website.

The same guys organize tours on "Hop On-Hop Off" tourist buses. That is, you buy a ticket that entitles you to ride these buses for 24 hours, and you can decide for yourself where, how long and what sights on the route to see.

You can also take a ride on a pleasure sightseeing boat. During the excursion you will be shown the most iconic sights of Paris, told about the main historical events of the city, and in addition you will get a pleasant bonus - marvelous panoramas of the French capital from the boat!

But if you decide to "go out in public", keep in mind: the road from the airport to Paris takes almost an hour, plus another hour for all the formalities before boarding (control, luggage, etc.) - this should be taken into account when planning your leisure time.

If a long layover is unavoidable, evaluate your wishes and possibilities: in some cases, it is much more convenient to spend a day in Paris instead of trying to figure out whether you have time to get out into the city or whether it would be safer to stay at the airport.

Just in case you don't have time to walk around, don't despair. Charles de Gaulle airport will not let you get bored! There is everything for every taste: for avid shopaholics there are stores and boutiques (Hall F, Terminal 2), for travelers who are thirsty for relaxation they can unwind after the flight in a massage room or SPA (Terminal 2).

Inquisitive tourists will surely enjoy the exhibition of archaeological finds made during the construction of the airport, and connoisseurs of beauty will enjoy the gallery of French art in Terminal 2E (by the way, all exhibits are authentic!). Entrance to the gallery is free for all passengers who use this terminal.

How comfortable you'll feel when transferring at Charles de Gaulle Airport depends on many factors, so we're always happy to hear about real travelers' experiences, whether positive or unforeseen.

Opinions from some of our readers that may be helpful to you:

Julia Ryabchuk:

"Parents, keep in mind: if your baby needs a stroller on a connecting flight at Charles de Gaulle airport, you will NOT be given one, you will be sent straight to the final point of travel. This is airport policy, as it was explained to me. Huge airport, tons of flights, and they don't have an employee for each stroller! I read on the airport website that they have strollers for babies. In practice, it turned out that they are something like supermarket carts, suitable for babies from a year old and can only be used within the terminal. You also have to find them at least."

Vitaliy Pivovar:

"CDG takes all flights from Ukraine exclusively in terminals 2D or 2E, which is used for low-cost companies. As you understand, they are not the peak of luxury in themselves. Flights from developed countries and adequate airlines are accepted in quite convenient - the first terminal."

Konstantin Kravchenko:

"Everyone writes about impressions, so here it is really huge, if you need to urgently navigate, you probably will not succeed especially for the first time ), I remember how in a hurry ran from 1 terminal to another on this "miracle streetcar" not to be late for boarding ..."

Elena Lenchik:

"Everything by arrows, everything is clear. Comfortable airport. And it is not boring to wait for the next flight."