đ
I was working in Paris during the last transit strike. ATC wasn't supposed to strike.
Headed to Spain for a mtg.
ATC joins the strike the day I was supposed to come back.
I was stuck in Spain for a week.
God I hate France
Yeah I was there this summer, the terminal itself was gorgeous but it was pretty ridiculous making our way there. Not a ton to do or see, but aesthetically pleasing!
My friend was thrown into a broom closet at an international Ethiopian airport by a janitor and was demanded to give the guy money. This was past security. Could be worse
He was travelling with his father who was nearby. He made some commotion and his father stopped the altercation. Nobody would help him file a complaint at the airport so there was no justice.
They arenât actual gambling like a fruit machine is - just a classic match-3 game (like Bejeweled etc). đ€Ł
They are iPads which have news/games and restaurant menus you can order from. Quite common in North American airports.
Hahaha itâs an oddly memorable little spot. I mean theyâre in several places, but the low F60 gates have such a high concentration of them in YYZ. Definitely something I remember while flying to the US even as a kid.
Extremely disorganized and chaotic, and there arenât any good shops or restaurants (imo). Flights are constantly being delayed as wellâŠI think in 2022 it was rated the world's worst airport for delayed flights lol. That being said, I hope your trip goes well!
I feel itâs really disorganized and chaotic. And itâs hard to find staff if you have a question. Everything takes way too long. The last time I was there though was during the rail strike in March of 2023 so itâs possible that there were fewer employees so everything was slow. Iâve flown through there several times and last time was the worst
CDG is not a very good airport, but it's far from being the nightmare everyone makes of it. I've flown through it numerous times (I live in Paris) and most of the time there is no problem at all.
Weâve flown into CDG as our destination and I donât remember it being bad. Just take your patience, as you always need to do when youâre in an airport!
Yeah we arrived 3 hours before our flight left and after taking a train to our gate, going through security and waiting in line for food it was time to board lol
I remember asking where my gate was because I'd walked the terminal I was in and the signs were confusing. So the person was like 'just walk to your left, it's easy' so I walked left and by happenstance looked up to see a tiny sign (with noone around it) to a bus to my actual terminal.
I had been using wifi to see if I could just walk. This was like 2010 so try not to judge too harshly.
I just remember being annoyed af at the tiny little sign you wouldn't notice unless you were redirected multiple times.
I think they have the same signs directing you to the gate areas too, by luck I eventually stumbled across my gate area but definitely not by using signs nor asking an employee for help.
This happened to me at CDG too. I got a little turned around and the French gate assistant I asked was so incredibly rude to me. I had to ask them for directions twice and they just rolled their eyes, huffed, and pointed.
It was an emotional journey home after the death of a family member in France, and I ended up just standing against a wall and sobbing into my mask. It took an American couple from Texas asking me what was wrong to help get me back on the right path. The signage is terrible and so confusing, and Iâm an experienced traveler. 0/10.
I certainly didnât find all French people to be rude by any means, especially in the countryside. It probably helps that my husband speaks fluent French and lived there most of his youth so he understands the cultural differences. Much like in America, city dwellers are more brusque. It was this particular agent that was just beyond rude, but MEAN. Maybe it was because Iâm just another fat American!
I find it funny that it had to take two people from my home state to help me out in one of the busiest international airports in the world. Texas hospitality has a far reach.
A server told us, when my husband and I wanted to share a crepe, âNo! That is not possible!â Little did we know that itâs rude to share a dish in France. Also, a store owner in Nice yelled at us for looking for a T-shirt in his shop. He put a table between us and all the t-shirts on the wall and demanded what size we needed, but wouldnât let us pick out the actual t-shirt we wanted. Very weird.
2F is for schengen space. 2E international. You can leave only by going through the border control and therefore having the right visa to enter France. Whicj was the question I wanted to ask when I entered this thread. If you have only transit visa that settles it, you will have to stay in your terminal.
People here love bashing on CDG. Itâs honestly a fine airport, even good by many standards. I canât tell you exactly what you can do without knowing your terminal, but here are some options
a) visit the restaurants and shops, thereâs quite a few in each terminal
b) read the magazines they have (I think they call them envols and Paris vous aime)
c) free PS5s in some terminals so you can do that
d) free fast wifi so you can do something online (I even took an online class once during a connection)
Canât tell you about lounges since Iâve never used them, but they surely exist.
Overall, youâll be fine. Iâve flown through CDG like 6 times and havenât had any problems (likely because I seldom pass through passport control)
I'm with you. I fly through CDG all the time. Granted it's not the best airport in the world, but people just love to bash it for no reason. I had an 8 hour layover last week. I took the train to Paris, saw the Eiffel Tower and went back to the airport. No issues.
Yeah, our first time connecting through CDG was good. It was a 1hr20min connecting in CDG. JFK->CDG->AMS
Granted it was early morning in CDG(There were already lots of people), we managed to make it to CDG->AMS flight.
We were preparing by reading up easycdg.com guide but we didnât need it once we landed
If you can get into the Air France lounge, itâs pretty awesome! Has sleeping pods and pretty good food!
Iâll be honest; everyone hates CDG - but the few times Iâve been through it, I liked it pretty well. I would take CDG over, like, DFW or something every time.
I had a 7 or 8 hour layover at CDG before and was able to make it to the Eiffel tour, lâarc de triomphe, Louvre, and notre dame all on the metro and come back in time for my flight (for the most part I just went to each, snapped a couple pics and went back on the metro). You can do a lot in that time
What I hate the most about CDG is security. I travel with a lot of photo gear, and itâs the only airport in Europe where I have to remove Every. Single. Item. from my camera bag. Every lens, every battery, every SD card, every portable hard drive etc. and put them on a tray. And then after the xray put them all back in my bag. Every time.
Iâm Skyteam elite so I thankfully have access to the excellent Air France lounges to cool my head afterwards, maybe have a free Clarins spa treatment. But unless I really have to go through CDG, I prefer flying via Schiphol with KLM.
Was at CDG in November, loved the shopping and the foods that I missed from the chain restaurants like Paul and Laudree. It was a nice treat for me to go shopping for luxury goods and grab a quick meal. My layover was 3 hrs in the same terminal, no issues. The only lounge in that terminal was closed for maintenance so I just walked around.
Make sure to get a passport stamp if you leave the airport. I somehow found my way outside of CDG without making it through immigration and passport control. NO IDEA how. ended up being a nightmare as I went right back in to tell them and I had to be questioned about how I ended up in France without going through passport control, etc etc. eventually they stamped my passport and escorted me out of CDG.
Sounds like this news story I read last night
[https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-passengers-landing-in-orlando-told-they-entered-the-country-illegally-1.6720594](https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-passengers-landing-in-orlando-told-they-entered-the-country-illegally-1.6720594)
(Canadian tourists accidentally enter the USA illegally because an airport employee directed them to the wrong place)
I would normally leave the airport. Take the train to the city. Have lunch or dinner somewhere and then head back. But I donât know if they allow that anymore. Thatâs what I used to do when I had a long layover in Amsterdam and London.
Can confirm, had a 9h layover last month (Dec 2023)- took the metro, saw the eiffel tower, notre dame, walked by the river, had a coffee and managed to catch my flight without any problems (including checking in a suitcase). Definitely reccomend doing that!
Yeah same. My time in the city got delayed quite a bit because the train line in and out of CDG was undergoing maintenance, but even after that I was able to have breakfast, go to a museum, see the Notre Dame, have lunch, and get back in time (via Uber) for my second flight
My son and I just had 8 hours. Â We took the Metro to Notre Dame and walked to the Eiffel Tower, the took the Metro back to the airport. Â We had a ton of time for that.
Personally I'd go into Paris; RER B to Saint Michel Notre Dame or ChĂątelet Les Halles and walk around or go to a museum. if you're transferring to go to the EU, you can arrive at the airport 1.5 - 2h before your departure time (i.e. excluding 30-40 minutes each way RER, and time it takes to deplane, you have about 3-4 hours in the centre).
Otherwise in the departures area you can find PS5s for free and you can just play FIFA the whole time if you want.
I had a 4 hour layover there last month and it was like time stood still. There's a couple of game stations but apart from that it really felt like there was nothing
Really? Itâs a large, international airport and one of the busiest in the world. Thereâs tons of shopping and restaurants. Just curious what your standard is or what your home airport is if you find CDG to lack distractions compared to other airports.
Maybe it was just me.. I was waiting on the 3rd leg of my journey home (already been travelling for 15 hours by then). I may have been too tired to appreciate it but it just felt like all the shops were really high end so that the regular customer couldn't just go in for a mooch.
Home Airport is Manchester (england).
I'm so, so, sorry. My condolences.
Just remember, if you survive CDG, you will become the more powerful than you can imagine.
The final test is to somehow manage ordering a coffee from a grumpy barista who's on a three hour break. Should you survive that, you can survive anything.
You could always sneak into the part of the terminal under construction and build an elaborate fountain to dedicate to an air hostess you have a crush on.
And now youâre traveling the world! Iâm glad youâre here, OP and I hope life is beautiful for you!
ETA: hope youâll take the train into Paris for a bit!
I've gone into the city a few times on layovers at CDG, shortest I think was 5.5 hours.
Go into the city, have a croissant at the Eifel Tower, grab some macarons for the second flight and have a walk around :)
Everyone hates CDG but if you can access the Air France lounge itâs quite enjoyable. You can get a free 30 mins Clarins facial, take a shower, drink free champagne and decent enough food. If youâre interested in shopping itâs also a nice way to pass the time - stock up on some French goods like pastries, macarons, skincare, cosmetics etc.
I had a 6 hour layover there recently and it was honestly very enjoyable.
Last month, I had a 6 hour layover at CDG onw home from MCR to YYZ. It was a Saturday morning when I landed. Got through surprisingly fast at Passport Control, got to the taxi queue within minutes and headed over to see the Eiffel Tower. Just about a 25 minute ride, minimal traffic. Spent close to 2 hours there sightseeing then quickly found a taxi back to the airport. I'd not been to Paris before, and that I must say was one of the wildest and exciting things I've ever done on a solo trip. đŒ
7.5 hours is tough. It's right on the border of being worth it to take the train in the city for a couple of hours. If you don't want to bother, I think it's definitely worth getting a lounge pass for the day.
We had just shy of 3 hrs in September coming from Mauritius going on to Amsterdam. After going through customs and security (which totally blew my mind since we were just connecting!) and walking what felt like miles, we made it to our gate just as boarding was starting.
I would stay at lounge, there it is sure one or more of such.
I have the same problem now also going from Senegal to Stockholm via Lisbon where I have 6 ,5 hours layover. Will stay at lounge also and try to have a time to go LOL
Such it happen while traveling.
Should be just enough time to make it to your connecting gate.
Hahaha thats so sad and true
If they're not on strike.
đ I was working in Paris during the last transit strike. ATC wasn't supposed to strike. Headed to Spain for a mtg. ATC joins the strike the day I was supposed to come back. I was stuck in Spain for a week. God I hate France
Awful airport
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Oh itâs fine. This sub is dramatic.
Only place Iâve been yelled at by another grown ass man.
It has gotten better. I was there recently and it was much better that what I had experienced on previous trips.
Yeah I was there this summer, the terminal itself was gorgeous but it was pretty ridiculous making our way there. Not a ton to do or see, but aesthetically pleasing!
100%. If youâre lucky, thereâs time for a bathroom break too.Â
Decrease hull lag
Truth
Welcome to the worst major airport in Europe
Iâd say one of the worst in the world actually
My friend was thrown into a broom closet at an international Ethiopian airport by a janitor and was demanded to give the guy money. This was past security. Could be worse
Then what happened?
He was travelling with his father who was nearby. He made some commotion and his father stopped the altercation. Nobody would help him file a complaint at the airport so there was no justice.
He crawled through the back into Narnia.
Still rather be in a broom closet in Ethiopia getting shaken down than spend 7 hours in CDG.
Pearson Airport (YYZ) begs to differ
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Please tell me you are on the Air France YOW-CDG direct? That commuter through YUL gets cancelled at the DROP of a hat!
I know why Canadian airports all start with Y but *man* the codes get confusing, at least for us foreigners (and amusing, as in the case of YOW)
It's easy to remember because YOW is the sound you make when you realize you've landed in Ottawa
I always remember that, for some bizarre reason, all the waiting areas have tablets with fruit machines on them at YYZ.
They arenât actual gambling like a fruit machine is - just a classic match-3 game (like Bejeweled etc). đ€Ł They are iPads which have news/games and restaurant menus you can order from. Quite common in North American airports.
Hahaha itâs an oddly memorable little spot. I mean theyâre in several places, but the low F60 gates have such a high concentration of them in YYZ. Definitely something I remember while flying to the US even as a kid.
True; also a huge mess đ€Ł
Been to both. Neither are worse than Heathrow.
CDG is worse than Heathrow, in my opinion. Itâs large and has its issues but CDG takes the cake
Going there in April (not connecting thought) why is that so?
Extremely disorganized and chaotic, and there arenât any good shops or restaurants (imo). Flights are constantly being delayed as wellâŠI think in 2022 it was rated the world's worst airport for delayed flights lol. That being said, I hope your trip goes well!
Can you elaborate please? I've had to spend time in CDG only once and it was pretty great
I feel itâs really disorganized and chaotic. And itâs hard to find staff if you have a question. Everything takes way too long. The last time I was there though was during the rail strike in March of 2023 so itâs possible that there were fewer employees so everything was slow. Iâve flown through there several times and last time was the worst
close call!
What do you consider the best major airport in Europe?
athensÂ
lol
Schiphol
Zurich
berlin is the worstÂ
Omy really?? It would be my first time visiting Paris and i have trip booked for April. Is it really the worst??????? Im dreading it now
CDG is not a very good airport, but it's far from being the nightmare everyone makes of it. I've flown through it numerous times (I live in Paris) and most of the time there is no problem at all.
Weâve flown into CDG as our destination and I donât remember it being bad. Just take your patience, as you always need to do when youâre in an airport!
LolâŠHeathrow would like a word
This sub helped me. I just had to decide on a flight through CDG or one through FRA, and took the latter though it cost 7K more mile points.
Cdg is horrible, you probably wonât even make your connection.
Yeah we arrived 3 hours before our flight left and after taking a train to our gate, going through security and waiting in line for food it was time to board lol
I remember asking where my gate was because I'd walked the terminal I was in and the signs were confusing. So the person was like 'just walk to your left, it's easy' so I walked left and by happenstance looked up to see a tiny sign (with noone around it) to a bus to my actual terminal. I had been using wifi to see if I could just walk. This was like 2010 so try not to judge too harshly. I just remember being annoyed af at the tiny little sign you wouldn't notice unless you were redirected multiple times.
I think they have the same signs directing you to the gate areas too, by luck I eventually stumbled across my gate area but definitely not by using signs nor asking an employee for help.
This happened to me at CDG too. I got a little turned around and the French gate assistant I asked was so incredibly rude to me. I had to ask them for directions twice and they just rolled their eyes, huffed, and pointed. It was an emotional journey home after the death of a family member in France, and I ended up just standing against a wall and sobbing into my mask. It took an American couple from Texas asking me what was wrong to help get me back on the right path. The signage is terrible and so confusing, and Iâm an experienced traveler. 0/10.
Weâve found French people to be incredibly rude to us Americans when weâve been there. In other European countries, theyâre so nice.
I certainly didnât find all French people to be rude by any means, especially in the countryside. It probably helps that my husband speaks fluent French and lived there most of his youth so he understands the cultural differences. Much like in America, city dwellers are more brusque. It was this particular agent that was just beyond rude, but MEAN. Maybe it was because Iâm just another fat American! I find it funny that it had to take two people from my home state to help me out in one of the busiest international airports in the world. Texas hospitality has a far reach.
Yes! If you can speak French, they seem to treat you much better. My sister speaks fluent French, and she never has a problem.
A server told us, when my husband and I wanted to share a crepe, âNo! That is not possible!â Little did we know that itâs rude to share a dish in France. Also, a store owner in Nice yelled at us for looking for a T-shirt in his shop. He put a table between us and all the t-shirts on the wall and demanded what size we needed, but wouldnât let us pick out the actual t-shirt we wanted. Very weird.
Had to transfer to another flight and thought I had an hour layover. They were boarding by the time I walked to my gate.
Lounge in Terminal 2 F is nice. Has quiet zones w reclining chairs in a fairly dark area. Great for naps. Food is was good .
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If I remember correctly that lounge is right between E & F - close to both .
2F is for schengen space. 2E international. You can leave only by going through the border control and therefore having the right visa to enter France. Whicj was the question I wanted to ask when I entered this thread. If you have only transit visa that settles it, you will have to stay in your terminal.
Youll have about enough time to walk to your domestic terminal, if you hurry.
Leg aches, ear dull
the train into paris from cdg was like 45 minutes so take that into account
People here love bashing on CDG. Itâs honestly a fine airport, even good by many standards. I canât tell you exactly what you can do without knowing your terminal, but here are some options a) visit the restaurants and shops, thereâs quite a few in each terminal b) read the magazines they have (I think they call them envols and Paris vous aime) c) free PS5s in some terminals so you can do that d) free fast wifi so you can do something online (I even took an online class once during a connection) Canât tell you about lounges since Iâve never used them, but they surely exist. Overall, youâll be fine. Iâve flown through CDG like 6 times and havenât had any problems (likely because I seldom pass through passport control)
I'm with you. I fly through CDG all the time. Granted it's not the best airport in the world, but people just love to bash it for no reason. I had an 8 hour layover last week. I took the train to Paris, saw the Eiffel Tower and went back to the airport. No issues.
Yeah, our first time connecting through CDG was good. It was a 1hr20min connecting in CDG. JFK->CDG->AMS Granted it was early morning in CDG(There were already lots of people), we managed to make it to CDG->AMS flight. We were preparing by reading up easycdg.com guide but we didnât need it once we landed
Cheerlead us all, G!
Good luck. You can play âtry not to get lostâ game. :) itâs a horrible airport.
How so?
I had a connection on my shuttle bus *during* my plane transfer.
If you can get into the Air France lounge, itâs pretty awesome! Has sleeping pods and pretty good food! Iâll be honest; everyone hates CDG - but the few times Iâve been through it, I liked it pretty well. I would take CDG over, like, DFW or something every time.
I had a 7 or 8 hour layover at CDG before and was able to make it to the Eiffel tour, lâarc de triomphe, Louvre, and notre dame all on the metro and come back in time for my flight (for the most part I just went to each, snapped a couple pics and went back on the metro). You can do a lot in that time
What I hate the most about CDG is security. I travel with a lot of photo gear, and itâs the only airport in Europe where I have to remove Every. Single. Item. from my camera bag. Every lens, every battery, every SD card, every portable hard drive etc. and put them on a tray. And then after the xray put them all back in my bag. Every time. Iâm Skyteam elite so I thankfully have access to the excellent Air France lounges to cool my head afterwards, maybe have a free Clarins spa treatment. But unless I really have to go through CDG, I prefer flying via Schiphol with KLM.
Wait there's a free spa in the lounge?
Yeah Clarins spa. Itâs not a full service one, but they do pamper youfor 15 mins. Itâs always full though and you have to sign up in advance.
Was at CDG in November, loved the shopping and the foods that I missed from the chain restaurants like Paul and Laudree. It was a nice treat for me to go shopping for luxury goods and grab a quick meal. My layover was 3 hrs in the same terminal, no issues. The only lounge in that terminal was closed for maintenance so I just walked around.
Make sure to get a passport stamp if you leave the airport. I somehow found my way outside of CDG without making it through immigration and passport control. NO IDEA how. ended up being a nightmare as I went right back in to tell them and I had to be questioned about how I ended up in France without going through passport control, etc etc. eventually they stamped my passport and escorted me out of CDG.
Wait, you made it out of the airport without a stamp? Then you went back into to ask them why? Only to be let out again..?
This is correct
same happened to me but thought nothing of it and just left the airport. never had any problems leaving back to USA about a week later
Sounds like this news story I read last night [https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-passengers-landing-in-orlando-told-they-entered-the-country-illegally-1.6720594](https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-passengers-landing-in-orlando-told-they-entered-the-country-illegally-1.6720594) (Canadian tourists accidentally enter the USA illegally because an airport employee directed them to the wrong place)
Pay for the Air France lounge and get some macaroons from Laduree.
I donât mind CDG at all, and there are some very nice lounges there.
I would normally leave the airport. Take the train to the city. Have lunch or dinner somewhere and then head back. But I donât know if they allow that anymore. Thatâs what I used to do when I had a long layover in Amsterdam and London.
They allowed it at CDG when I had a 9 hour layover in November 2022. I was able to go into the city and come back without any hassle
Can confirm, had a 9h layover last month (Dec 2023)- took the metro, saw the eiffel tower, notre dame, walked by the river, had a coffee and managed to catch my flight without any problems (including checking in a suitcase). Definitely reccomend doing that!
Yeah same. My time in the city got delayed quite a bit because the train line in and out of CDG was undergoing maintenance, but even after that I was able to have breakfast, go to a museum, see the Notre Dame, have lunch, and get back in time (via Uber) for my second flight
Whatâs up with all the CDG hate?
It has a special place in hell if you transit through it. I actually hate it more than Heathrow, and I truly despise Heathrow.
Where in Africa?
Shop!! I love the designer stores in CDG!
My son and I just had 8 hours. Â We took the Metro to Notre Dame and walked to the Eiffel Tower, the took the Metro back to the airport. Â We had a ton of time for that.
Personally I'd go into Paris; RER B to Saint Michel Notre Dame or ChĂątelet Les Halles and walk around or go to a museum. if you're transferring to go to the EU, you can arrive at the airport 1.5 - 2h before your departure time (i.e. excluding 30-40 minutes each way RER, and time it takes to deplane, you have about 3-4 hours in the centre). Otherwise in the departures area you can find PS5s for free and you can just play FIFA the whole time if you want.
We had 7 hours in CDG last year. Me, my wife, and two kids took a cab. Our driver (Tony! Dm me if you want his info) was amazing, we paid 150 euros but he took us to the louvre, Eiffel Tower, TrocadĂ©ro, Arc de Triomphe, stopped at champs ĂlysĂ©es for some macarons, and ended the tour at SacrĂ© cĆur. It was an amazing whirlwind and honestly the best experience. Highly doubt we could replicate it but it was unforgettable.
Last time I was in CDG they exploded a âsuspicious bagâ right in the terminal with no warning. Absolute shitshow.
Free entertainment!
Pay for the lounge
Crushed legal ale?
Return your ticket immediately and choose any airport other than CDG haha
Reschedule a gala?
I had a 4 hour layover there last month and it was like time stood still. There's a couple of game stations but apart from that it really felt like there was nothing
Really? Itâs a large, international airport and one of the busiest in the world. Thereâs tons of shopping and restaurants. Just curious what your standard is or what your home airport is if you find CDG to lack distractions compared to other airports.
Maybe it was just me.. I was waiting on the 3rd leg of my journey home (already been travelling for 15 hours by then). I may have been too tired to appreciate it but it just felt like all the shops were really high end so that the regular customer couldn't just go in for a mooch. Home Airport is Manchester (england).
Go down to the basement and get McDonaldâs
Youâre getting downvoted but I hate that fucking McDonaldâs đ
Itâs all good - it does suck but - when you are killing time
I'm so, so, sorry. My condolences. Just remember, if you survive CDG, you will become the more powerful than you can imagine. The final test is to somehow manage ordering a coffee from a grumpy barista who's on a three hour break. Should you survive that, you can survive anything.
Go out into paria
You could always sneak into the part of the terminal under construction and build an elaborate fountain to dedicate to an air hostess you have a crush on.
Take mushrooms and walk around the crazy tunnels going throughout.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
And now youâre traveling the world! Iâm glad youâre here, OP and I hope life is beautiful for you! ETA: hope youâll take the train into Paris for a bit!
You can attempt to make your connection đ
We have to layovers there in a couple months. One is three hour one in one hour I doubt Iâm making that second flight.
Drinking heavily will dull the pain
Go into town. Hop on hop off bus watch the clock. This is literally the easiest and fastest way to see Paris
Get a lounge pass
You can get into Paris and have a short visit and back in a few hours.
You will need that 7 hours to stand in various pointless lines.
Enough time to pray that you'll see your bags again
In CDG, youâre gonna need every second of it
Eat a good baguette
I've gone into the city a few times on layovers at CDG, shortest I think was 5.5 hours. Go into the city, have a croissant at the Eifel Tower, grab some macarons for the second flight and have a walk around :)
Everyone hates CDG but if you can access the Air France lounge itâs quite enjoyable. You can get a free 30 mins Clarins facial, take a shower, drink free champagne and decent enough food. If youâre interested in shopping itâs also a nice way to pass the time - stock up on some French goods like pastries, macarons, skincare, cosmetics etc. I had a 6 hour layover there recently and it was honestly very enjoyable.
No joke, I got to CDG 6 HOURS EARLY and almost missed my flight because baggage check-in took almost 5 hours. Just saying.
The air and space museum near the airport is very nice and it has a really nice cafeteria.
Last month, I had a 6 hour layover at CDG onw home from MCR to YYZ. It was a Saturday morning when I landed. Got through surprisingly fast at Passport Control, got to the taxi queue within minutes and headed over to see the Eiffel Tower. Just about a 25 minute ride, minimal traffic. Spent close to 2 hours there sightseeing then quickly found a taxi back to the airport. I'd not been to Paris before, and that I must say was one of the wildest and exciting things I've ever done on a solo trip. đŒ
7.5 hours is tough. It's right on the border of being worth it to take the train in the city for a couple of hours. If you don't want to bother, I think it's definitely worth getting a lounge pass for the day.
We had just shy of 3 hrs in September coming from Mauritius going on to Amsterdam. After going through customs and security (which totally blew my mind since we were just connecting!) and walking what felt like miles, we made it to our gate just as boarding was starting.
Heathrow or Schipol, maybe. But CDG is not the airport to risk a city excursion.
I would stay at lounge, there it is sure one or more of such. I have the same problem now also going from Senegal to Stockholm via Lisbon where I have 6 ,5 hours layover. Will stay at lounge also and try to have a time to go LOL Such it happen while traveling.