Better to arrive or depart CDG?

Nicole, I have never found CDG to be as bad as its reputation. Anyway, if you can fly from Montreal on AirTransat (always cheaper than AirCanada), you will land at Terminal 3, which is small and easy to negotiate. Let me know if you want info on an easy and cheap (about 5 euro) way to get onto Paris from T3.

Didn't think it was highly impt, but we have amassed enough Air Miles to get 2 tix, so we would be flying with Air Canada...not sure if that makes a diff what terminal you come into...

What I forgot to look into was what time, if we were departing CDG...flights would leave - I know there a few options...but I think most had us back home at 8-10pm, whereas if we fly home direct from LHR, we'd be home at 2-3pm.

Yes, it does. AC lands at T2. You might want to investigate AirTransat, though, as I think they fly to Toulouse, which may work for you.

We loath CDG and have a number of miserable exits there. We always made the plane and we do it occasionally now but for many years we would arrange our European trips to arrive at CDG and depart elsewhere. Last year, we arrived CDG and departed Madrid. The year before we arrived CDG and departed Schiphol. We often end longer trips with 3 nights in Amsterdam (a fabulous '3 night city') so we didn't have to fly out of CDG.

So if it is easy to arrange the open jaw so you leave elsewhere I would do it but if you do use CDG take seriously the rule to check in 3 hours before your flight.

You have more options, admittedly complicated.
Icelandair operates out of Halifax with no North American connection. It will fly you to Southampton for your relatives (with connections in Iceland and the UK, so it will take awhile). Then fly home from Paris, again connecting in Iceland. Total is about $850 Cdn at that time of year. The planes will be narrow-body. http://www.icelandair.ca/
To get to Southern France from Southern UK, you can fly from Southampton to Nice or Marseille, currently priced at around $300 Cdn on a budget line. Those prices will probably rise as the date gets nearer. The flights have one connection. Info from www.skyscanner.com, which is good on the low-cost European carriers.
From the southern UK you could take the train to Paris, or even all the way to Southern France. Train fans might argue that the fast tunnel and French trains will put you in south, and certainly Paris, as efficiently as planes. These train tickets are much cheaper bought well in advance. Www.seat61.com is the encyclopedia of train info.
WestJet is now working out of Halifax with KLM/Air France across the Atlantic. Yes, you connect in Toronto, but the time of the journey matters more than the number of kilometres flown.
If you want to travel in France first, AF/KLM will put you into Marseille through Paris or Amsterdam for about the same price as stopping in Paris.
Arriving/Leaving CdG each has challenges. If your flight home originates in Paris, at least it will leave around midday. If you decide to go Halifax-UK-Paris-Marseille, the flight home will begin with a domestic flight at around 6 a.m. to make the international connection.
For this kind of research, http://www.itasoftware.com/ is very helpful. Owned by Google, it supplies airline info but does not sell tickets. It also shows connections through the east coast of the US.

I do find it a little less stressful to arrive at CDG, but have done both a number of times. The stress for me is sometimes returning a rental car and then finding my way to departure gate, and the worst was when I had a connecting flight and we were bused all over the airport. Never missed flights, but it did cause some anxiety. When I arrive, I don't care if it takes me a bit to get oriented.

The horror stories about CDG are true, and I could contribute my own, but that would be boring for folks who have read about my misadventures there in the past. I would not hesitate to fly into CDG again, but will never again fly out of or, worse, change flights there. Passport control, especially, is habitually understaffed and so slow that lines extend beyond the rope barriers into a huge knot of passengers just trying to reach the rope lines. No more of that mess for me. London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt are much better for departure cities.

Having flown into and out of CDG many times, I would say flying in is far preferable to flying out.

Yeah - my gut was saying flying in would be preferable to flying out.

Now, to get hubby to change his 'probably' to a 'yes!'

I'll have to start a new topic on where to go if I do get the yes. The tentative would be to train from Paris to Avignon area, rent a car (but can we get an automatic down there?!), stay there for 4 nights, head to Nice for 4 nights maybe stopping somewhere en route for one night. We've been to both Nice and Avignon before for 2 nights each but only got a taste - which is why we want to return. Wouldn't stay in Avignon again tho - we've pretty much seen what we wanted to see there.

I rent cars a lot and only requested an automatic in Europe once and had no problem (my right arm was in a cast, so didn't think I should be shifting) Had no problem getting the car I requested. I always rent an automatic in England and Ireland and also have never had a problem. I have enough to concentrate on being on the other side of the road, don't want to shift as well. I usually do rent with either Hertz, Avis, Budget, or one of the bigger rental companies. I never prepay, so if things don't work out you can just go to another counter.

Yes, Avignon is a big enough rental center that you should be able to get an automatic rental there without problem.

Yes - I was checking out Auto Europe and it didn't have an issue at all showing automatics avail thru Europcar at the TGV and one other spot in Avignon. We had Europcar last time we rented in France, and were happy with the price and vehicle.

Hi,

I have no problems flying into CDG from SFO or out of CDG. One time that sticks out in my mind was in 2007: the luggage took a long time in coming. Usually it seems to take forever anyway but this particular time was the worse as regards to the delay. Given the choice between arrival at CDG over departure, I'll choose arrival, since once i cross that "bridge" passing by the Sheraton on the way to the RER, I know I'm in Paris...almost.

I've had bad luck with luggage at LHR several times over the years. . . . nothing horrid, just delays in receiving it. I've also found the pre-boarding security at LHR to be slower and more rigorous.

Look at it from another perspective - would you rather be jetlagged in Paris or with your sister in Portsmouth?

I don't know how long a trip you are planning. Two things you should consider in Paris in September. First is that it is a huge month for trade shows so there's a much higher demand for rooms. If you're going to Paris then, book your hotel as early as possible. This won't affect tourist sites, just hotels. Second are the Journees du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) which this year are Sept. 19-20. If you can be in Paris then, it's special. The government buildings are open to the public, many with special exhibits. Now, in Washington, this wouldn't be a big deal, but in Paris, many are in palaces - the Senate (Luxembourg Palace), the General Assembly (Bourbon Palace), the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) to name just 3. Some embassies also open their doors, and they too are in mansions, if not palaces.

We always fly over with carry on only, so we don't have to wait for our bags (haven't had to gate check yet...knock on wood!). We have spent 5 nights over two trips already in Paris, both times in mid-Sept. We usually book accoms a few months ahead - never had an issue finding a place to stay - we aren't fussy. We've couchsurfed and airbnb'd.

Most times I try to stay with my sister in Portsmouth just before heading home - because we always get a small carry-on for our purchases made while away and I don't want to lug an extra bag around the whole trip. We don't find we have much issue with jet lag. Flying from the east coast thru the night, we just tend to hit the ground running, and with only a 5 hour time difference it's not as bad as people from the West coast with an 8-9 hour time diff.

Arrive at CDG, and depart elsewhere. Long immigration lines which always appear short staffed and difficult transfers to connnecting flights at CDG. After time in Paris, train to Nice. Then Fly Nice into where your sister lives.

I'm flying out of CDG following the "Best of Paris" tour in early October. How many hours before my flight should I arrive to make sure I'm not stranded in Paris?

-- Mike

Three hours.

Yes, three hours. But there are worse misfortunes than being "stranded" in Paris! ;-)

I'll join the crowd and agree that arriving at CDG is better than leaving from it. And, based on limited experience, I'd say leaving from LHR is better than arriving there.

Can't say I've ever had an issue departing from LHR...other than what seems like a 20 min walk to our gate! Security is generally fairly quick. Arrivals are hit and miss...at both Gatwick and LHR. I've had arrivals where we have had less than a 10 min wait to get thru passport control, and have had arrivals where we've waited 30-40 min. Our last arrival at LGW (coming from Venice - arriving in the afternoon - which was the problem) we had at least a 45 min wait. But then again...arriving home in Halifax, we can have a bit of a wait...it's def a crapshoot!

My theory is that the CDG personnel are nice people who really want you to stay in Paris. They simply cannot imagine why anyone would want to leave, much less fly through without staying a while. So they do all they can to keep you there.

When we showed up at CDG three hours ahead, it was about an hour and a half too much, so it's not always a long and annoying process to leave from there.

Note that when you leave a London area airport, there is about a $200 USD departure tax for transatlantic flights. So if price is a concern, it's often slightly cheaper to go into London and out of Somewhere Else on an open jaw routing (departure tax on intra-Europe flights is pretty minimal in comparison or there's always the train out of London option) rather than the other way around.

London-Paris-Nice, and then if you have to connect back through CDG on the way home from Nice, is it possible to stay airside there and not have to go through security again?

We have flown out of CDG and had an hour and a half to spare. We have more than once flown out of CDG and barely made the plane, not even having time to buy snacks with the last of our Euro coins or go to the restroom before having to board. CDG needs 3 hours -- it doesn't always take that long, but sometimes it does. I do hate the place. I am absolutely convinced that every French person who meets the worst stereotypes of the French is employed there; we have never met people like this anywhere else in many months over the years in France.