So this is the downside of a great fare...a 6 hour layover at CDG.
My wife and I arrive this Saturday at 8:00AM. Our next flight is at 2:00PM to another EU city.
I am guessing an hour to get thru Customs and pick up luggage which leaves us 5 hours at the airport. I am pretty certain that isn't enough time to wander from CDG to another part of town.
Does anyone have know of a good/great place to eat at the airport? A bar? Someplace that is tranquil and out of the way?
Thanks for any advice!
If it's just a layover/connecting flight you won't be picking up luggage.
Unless you've booked a flight into CDG and then another totally different itinerary from CDG onwards...in which case you may or may NOT actually have a 6 hour layover if your incoming flight is delayed.
Right - we continue on with Air France to another city. I thought we need to clear customs at CDG with luggage - but perhaps we clear at the next town, in this case Budapest.
Charles de Gaulle has several hotels within its precincts and there are freestanding bars/restaurants too. This useful guide http://easycdg.com/ can help you find them. Just don't expect "great".
Since you are transferring to another Air France flight you probably won't see your luggage. You might even be able to stay in a secure area to catch the next flight, without going through immigration/security, but that restricts how much you can roam in the airport. Your second ticket should indicate its departure terminal, or check with Air France. If you do leave the secure zone you will have to go through the security line twice, leaving the zone and then returning to your departure point. At CdG, those lines can be long (except when they're not; nobody knows.)
You will go through passport control at CDG, customs at your final destination. You will not have access to your checked luggage at CDG.
My favorite restaurant at CDG is Café Flo in terminal 2. You could also take the shuttle to the Aéroville Mall which has restaurants and shopping.
Thank you - info is very useful as well as the website.
This is my first time transiting thru CDG, I have spent time in Paris, love it, but never flown through it to another destination.
Don, speaking as someone who has been stuck at airports for 12+ hours. your 6 hour layover time (which is actually much less given deboarding the aircraft, passport control, and boarding within the hour of your second flight's departure), you will be FINE!
CDG is huge; walk around. Discover places to have a bit of breakfast and coffee. Visit bookstores. You get the idea.
You might want to consider buying daypasses for one of the AirFrance lounges at CDG. It should cost between 25 and 45 euros apiece, assuming you are flying economy and aren't a platinum member or some such thing.
And when you compare that to the cost of buying a meal, drinks, or other amenities during 5-6 hours in the airport, you might decide it's not that bad of a deal.
Yes, nothing too terribly charming or out-of-the-way at the airport, I'm afraid. Although halls K & M have FAAAAANCY eateries on the departure side, but I doubt you'll be able to take advantage of those.
My thought was the same as Lane's. I'm usually straight out of airports but have heard the lounges are a good choice. They're intended for high mileage rewards customers but many, if not most, allow travelers to pay a fee and use the service. In CDG I've heard at least some have showers, places to nap, work stations, lounging areas and complimentary (after paying the fee) food and beverages.
I don't think you have nearly enough time to think about leaving the airport and returning, unless you are staying in the vicinity of the airport.
We had a massage.
Six hours will fly by - especially if getting to your next flight you have to go through passport control which took us almost three hours in May going from CDG to Marseille... ugh!
CDG needs a facelift for sure there are few spots that are great. Even some of the airline lounges are pretty only ok at best. That said it is large and walking will kill a ton of time
