Getting to CDG for Early Flight

Sorry, although I scanned recent questions, I somehow missed that this question was asked and answered a few days ago.

Experiences vary. In May at CDG, it took me an hour to get from arrival at the airport to my gate - and that included stopping to change my flight with a Delta agent. (I did not check bags.) Security line was quick. Passport control was quick. Also had to take a shuttle over to my gate. However, I'd arrived three hours before departure. A woman sitting next to me on my flight arrived an hour after I had and had to wait much longer - she was stressing about making her flight.

My solution to the "early flight" problem a few times at CDG has been to get an airport hotel with a free shuttle. Note that some "airport hotels" at CDG aren't really that close to the airport, so make sure if you book a place that it's pretty close. Then you can take the RER or a bus to CDG the night before.

Also, is the 7AM departure for a flight out of Schengen (e.g. out of Europe) or to another European country within the Schengen zone? Such "domestic flights" don't require quite as much time at the airport, generally.

As Andrew has suggested, our solution to the the early flight problem is to sleep at a hotel at the airport. I'm too much of a worrywart to do otherwise. CDG has several options. We've been happy with the Ibis. it's clean and budget priced. Rooms are small, but who cares? I believe there's a Sheraton ( more luxury and higher prices), and a couple of others. What Andrew said about being careful to get a hotel that's actually in the airport is important. With Ibis, for example, there are two listed for Roissy, the town where the airport is located. One of them, along with a number of other hotels is located in what I would call a hotel park. They have shuttles, which don't take too long; but why not just be where you need to be? With the Ibis in the airport, you take a few steps out the door to an internal tram, which takes you to your terminal. I assume it's the same with the others.

A regular taxi will probably cost about 60 Eu at that early hour. I take taxis to the airport. They can get you to your terminal in less than an hour from central Paris in the early morning. I've also stayed at an airport hotel (Hotel CitizenM) the night before and then just walked to the free CDGVAL shuttle train to get to my terminal. There is an inexpensive Ibis Hotel right there, too.

Staying at the airport at CDG for a 7AM flight appears to be the only option that will allow you to keep your sanity intact. As I have been noting, the Passport Control desk has been woefully understaffed for years at CDG - so if you have two planes departing for the USA at that your, be sure to factor in a ONE HOUR MINIMUM time to stand in line with other stressed passengers. So plan to arrive 3 hours MINIMUM at the terminal, not when you leave your hotel, is a Good Idea.

I am flying from Paris to Ireland. I don't know if that will make a difference in going through customs. Staying at the airport the night before a flight seems like a costly option that also takes away an evening in Paris. I'm going to check out the possibility of hiring a G-7 taxi driver to pick me up at 4 a.m. or hire a private car service. Both are probably equal to, or cheaper than, a night in a airport hotel.

I have used G7 taxi service for morning flights several times they are totally reliable . Even though you are only flying to Ireland I would still aim to be at airport by 5 am at latest.