Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris

Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paris-Charles_de_Gaulle_Airport#mediaviewer/File:Paris_-_Charles_de_Gaulle_(Roissy)_(CDG_-_LFPG)_AN0862796.jpg
Author: Dmitry Avdeev


Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) or Aéroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and also known as Roissy Airport or just Roissy, is the busiest airport serving Paris, France. It is the main international airport for Paris. Charles de Gaulle Airport is located 23 km (14 miles) to the northeast of the city center. This sprawling airport is notoriously confusing, and so if you are arriving there, allow plenty of time to orientate yourself.

Charles de Gaulle Airport comprises three terminals, namely Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are located next to each other whereas Terminal 2 is a huge terminal subdivided to 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and in a separate building, 2G, the newest addition to the Terminal 2 complex. Terminal 2 is linked to the other two terminals by bus which runs once every 20 minutes, and the journey takes about 15 minutes. In addition, the free CDGVAL shuttle train also connects the three terminal buildings.

Getting out of CDG

By Train
The fastest and cheapest way to get out of Charles de Gaulle Airport is to take the Réseau Express Régional (RER), the rapid transit trains that serve Paris and its suburbs. The RER commuter train Line B has stops at Terminal 2 (called Aeroport CDG 2 station) and Terminal 3 (called Aeroport CDG 1 station). It links CDG with stations in Paris including Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire, and leave every 8 minutes or so. The trains alternate between one that goes direct to Paris Gare du Nord station, and one that has stopovers. The fare is € 8.40 for adult and € 5.90 for child for the journey to Gare du Nord, which is 35 minutes away.

To buy the tickets, use the blue automated vending machines (called Billetterie Ile-de-France), paying by smart-chip credit cards or Euro coins, or alternatively go to the ticket office. The trains usually leave from platforms 11 or 12. Look for the sign "RER B" or "All trains go to Paris". Insert the ticket into the entry gate and then retrieve it as you pass. If you board the train without a ticket, you are liable to a € 40 fine, so keep it with you throughout the journey.

By TGV
The high-speed TGV trains do not go to Paris, but you can take it to Lille, Brussels, Rennes and Nantes, among others. There's a TGV station at Terminal 2 (see map).

By Bus
You can also take the Roissybus that connects all the three terminals to Opéra Garnier in Paris, between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm at 15 minute intervals and costs € 8.20. However, going by road means you are exposed to traffic jams, so expect the journey to take about 60-80 minutes on average.

Air France shared shuttle buses also go from CDG to Gare du Lyon and Montparnasse in Paris every 30 minutes, for a journey of 45-60 minutes, running between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm, and costing € 11.50. Another Air France bus runs to the Arc de Triomphe every 15 minutes, from 5:45 am - 11:00 pm, costs € 10.00 and takes 45-60 minutes.

By Taxi
Taxis will set you back between € 38.00 to € 43, and takes between 30-60 minutes depending on traffic.

By Car
Take the A1 expressway south to Paris. The journey should take you about 30-60 minutes. See map on this page.

Note that if you have connecting Air France flights that land and depart from different airports, you would still generally need to fetch your luggage after landing, catch either the Air France shuttle or a taxi (readily available at all airports) to the other airport and check-in again. This altogether could take up to 2 hours particularly if traffic is at its worse.

It is also common to lose time during disembarking, as passengers often need to get off at the tarmac and get on buses which will bring them to the terminal building. Be sure to have sufficient time between flights to catch your connection. Note that check-in counters usually close 30 minutes before the flight departs, longer if flights are international carriers.

If you arrive to CDG Airport at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city center. The bus stops in all three terminals (in terminal 2F it will be the second level in departure section - it is very difficult to find). The bus leaves every 30 minutes after 12:30AM. The buses you'll need are N121 and N120; the price is 7 Euro.

List of Airports in Paris and Airports in France

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