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Time to clear immigration at CDG

Hi! How long do you estimate it will take to clear immigration at CDG on October 1. My flight is scheduled to land at 12:45 pm. I wish to buy train tickets, (not to Paris), and there is a train to my destination at 15:07. Can I make that train? Next train is 18:14. Thank you for your help!

Posted by
118 posts

I have cleared immigration/security in 60 minutes before but obviously depends on how many aircraft/people are arriving at same time
Is your train from CDG or do you need to get into Paris?. If CDG you should have time, if Paris you will need to add at leat another 30-45 minutes to get into the city

Posted by
7981 posts

The rule of thumb is 3 hours for a train at CDG. If everything goes perfectly you are good, but each minute less adds a little risk. We have had planes come in late and people have reported 2 hour lines at immigration. We usually figure an hour and that is about right. This year it was probably 20 minutes. Once it was an hour and a half.

It is always risky to plan onward travel the day of an international flight -- even 3 hours or 4 is no guarantee, it just ups your odds.

If your plane is on time and immigration takes an hour and your suitcase comes up quickly than you are fine with this gap -- but if anything goes sideways it gets tenser. It also depends on where you land in relation to the CDG train station.

Posted by
11037 posts

Can I make that train?

Possibly, as noted in prior post.

Will you have checked bags, small kids or mobility challenged members in you party?

Not sure I would want to be eating Tums for the entire 8-10 flight, (from the US presumably?), wondering if I will make it in time to get the train.

Posted by
2097 posts

I guess the Gods were smiling on us. We landed at CDG at 1:15 and an hour later were picking up our rental car and hitting the road. There was no line to speak of at customs.

That's such a hard call for you since there's such a time differential between trains. I'd hate to breeze through customs only to sit on my hands for four hours. I'd also hate to arrive at the train platform at 15:20.

Posted by
996 posts

I've only had awful experiences at CDG, so I may not be the best person to answer this question.

If it were me, I'd assume that allow for the latest possible train. Most people don't have my bad luck when traveling, though, so you may want to base that on your own previous experiences.

Posted by
2744 posts

I probably thrown into this airport 10 times. I could have made this train every time.

A couple of suggestions, 1. if you don’t have checked luggage that helps. 2. Keep moving. I see people get delayed stopping for a bathrooms,, stops for beverages, stops to sightsee. (I have no idea what people are doing sometimes, do you really need to shop at every gift shop in the airport?) Go to the bathroom before you land and once you get off the plane keep moving at a good pace. Once you get close to the train, if you have time you can stop and get food and beverages etc. if not hopefully you can buy on the train

Posted by
7453 posts

Your problem is just more than the basic question. You are proposing to buy a possibly non-refundable ticket on a train, and planning to make it through Immigration in a reasonable amount of time. I was there in June, and Immigration was the least issue, maybe 10 minutes to get through...but that was after 30 minutes of walking and tram, then another 10 minutes to get to the TGV station...plus time to figure out what track, where to go, etc. All good for you, but I was there about 6:00 AM and we were about the only flight. What you cannot control is flight delays. I have to admit, in about 20 flights, I do not recall landing any later than the planned time, but it happens, it has many times on US flights for me.

The point is, what is your tolerance for loss...so you are delayed...or Immigration os packed...is spending a premium price for a ticket a deal breaker? If the train is full and you have no options, a night in Paris a problem? Point is, you are taking a gamble, figure out what your tolerance for loss is, no one can guarantee, or even give decent odds.