Lead time for Departing Flight at CDG

I'd listen to the people here. It's a very busy time for departures. Maybe the driver doesn't want to pick you up at 4:30.

Tell the driver you want to be there at 5:30 am. You will regret it if you don't have the 3 hours everyone knows you need.

Need to understand you departing flight. Is it a departure directly back to the US? An 8.35 am is little unusual for a direct flight. Most return flights are later in the day. If it is a connecting flight to somewhere else in Europe then the two hour window probably works. In Europe a check in cut off of 45 minutes prior to departure is not uncommon. So a two hour arrival is really an hour and 15 to checkin and drop luggage. But if it is a direct flight back then three hours is safe but you may have to kill an hour in the duty free shops.

Thanks for the responses....so glad I asked. I was wondering the same thing about the driver not wanting to pick us up that early, but I will let them know now that we would like to be at the airport no later than 5:30am..... As an fyi...It is a direct flight back to the states. As always, I appreciate your assistance...Cici

One more thought: the taxi dude will have been paid whether you make the flight or not.

Cici, the driver may be reluctant because (a) he doesn't want to get up that early, and (b) he thinks he may not get a fare back to the city and would have to hang around at CDG waiting, which for a taxi driver is money lost. Still, you're the customer and should be able to say what time you want the pickup. If that particular driver refuses, find another one who's willing. Good luck!

With such an early departure, I always do as Steven describes, stay at or very near the airport. The Ibis is reasonably-priced, clean, and functional. Staying there takes some of the stress out of departure and allows you some extra sleep. If you decide on that, just be sure to book the one that's in the airport. There's another close by, and they're both listed as being in Roissy. The second one is served by a shuttle bus, so it's okay, but just a little less convenient.

We flew back from CDG last month, and while I thought the advice about arriving 3 hours ahead of time was overly cautious, we did so anyway. It turned out that we had plenty of time, but a few little things could have changed that. For example, there was a moderately long line at passport control, but apparently it got much worse a little while after that. A few people just barely made our flight (and then only because of an ATC delay), and I heard one of them say that the wait at passport control was about an hour. So I'd take the 3 hour advice. One other bit of advice: if your airline allows it, check in on-line the day before even if you don't have access to a printer and can't print your boarding pass then. I almost skipped that because I didn't think just checking in w/o getting a boarding pass would make a difference, particularly since we had to check luggage. But it saved us a lot of time, because we were able to use a machine and skip the long lines, with an agent checking our luggage at the machine.

Cici , We have a situation identical to yours this coming November , and here is how I dealt with it ; We have an 8:30 AM direct flight from CDG to JFK on a Wednesday at the end of our upcoming fall trip . With three hours lead time ( normal procedure ) the logistics for getting to the airport were somewhat unappealing . The solution for us : Our last day in Paris , we will check out of our hotel near Les Invalides in the AM and leave our bags there during the day while we enjoy Paris . After dinner and another full day in the city , we have booked a room at the Ibis at CDG ( quick hop on the CDGVAL to the terminal ) for our last night . No wasted time at the airport , arriving at CDG around eight or nine PM in time for a night's sleep . Makes the day before departure easy , and absolutely no stress about getting out there at the ungodly hour required to make an early flight . Perfectly logical solution !!

The driver may have a point. I say this reluctantly as a CDG hater. But there should be a lot less congestion there at 6:30 a.m. than a couple of hours later, when everybody converges on the airport for mid-morning departures. Of course, things could still go wrong, but that's always a risk. Probably less so if you check-in online and already know your way aroung the airport. You can insist that the driver be there at 5 a.m. instead of, I presume, 6, but that being France, I am not sure he would actually show up then, if at all. On balance, Steven's plan sounds pretty good.

I typically do the same as Rosalyn suggests. Having been in a city for several days already, does a few more hours really matter? If moving late in the evening to a more convenient airport hotel means I get a good night's sleep, and have much less stress prior to a very long flight, it's entirely worth it. I put my sleepwear in a zippered pocket on the outside of my suitcase and use hotel toiletries, so I don't even actually open my suitcase that last night. Then up and out and over to the terminal very quickly on flight day, fresh and ready to confront the airport battle.

We have gone to Europe every summer for the last 10 years (soon to be 11) and for the last few years we have done the same thing that other posters have done and that is to get a hotel right next to our departing airport the night before our flight home so that we have no problems in getting there regardless of what time our flight leaves.

I always sleep in a motel or hotel at SFO before flights to Europe. I live several hours from the airport, so doing it all in one day leaves me too exhausted when I arrive. Recently I slept at a hotel near Heathrow and had a leisurely morning before taking the Hoppa Bus to the terminal for a 10:30am flight. I always allow 3 hours for an international flight, but spend a lot of time in the terminal waiting for my flight. Two hours would probably work ok, but lines for security would be more crowded. With a preprinted boarding pass and carry-on only luggage, the process of getting to the gate is easy and relatively quick.

Love the idea about getting a room at the airport the night before departure. However, we have our apt booked through our airline departure date and are already not spending one night there due to staying in Normandy. With the rates at the Ibis about $250, I think we will chance it....we have booked our taxi through Victor Cabs which I have heard is pretty reputable (PLEASE advise if you know different) and they have agreed to revise the pick up time to 5am...at that time of the morning, being only about 30 miles from the airport, traffic should be light enough to allow us to arrive right around 5:30. We are on Delta and have the Delta app on our iphones, so we will also be sure to check in the day before from a wifi spot...I am assuming (I hate to do that!) they have the electronic check-in machines at their international terminals as well?? I will definitely keep all of this is mind for future adventures....as always, great advice....thanks everyone..Cici

I've never had a problem making an early flight at Roissy or Orly. I also have never had a problem with my reserved cab arriving on time. I also wouldn't want to waste my last night of my vacation at an airport hotel. Usually some of my most memorable moments happen my last night. Reserve a cab or a shuttle and you'll be just fine and give yourself plenty of time and all will be okay...there will be plenty of time to be bored to death at cdg.