Paris Charles deGaulle Airport

Of all of the times that I have flown in and out of CDG I have never ever had a problem. The airport should be the least of your concerns when travelling.

Jennie, I've never experienced any problems at CDG. It's often as busy and crowded as any large airport, but in terms of "rude staff, dirty and overall negative experiences", I've never found that. Have you definitely decided on a Shuttle, or would the RER "B" and Metro be an option? It's a fairly easy trip from CDG to the Rue Cler area. Happy travels!

CDG Airport is one of two airports (JFK is the other) I try to avoid. However, the overall experience was certainly acceptable the last time there...earlier this ear.

CDG is not one of my favorite airports. It's mostly because of the physical layout of the terminals, very bizarre to say the least. But if we're talking about transatlantic flights into Paris what choice do you really have? CDG is the only game in town. I suppose one could fly into another city like Frankfurt or Heathrow, and connect into Orly...but is it really worth the hassle?? Suck it up and use CDG, it's not the end of the world. P.S. I love Newark Airport!!!! Any airport that has an "in-house" diner is okay with me;)

Really I have never noticed it to be a problem I think some people are mega whiners,, marching up to anyone who works there and demanding things, in english, without even saying Bonjour, or asking if they speak english, I have seen some damm rude tourists..I am sure they get as good as they give. I have never noticed it to be dirty. A shuttle may or may not be best choice,, RER is cheaper and more reliable.

Jennie, As we live in Atlanta, we fly in/out of Hartsfield on a regular basis. So as far as "friendliness" of the staff, we probably have a very low standard.... I, too, had heard all of the negative comments about CDG and was dreading our flight home from Paris. We had a shuttle from our apartment that dropped us right at the appropriate terminal and we whipped right through to our gate. We know a few French phrases, but are by no means French speaking. Everyone we encountered at CDG was friendly and efficient. Our one experience at CDG was better than most of our experiences in Atlanta. And it was comparable to our experiences in NYC, London and Rome.

Jennie, you should ask those from you "heard" all those negative comments about CDG if they have actually been the target of the "rude staff & overall negative experience" and when exactly it took place. I cannot count the times I have arrived and/or departed from CDG and its "bad reputation" has yet to reach MY ears. Don't listen to jealous nay-sayers.

Thanks everyone for your great comments about your experiences at CDG. I'm relieved. I guess the blogs can be a place for people to just be overly critical. And, you get what you expect! Thanks again.

I've never had any problem with CDG staff, nor with cleanliness and the like. But for many years the layout of the terminals and the way departures (and sometimes arrivals) was structured was horrible, but that improved over the last 10 or so years. The airport is still a little chaotic, but that's really just a function of the huge passenger load. But one negative thing that happened was the closing (or alteration) of a very nice restaurant that served regional French country cuisine.

The main problem I have with CDG is using it as a transfer airport. If it is your final destination I wouldn't worry. The layout is so bizarre and the signage between terminals is poor. On a trip earlier this month from Lisbon we had to switch planes in CDG while flying Air France (which is one of my favorite airlines) . The gate we arrived at was 2E, the same as our departure, but then they put us on a bus and drove us to 2B. So we had to run all the way back to go through customs and security to get on the departing flight. We barely made it in the 1 1/2 hours we supposedly had between flights. On the way in we got similarly confused, but a local was very kind and showed us a shortcut between 2E and 2F. Even though they are literally across from each other there is very poor signage between the various terminals. So if you are switching planes at CDG you really need to be familiar with all of the various terminals. http://paris-cdg.worldairportguides.com/terminal-maps.php may help.

I will just add that it is a very strange experience to get to T 3 (between T1 and T2) from the railroad. Impossible surface to get your baggage over --pebbles in concrete, and the pebbles are exposed, and a hike under the highway. Will never travel there again if I can avoid it.

For a really bad airport, try Miami International. It could only dream of being as good as CDG.