CDG to Gare du Nord

The general consensus I have seen is to allow four hours between your ETA at CDG and your departure time from a Paris train station. You will not have checked bags but will you have to go through passport control and will you be in the front of the plane. You’ll probably make it but it’s an hour until the next train so maybe not worth the worry to buy a ticket on the earlier train. I’d book the later train but I hate rushing when traveling more than I hate sitting around waiting for a train. By the way, do know that you can catch a train to Amsterdam (with a connection in Brussels) from CDG?

The RER from CDG to Gare du Nord would work, and would be more
predictable than a taxi. But no matter what, you have to account for
passport control, flight delays, etc.

I think if all goes well, 3 hrs may be enough. But if things don't go well
is the risk. Only you can decide how much of it you're willing to tolerate.

Given the later train is only +1 hour, I'd opt for it, most likely. If all goes
well, you have time to grab a snack before getting on the train.

JHK, I hadn't searched for a train from the airport. Thanks for the information. I've just checked SNCF and see the times and prices. The Eurostar fares are a bit less and trip a bit faster so we'll stick with that trip. But it seems as though I would be safer taking the later train.

shoeflyer, I will look into the RER. Thanks for the recommendation.

would 3 hours be enough time to get on this train.

2 hours might be enough time. But I do not think that is the important question, which should be: how much time do I allow to be reasonably assured of getting to the train? 4 hours would allow reasonable assurance, but then there are late arriving flights, problems at passport control, potential problems getting into Paris, etc.

If you are taking a train from Gare du Nord, and not CDG, I would allow no less than 4 hours, and I would take the RER B from CDG, purchasing a ticket MTA (Métro Train Aéroport) at 11.80€. I would also, upon landing or before if you can, check the RATP website to be sure that the RER B is operating normally: www.ratp.fr

The train from CDG to Nord is a local commuter train that runs every few minutes and you can get tickets from machines at the airport RER station which is well signed and all the trains are going to Gare du NOrd.

The 4 hour rule takes into account reasonable delays. e.g. Our plane was two hours late last fall and we might have made a train 4 hours after ETA because immmigration was faster than usual. We would not have made a train 3 hours after. In our last 3 trips Immigration has taken close to two hours, about 45 minutes and about 15 minutes i.e. it is not predictable, but an hour is a good guess. The trip to Nord takes about an hour including getting to the station.

Luggage is very slow at CDG and when we get through immigration quickly we always have to wait -- sometimes as long as an hour, but usually about half an hour to get checked luggage. Last fall our bags and those of several others didn't show up; the agents insisted they had been loaded on the belt and someone must have taken them -- BUT we were right there and knew that was not true. Finally they investigated and it turned out 15 or 20 bags were in some sort of conveyor belt jam up underground and someone freed them and got them on the belt. Stuff happens and the 4 hour rule means you are less likely to miss your train if it does. 3 hours would work if everything went perfectly.

Usually transatlantic flights are a little early -- but not always.

Are the flights from Canada to CDG a lot cheaper than flying to Amsterdam directly? If the plan is to return to Paris and fly out of there, can you get an open jaw flight? I'm guessing my questions are academic, that you've already booked your flight.

A taxi from CDG to Gare du Nord would take about an hour depending on traffic. I've driven in Paris to Gare du Nord and I don't envy the taxi drivers. The RER is 36 minutes.

I'd err on the side of caution and allow 4 hours. Passport control is time consuming and there's a small window for the passengers of each train to go through. You are allotted a time slot.

Gare du Nord is a nice station. There's food both inside and lots of restaurants within a 10 minute walk.

I see you've been to both Paris and Amsterdam before, so I'm sure you know what you want to see and do. We've been to Paris several times and Amsterdam once. We love both!

I would take the 16:07 to Brussel, and change there. This may not be the fastest route, but it avoids having to deal with the RER, and the Gare du Nord.