Passport Control CDG

The signage just says sortie/exit, and in most cases you need to walk to a train, take said train, then walk again so 20+ minutes is not unheard-of! I don't see how you could have taken a "different" path anyway, it is a very linear layout.

Sorry to hear about your experience. I arrived yesterday - 9/22. My experience was very pleasant. The paths were clearly marked. The total experience timeframe was much better than expected.

People seem to get very upset if it doesn’t say passport or immigration or something. I’ve never been to an international airport where if you didn’t just follow the exit signs they weren’t going to funnel you through immigration, baggage claim and customs.

Laurie Beth, it's not just you. Last year I had a layover at CDG before heading to Berlin, and I was so confused heading from Terminal E to F (I'm assuming that's where you were going as well). It's not just a straight linear path - there are people going all over the place and no clear direction. I finally made it through but the experience just about drained me. So it is not your imagination! Here's my post if you'd like to read about my nightmare. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/the-giant-headache-of-transferring-from-terminal-2e-to-2f-at-cdg

FWIW, coming back will be much easier. It is a so much simpler going from Terminal F to E. The signs are clearly marked and the path is easy to follow. You should have no problem there. I will never understand the mentality at CDG and why they make it so difficult for travelers.

Thanks for making me feel better. I've been thru CDG transiting, departed from CDG, but I don't think I'd ever been thru passport control there. Good news is finding RER for 1st time was easy.

When I arrive at CDG, invariably bone tired and probably looking something like a homeless person, I don't even worry about looking for signs, You just have to follow the herd. 90% of people are heading for Immigration. Just follow the pack. LOL, I think I've even sleepwalked it a couple of times.

A question for experienced CDG travelers: Arriving on Delta for layover with final destination Nice. If I have just carry on suitcase, will I have to go through luggage security before boarding the final flight? Both are Delta flights. Layover is short so looking to be efficient whether to check the bag or not. Thanks

Last year we had to make a connection at CDG for Athens. We flew Delta from JFK. Delta had assured us that we'd be able to make our connection of 45 minutes (which was a change from our original layover). Apparently, the plane was running a bit late. We had to get a new ticket, which we had no idea we had to do, then go through the scanning of luggage, and then through customs (which was the easy part). We and 4 others missed the connection from Paris to Athens by 5 minutes. We didn't like it but we took it in stride. The other 4, were Greeks, and they didn't take it well. The Air France connection staff were very helpful despite the yelling from the Greeks. Security was almost called. In the end, we all caught a plane to Amsterdam to pick up passengers (students), and flew onto Athens. 3 hours later we arrived, then we had to get in touch with our hotel (thank goodness we did have a hotel and not an AirBnB, so we could get our driver back to pick us up at 10 PM. Our luggage that was checked (for all 6 of us) was lost. I thankfully had a carry on. However, my husband's medication (yeah I know), was in his checked bag which was lost for 4 days. We almost had to use our travel insurance. Everything ended well thankfully. The hotel staff was amazing and so was the travel insurance staff which we didn't have to go any further with. Lesson learned by many.

“Arriving on Delta for layover with final destination Nice. If I have just carry on suitcase, will I have to go through luggage security before boarding the final flight? Both are Delta flights. Layover is short so looking to be efficient whether to check the bag or not.”

Yes, you will go through security as you transit from 2E to 2F. I’m not sure what you are thinking when you say luggage security. Do you mean will they look thru your bag? Not usually unless you’ve got something that triggers a look from the scanner.

You go through security lines just like at your US airport whether you have a carry on bag or just a personal item. As mentioned in your other thread it won’t make much difference in the time it takes to get through security with a carry on suitcase if you are efficient and ready. That means all liquids in a 3-1-1 quart size ziplock. Items out of your pockets. Computer and possibly tablet and possibly watch ready to go into a scanner bin.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/checked-bag-vs-passport-control-cdg

CDG has a deserved reputation for being confusing, sending you walking some strange routes, and having poor signage. I have literally arrived at a T-intersection and seen a sign that said Exit with an arrow pointing BOTH directions! I followed the crowd. I have walked 20 minutes of up, down, through this tunnel, over this walkway, etc.--no options to turn off, so I did get where I was going, and no signs. That has happened more than once. I have arrived at my gate only to be told I was at the wrong gate by the gate agent (I was early enough that the flight wasn't posted), be sent walking far away, then be sent back, arrived at the same gate, and was told by the same agent that I was in the right place! We have been on a bus changing terminals and when boarding, my husband asked the bus driver if this was the bus to terminal whatever it was, only for the bus driver to say he didn't know! When transferring on our way to Africa, we had to check in again, and the whole process took 3 of our 4 hours. Sometimes we have to take a train; other times we don't. It's a giant mess. I have had one or two smooth transitions there, but by and large it's been a pain of an airport with lots of walking.

Hubby and I spend extra money NOT to fly through CDG.