Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Europe’s second-busiest air transport hub (after London’s Heathrow Airport) Charles de Gaulle Airport serves the beautiful city of love, France’s capital Paris. Named after former President Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle, Charles de Gaulle is also known to locals as Paris Roissy and is the larger of 2 airports in Paris (the other being Orly Airport). Also considered one of the world’s busiest airports, Charles de Gaule handles more than 60 million passengers annually and is the base of France’s flag carrier Air France.

Terminals

With an area of more than 30 square kilometres, Charles de Gaulle airport is not small. The fact that it is separated into 3 terminals further makes it the perfect place for getting hopelessly lost in if one does not know the way.

Because of its impressive size, travelers moving from terminal to terminal may want to consider taking the CDGVAL to save time and effort. A light rail metro system, the CDGVAL connects all 3 of the airport terminals along with the various train stations (RER and TGV) and car parks available at the airport. It is completely free, and runs every 4 minutes.

For travelers moving within the mammoth Terminal 2 itself, a free shuttle bus is available to help transport you to far-flung gates, train stations and remote car parks as well.

Services and Facilities

A huge selection of F&B outlets, duty-free shops, banks, pharmacies, lounges, newsagents and more can be found at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Airports near Paris Charles de Gaulle:

Getting to & from the Airport

Driving hide

Charles de Gaulle Airport is located less than 25 kilometres northeast of Paris, making it a pretty doable drive even for first-time tourists. Car hire agencies like Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and others can be found at Terminals 1 and 2 of the airport (at their respective Arrivals levels). Once ensconced in a vehicle, travelers can take the A1 or A3 motorways to get to the city of Paris from the airport.

Trains hide

For most travelers, the RER trains are the fastest and most cost-effective means of getting into Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport. There are 2 RER stations designated for the airport – one serves Terminals 1 and 3, and the other serves Terminal 2 – and these can be reached either on foot or via the CDGVAL light rail.

Trains run from these RER stations every 10-15 minutes and head to Paris-Gare du Nord station, located at the heart of the city. The ride takes only about half an hour, and tickets cost about 10 euros per adult.

For those heading out of Paris, though, the TGV High Speed Train at Terminal 2 of Charles de Gaulle Airport is for you. This train connects passengers to nearby French cities such as Lille, Lyon, Avignon, Bordeaux, Nimes, Montpellier, Nantes, Grenoble and more, along with Belguim capital Brussels.

Buses hide

Different types of airport buses are available from Charles de Gaulle airport – these include Air France coaches heading to Orly Airport, Place de l’Etoile (Arc de Triomphe) amongst other destinations, as well as the Roissybus (going towards Paris-Opéra) or local public buses heading towards Paris-Gare du Nord and other popular drop-off points.

Taxi hide

Taxis can readily be found at Charles de Gaulle airport taxi stands and link passengers to Paris in a speedy half hour. However, this isn’t a popular choice with most travelers as fares are rather steep (expect to hand over at least 50-60 euros for the ride).