We are coming in on different flights, an hour apart. What is the best place to meet? Is there a common customs place where all planes from the US have to go through?
We are staying at a house trade flat in Paris and
we want to go to Basel and take a day boat trip to look at castles. Any suggestions about how to get there, how long it takes, and where to stay?
Posted by
St. Louis
239 posts
Make sure you are flying on the same airline and/or flying into the same terminal. Each terminal is a separate entity with its own customs, baggage claim areas, and rental car desks. We arranged to meet some friends at our rental car counter. Lots of signs point the way, and "Hertz" is the same in English or French! Just make sure you are not waiting at the Avis counter in terminal B while the rest of your party is at the Avis counter in terminal C!...We recently stayed in an apartment in the 7th and shopped in the markets on rue Cler. I don't know if you are staying anywhere near there, but be aware that there is a Leader Price in rue Cler--great place to buy things like laundry detergent and dishwasher soap. The smaller shops that sell those items have convenience store prices--very high! Finding a discount shop like a Leader Price or a Monoprix (there is one on the Champs Elysee) will save you a lot of money!...Sorry I can't help with the last question; sounds like fun!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
If you are both arriving at Terminal 2, a good place to meet is the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel. The hotel is above the CDG 2 TGV station from where you can take the RER to Paris.
Posted by
St. Louis
239 posts
My mistake--of course I meant 1, 2, or 3 not A, B, or C. I should not post at 5:00 am; my brain is too fuzzy!
Posted by
Renton, WA, USA
81 posts
There is only one RER station, located in terminal 2, and it's the most reasonably priced way to get to the city center anyway. Meet at the ticket booths.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
For the record, there are two RER stations: CDG 1 and CDG 2 TGV. The first one serves Terminals 1 & 3. The second one is located at Terminal 2.
Posted by
Hickory, NC USA
437 posts
Be warned that when I flew through CDG in March, the international arrivals terminal was under construction, so we were bussed from our plan to heaven knows where, then had to wind all through a million hallways to another door where we waited for another bus to take us to our next terminal. It was the craziest mess I have EVER seen, and I have seen a lot! Coming back, my mother was in a wheelchair and that was much easier as were were carried in a truck to and fro. Allow plenty of time to get where you are going. I would not consider a connecting time of less than two hours at CDG right now.
Posted by
Richardson, TX, USA
153 posts
It will be tricky meeting up with someone at CDG if you haven't been there. One suggestion is that if you have a cell phone with international service (i.e, a GSM phone from Cingular or T-Mobile) you can call each other or text message.
I believe all the US mainland flights arrive/depart at the same terminal.
Customs at CDG is nothing - you just walk through the 'nothing to declare' line and you're done.