Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2
Author: Hide-sp (GFDL)
Charles de Gaulle Airport Location Map
Map shows a sample route by car from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Champs de Mars in Paris. Zoom in on the map or change to satellite view to see the airport more closely.
View Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris in a larger map
Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2E
Author: Rachelarnold (public domain)
Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2F Baggage Claim
Author: Simon Laird (GFDL)
Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 1
Author: David Monniaux (GFDL)
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Aéroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), also known as Roissy Airport or just Roissy, is the busiest airport serving Paris, France. It is the main international airport for Paris. Charles de Gaulle Airport is located 23 km (14 miles) to the northeast of the city center. This sprawling airport is notoriously confusing, and so if you are arriving there, allow plenty of time to orientate yourself.
Charles de Gaulle Airport comprises three terminals, namely Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 are located next to each other whereas Terminal 2 is a huge terminal subdivided to 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and in a separate building, 2G, the newest addition to the Terminal 2 complex. Terminal 2 is linked to the other two terminals by bus which runs once every 20 minutes, and the journey takes about 15 minutes. In addition, the free CDGVAL shuttle train also connects the three terminal buildings.
Getting out of CDG
By Train
The fastest and cheapest way to get out of Charles de Gaulle Airport is to take the Réseau Express Régional (RER), the rapid transit trains that serve Paris and its suburbs. The RER commuter train Line B has stops at Terminal 2 (called Aeroport CDG 2 station) and Terminal 3 (called Aeroport CDG 1 station). It links CDG with stations in Paris including Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, Luxembourg, Port-Royal, Denfert-Rochereau and Cité Universitaire, and leave every 8 minutes or so. The trains alternate between one that goes direct to Paris Gare du Nord station, and one that has stopovers. The fare is € 8.40 for adult and € 5.90 for child for the journey to Gare du Nord, which is 35 minutes away. To buy the tickets, use the blue automated vending machines (called Billetterie Ile-de-France), paying by smart-chip credit cards or Euro coins, or alternatively go to the ticket office. The trains usually leave from platforms 11 or 12. Look for the sign "RER B" or "All trains go to Paris". Insert the ticket into the entry gate and then retrieve it as you pass. If you board the train without a ticket, you are liable to a € 40 fine, so keep it with you throughout the journey.
By TGV
The high-speed TGV trains do not go to Paris, but you can take it to Lille, Brussels, Rennes and Nantes, among others. There's a TGV station at Terminal 2 (see map).
By Bus
You can also take the Roissybus that connects all the three terminals to Opéra Garnier in Paris, between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm at 15 minute intervals and costs € 8.20. However, going by road means you are exposed to traffic jams, so expect the journey to take about 60-80 minutes on average. Air France shared shuttle buses also go from CDG to Gare du Lyon and Montparnasse in Paris every 30 minutes, for a journey of 45-60 minutes, running between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm, and costing € 11.50. Another Air France bus runs to the Arc de Triomphe every 15 minutes, from 5:45 am - 11:00 pm, costs € 10.00 and takes 45-60 minutes.
By Taxi
Taxis will set you back between € 38.00 to € 43, and takes between 30-60 minutes depending on traffic.
By Car
Take the A1 expressway south to Paris. The journey should take you about 30-60 minutes. See map on this page.
Note that if you have connecting Air France flights that land and depart from different airports, you would still generally need to fetch your luggage after landing, catch either the Air France shuttle or a taxi (readily available at all airports) to the other airport and check-in again. This altogether could take up to 2 hours particularly if traffic is at its worse. It is also common to lose time during disembarking, as passengers often need to get off at the tarmac and get on buses which will bring them to the terminal building. Be sure to have sufficient time between flights to catch your connection. Note that check-in counters usually close 30 minutes before the flight departs, longer if flights are international carriers.
If you arrive to CDG Airport at night you'll need a Noctilien bus to get to the city center. The bus stops in all three terminals (in terminal 2F it will be the second level in departure section - it is very difficult to find). The bus leaves every 30 minutes after 12:30AM. The buses you'll need are N121 and N120; the price is 7 Euro.
About Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Charles de Gaulle Airport handled 60,851,998 passengers and 559,812 aircraft movements in 2008, making it the world's fifth busiest airport in terms of passengers, and Europe's busiest airport (world's 8th busiest) in terms of aircraft movements. In terms of cargo traffic, the airport is the busiest in Europe and the world's 7th busiest, having handled 2,280,049 metric tonnes of cargo. It extends over 32.38 sq km (12.50 sq mi) of land. Planning and construction began in 1966. At that time, it was known as Aéroport de Paris Nord (Paris North Airport). It was renamed Charles de Gaulle International Airport when it opened on 8 March 1974. Terminal 1 was built to an avant-garde design of a ten-floor high circular building surrounded by seven satellite buildings each with four gates. The main architect was Paul Andreu, who was also in charge of the extensions during the following decades. The Frutiger typeface was commissioned for use in the airport, and implemented on signs throughout the building in 1975.
Terminal 2E, with a daring design and wide open spaces, was CDG's newest addition. On 23 May 2004, not long after its inauguration, a portion of Terminal 2E's ceiling collapsed early in the day, near Gate E50, killing four people. The Chinese government reported that two of the dead were Chinese travellers, and another of the dead was reported to be of Czech nationality. Three other people were injured in the collapse. Terminal 2E had been inaugurated in 2003 after some delays in construction and was designed by Paul Andreu. Administrative and judicial enquiries were started. Andreu also designed Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, which collapsed while under construction on 28 September 2004.
Details about the terminal buildings
Charles de Gaulle International Airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 is the oldest. Terminal 2 was built for Air France, but now hosts other airlines. The third terminal (T3, formerly T9) hosts charter and low cost airlines.
Terminal 1 has a single main building for check-in and baggage reclaim with 7 satellites for arrivals and departures. Each satellite can handle about 5 aircraft at any given time. Underground walkways with moving sidewalks connect the satellites to the main building. Terminal 1 was built to an avant-garde design which is maintained today even though interior sections of the building have been face lifted and modernized.
The RER station for Terminal 1, Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1, is quite distant from Terminal 1 (not so far from Terminal 3), and Terminal 1 must be reached using the free CDGVAL automatic light rail system (Véhicule Automatique Léger (VAL)); previously, shuttle buses were used.
Terminal 2 today consists of multiple terminals joined together by at ground or below ground passageways. The seven terminals consist of 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and the separate 2G. Terminal 2G is located 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away from the terminals 2A-2F, and a bus ride is needed for transfer. Terminal 2 also has an RER and TGV station, Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 – TGV, underneath in the between the 2C-2F halls.
Terminal 3 is a terminal with one hall. On the map it is located 1 km (0.62 mi) from Terminal 1, but along public roads it is 3 km (1.9 mi). It has around 300 m (980 ft) walking distance to the RER and CDGVAL trains.
Started on 4 April 2007, CDGVAL links all the three terminals (except hall 2G), although there is only a single station for Terminal 2, near the rail station, so the walk distance to the more distant halls 2A-2B is more than 500 m (1,600 ft) (and both CDGVAL and bus is needed to reach 2G from Terminal 1).
Expansion of CDG Airport
Apart from the reconstruction of Terminal 2E, two major terminal extensions are underway as of 2008.
The completion of giant 750 m (2,500 ft) long Satellite 3 (or S3) to the immediate east of Terminals 2E and 2F provides further jetways for large capacity airliners, and specifically the Airbus A380. Check-in and baggage handling are provided by the existing infrastructure in Terminals 2E and 2F. Satellite 3, which construction could be seen by arriving passengers at Terminals 2E and 2F, was opened in part on 27 June 2007, and fully operational in September 2007. A similar in size and scope Satellite 4 is planned to open in 2012 to provide additional capacity, again relying on the brand new, 100% automated check-in and baggage handling infrastructure of 2E and 2F. This facility, built in collaboration with Air France-KLM, is so large (it's the second largest airline terminal in Europe after Madrid Barajas' T4 and before BA T5 at London Heathrow) it needed to open in phases in order to be fully operational by the end of Summer 2007. The high tech, futuristic concrete-steel-and-glass building provides relief to millions of passengers who do not have to endure anymore annoying and lengthy bus rides to board and disembark from flights. The new S3 terminal also means faster transfer times to connecting flights and fewer lost bags.
Construction began on a new terminal building, Terminal 2G, to the east of the S3 construction site in September 2006 with the first stone of the new building itself laid in March 2007. This terminal was in operation at least in March 2009. It is connected to the Terminal 2 complex by shuttle buses and eventually an extension of the CDGVAL shuttle train service. 2G is used for passengers flying in the Schengen Area (and thus has no passport control) and handles Air France regional and European traffic and provides small capacity planes (up to 150 passengers) with a faster turn-around time than is currently possible by enabling them to park close to the new terminal building and boarding passengers primarily by bus, or walk on the ground. Its bus connection is outside the security area, and a security check is needed also for transfer passengers. At least 20 minutes must be planned as time when getting from another terminal to the 2G departure area.
Future use of Terminal 2 by Air France constantly evolves thanks to the development and opening of the S3 complex and the new 2G section of Terminal 2. On 30 March 2008, the reopening of Terminal 2E was completed allowing maximum passenger activity and full airport services. Air France has begun to shift traffic to use at full capacity Terminals 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F and eventually shall cease operations from terminals 2A and 2B which will continue to be used by other carriers.
Terminal 3 is not really connected and is an outside 5+ minute walk form the tram station. Also, the information booth may direct people to Terminal 2 for certain airlines that are actually serviced by Terminal 3. In addition, in each of the terminals, they only show the flights in the that terminal.
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