USA to Florence via CDGaulle airport in Paris.

My transit time thru CDG has always been approximately two hours. The hiccup has always occurred at priority lane security screening when attempting to make connecting flights. Flight crew, assisted passengers, and staff funnel through increasing the wait time.

One ticket or two? Checked bags?

If you are on one ticket, your bag will be checked through to Florence so that’s not an issue. 1.5 hrs might still be tight. It’s a huge airport. We flew from Seattle to CDG, continuing to Madrid. Once clearing immigration it was a solid 30 minute walk to our next gate.

If you are on two tickets (first flight with Delta and second with Ryan Air, for example), you will need to go through immigration, collect your bags, check in with Ryan Air, and go through security. I would give yourself 3-4 hours for that.

I have connected through CDG airport traveling to Florence many times. It can be done in 1.5 hours, but if you can get a longer connecting time - do it.
I connected in Paris this past November for a flight to Turin, Italy. We had a four hour layover - same on the return flight through CDG.

The customs lines came be long, it’s a crowded airport, security can be a long wait and the walk to the gates can be quite far. Our layover was long but my husband doesn’t like to travel with short connecting times. We adapted to waiting a bit longer but I think it just fine.

We flew through CDG to Milan last August. It took us 2 hours from time we deplaned to when we were at our departure gate. We had only carry on luggage. We had two security lines to go through.

I would not do 1.5 hours.

I've done it many times from SFO to FLR, via CDG.
1.5 hours at CDG is tight, and a couple of times I missed the connection. No big deal. Air France will put you on the next plane to Florence and also give you a meal voucher while you wait. There are 5 (or 6 in summer) daily flights from CDG to FLR operated by AirFrance, the last one departs from CDG after 8pm. The biggest issue is when the connection is tight on the way back to the US, because, in my case, there are only 1 flight from CDG to SFO (2 in summer, at least pre-covid). So if you miss the connection on the way back, you need to spend the night in Paris. That doesn't happen too often though, because when the connection is super-tight Air France sends the "troops" to pick up the passengers US bound to the tarmac where the FLR flight arrives, and takes those passengers to the international terminal with a van.

Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful info. I have one ticket all via KLM and will check one bag, one person.

What about the return flight? My sons will be flying back from Florence via CDG to LAX; and the other son will be Florence to JFK via CDG. When layover is in Paris (from Florence) do they still need to have at least 2 hour layover to be safe? Or when traveling within Europe are the 2 hour layover times not as necessary ? Thanks.

1: KL2125 (oparated by AF1267): FLR-CDG departs 6:25 arrives 8:15 at CDG

2a: KL2213 (operated by AF66): CDG-LAX departs 10:15 from CDG
2b: KL6184 (operated by DL263): CDG-JFK departs 10:25 from CDG

The above are the flights your sons will be booked on (assuming they travel before the summer schedule kicks in). They have 2 hours to make the transfer. There are no other choices.

From Florence to CDG, they will not go through immigration. So they don’t need as much time. The “just” need to get from one gate to the other and show their passport when they board. When they arrive back in the US, they will go through immigration. I’m going to assume their flights are direct from CDG.

But if there was a connection in the US (say CDG-DEN-LAX), in Denver they would go through immigration, collect their luggage, re-check their luggage, go back through security, and go to their gate.

Thank you for advice. It is very helpful :)

It is more than just changing gates.
The flight from FLR should arrive at terminal 2F.
Flights to the US depart from Terminal 2E.
The CDG airport is huge and the distance between terminals requires some time. Also there is no immigration, but you must go through Passport Control and then an additional security screening at terminal 2E, that means that besides the transfer from terminal 2F to 2E (on foot, or airside shuttle bus) you also must go through 2 queues (passport control and security), Then you can walk to the gate. It’s not the transfer between terminals that takes time (although it does somewhat), but the potential long lines at passport control or security.

no one has mentioned whether they can transit through CDG without a test