TGV trains from Charles de Gaulle Airport

We took one from CDG to Bordeaux, so no you don’t need to go into Paris. Just make sure you pay attention to which platform your train is departing from. Are you planning to go directly from your flight to the TGV or overnight at CDG? We had to stay overnight (at the CDG Hilton), grabbed the CDGVAL free tram in the morning right to the CDG TVG station at terminal 2. There were plenty of signs directing us.

When you go to the SNCF website and enter CDG as your departure point, a selection of trains for that day will populate. If it says the train is direct, then it is direct from CDG. If you have to connect at any point, it will show that it has a connection. Why would you think that the information given on the official website would be incorrect?

Presently there are 5 direct TGVs weekdays from CDG to Strasbourg. I did not check weekends.

We were planning on going directly from our flight to the TGV station.
I have not taken the TGV from Paris in many years and was not aware that there was a station at the airport. I have found that sometimes signage or wayfaring is not perfect resulting in lost or confused travelers at the airport. It sounds like this is a relatively easy transfer.

It’s a very easy transfer. The train station is in terminal 2 downstairs from the Sheraton Hotel. Follow SNCF signs. Other signs say Paris by Train, but those are for Paris area transportation, the RER, not for you.

When searching for train times, airport trains will pop up if you type “aeroport charles de gaulle” in the SNCFConnect search box.

The only concern is to give yourself enough time after arrival to make your train. When my daughter and grandkids were coming from the US I considered getting her tickets for the direct TGV train to Bordeaux. The departure times either gave her waaay too little time to make it, or waaay too much time (about 6 hours). In our case, we chose to buy the plane ticket from her US airport to Bordeaux, changing planes at CDG. It worked better time-wise, in her case. Just pay attention to the amount of time you should have between flight arrival and train departure. If you buy your TGV tickets in advance you could save money. Day-of tickets on the TGV direct trains can be pricy.
Enjoy Strasbourg! Alsace is a charming place to visit.

We took the train direct from CDG to Strasbourg. Very easy. No need to go into Paris.

Elizabeth’s post above gives very clear directions.

Judy,

How much time would you consider "enough time" for the transfer?

Our flight is a nonstop flight from Chicago. The first available train is 90 minutes after arrival. I think that may be a bit tight; what are your thoughts?

I do have another option which is 2 hours after arrival, but there is a connection and 40 minutes longer.

It sounds like you already bought your airline tickets, and I am guessing it is United. If you had bought Air France, you might have been able to buy it with the TGV to Strasbourg included.

The issue is not when your flight is scheduled to arrive, but when it will actually arrive. Delays are fairly common, and buying a nonrefundable discount ticket can leave you no option except buying a new full fare ticket.

I was going to ask which airline you are flying. As Sam said, Air France will book you a ticket that includes your train to Strasbourg. If you're arriving flight causes you to miss your train, Air France will book you on the next train at no additional cost.

In a perfect world 2 hours would be fine.

In United Airlines world, it would be uncomfortably close. In the past 10 days the Chicago to Paris flight has arrived more than 1 hour late twice and more than 3+ hours once.

nickben601,
90 minutes is too close IMO. Even 2 hours bothers me. My family was on Air France and made their plane connection in time (They had about 1 hour 45 minutes.) but moved rapidly to the other terminal for the flight to Bordeaux. It helped that they were in premium economy so they were off the plane quickly. The original plan for a TGV to Bordeaux allowed just over an hour to get to the train and we decided it was way too close. It's hard to say what to do. Being risk-averse, I would look for a 3 hour window, if possible. Best of luck.