Hello,
I'm arriving into CDG from the US at 6:55 am on a weekday in early November. There's a SNCF train I would like to be on leaving from the CDG station at 8:28 am that morning. Is it too ambitious to think I would be able to clear customs and collect bags in time to make the 8:28 train? I've heard there's been many delays recently but thinking maybe in November it won't be as bad and since it won't be during the weekend.
Thank you in advance.
That is not too ambitious.
But if you choose to book the train ticket in advance make sure it is flexible refundable and exchangeable;, these are usually the most expensive.
Or just buy the train ticket on the day you arrive at the CDG train station.
In November 2021 my mother & I processed just under an hour through Immigration, nothing to declare so bypassed Customs, got our luggage & headed to the train station in CDG.. We were faster than others due to my mother in a wheelchair. The standard Immigration/Passport line for Non-EU citizens had hundreds of people in line with less than half the agent windows open. A few airlines arrived the same timeframe as ours from LAX. So you do have options with a refundable ticket, a later departure or purchase upon arrival.
Good luck & enjoy your trip.
I agree with above, either get a refundable ticket or buy one at the station or plan on a later train. Hopefully your early landing will give you more rail choices later in the day. I'd suggest leaving at least three hours.
You might make the 8:28, but you need to have a plan in place for if you don't make it, as everything has to go pretty much perfectly for you to make it (no flight delays, no immigration delays, no trouble finding your way to the train station and finding your specific departure platform).
Maybe not the best place to ask, but what about the PARFE lines being open to US travelers? I had heard from some travel sites and seen a few posts on this forum about those biometric lines being expanded to a handful of non EU citizens.
It seems like that would speed things up considerably. Does anyone have any recent experience from CDG?
Dean
