Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris – Everything you wanted to know

Charles de Gaulle is the largest airport in Paris and if you are flying with Elal or Air France you will arrive there. To help you find your way around the place, I have created a short guide for you, with all the information you need for those landing and taking off from it.

Important information for travelers

Which airlines fly to Charles de Gaulle and where can you find a cheap flight?

Let's start first with the flight itself. There are quite a few airlines that fly to this airport:

• Al Al
• sky
• Air France
• ASL Airlines France
• XL Airways
• EasyJet
• And quite a few smaller airlines

In normal times (written during the coronavirus pandemic), there are regular flights to Charles de Gaulle on a daily basis. Most of them are operated by El Al and Air France.

A direct flight to Paris takes about 4.5 hours. An indirect flight can take between 7 hours and… (as you can imagine, it all depends on the number of stops).

If you are looking for a cheap flight ticket from Ben Gurion Airport to Charles de Gaulle and back, you are welcome to visit the article Flights to France – Which cities can you fly to directly and cheaply? And find there a series of recommended sites that I use to find cheap plane tickets.

Information about takeoffs and landings

Want to track your flight to or from Charles de Gaulle Airport? You are welcome to log in toLink this.

How many terminals are there at Charles de Gaulle?

Terminal 1-  Built in the 50s as a futuristic experience in the form of spaceships and strange passages, XNUMX years later it is mostly a strange maze like Dizengoff Center.

Terminal 2 –It is the largest and is divided into seven mini-terminals according to Latin letters, for example 2E 2D. The mini-terminals are connected to each other and you can walk from one to the other, using the internal train or using the airport's free bus service that appears on the signs inside the terminal.

Terminal 3- Designed for charter flights from all over the world. EasyJet and Ryanair arrive at Terminal 3.

How do you move from terminal to terminal?

No need to stress, I'm here 🙂

From Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 or Terminal 3 – buses called CDGVL will take you free of charge to your destination airport. The buses run approximately every ten minutes, and they stop at all terminals and mini-terminals.

The buses move in a loop between the fields, so you don't have to worry about whether you're at the right stop.

How do you get to Paris from Charles de Gaulle and vice versa?

Taxis

Follow the signs for a taxi rank. When you land, people will jump up to offer you a taxi to Paris, some of them will show you the taxi and a taxi driver's license. Don't get in these taxis.The drivers will take you to Paris, but they will offer you a meter or an exorbitant price (the usual price is 65 euros for a special trip, as of 2022) and most importantly: some of them do not have passenger insurance.

If you want to take a taxi from the airport, take it only from the taxi stand at the port, or book a taxi in advance (in the article Transportation in Paris You can find some recommended drivers.

An important note that saves embarrassment – The letter A and the number 1 are similar in pronunciation to non-native speakers FrenchTherefore, drivers must understand that you want to arrive at Field 1 and not Field A. It is always a good idea to indicate the number 2 first next to the letters, for example: 2A.

Hoover/Bolt

Apps that are very similar to Get Taxi. The difference is that Hublet/Bullet are not taxis with a taxi cap, but regular cars. In my experience, these vehicles are sometimes difficult to locate, because they don't have a designated spot like taxis, and if you don't have free browsing service, you'll have trouble finding them when you leave the airport and you no longer have internet under the auspices of Charles de Gaulle's WiFi.

Download the Uber app

• Android
• Dark

Download the Bolt app

Android
Dark

Intercity train

Follow the signs to the station located in the terminal, buy tickets at the machine – you can’t buy them anywhere else. Don’t throw away the tickets because you’ll need to show them at the exit.

Car Rental

If you want to go directly from the airport to Paris, I really don't recommend renting a car for this purpose, as it is not easy to drive in Paris and there are a lot of parking problems. However, if you decide to travel from Charles de Gaulle Airport to one of the regions of France, such as NormandyYou can find detailed information about car rental at Charles de Gaulle in the article Car rental in Paris.

Air France buses

Signs will direct you to the Air France bus terminal. Pay attention to the bus stops – there are few, so you may need a taxi or metro to get to your destination. The trip is not cheap, so this is a less convenient and cost-effective option.

Tax refunds at Charles de Gaulle Airport

You did Shopping in Paris? You can claim a refund of sales tax (VAT) on any purchases you make in the European Union during your stay, provided that you:

• You are not a resident of the European Union.
• Over 16 years of age

The cost of purchase varies depending on the type of product purchased, as do the refund percentages. These are the details I know, and it is recommended to thoroughly investigate customs procedures ahead of time.

Arriving at the tax refund offices

• Terminal 1: On the CDGVAL floor (the shuttle connecting Terminal 1 and 2) in Hall 6
• Terminal 2A: Departures, Gate 5
• Terminal 2C: Departures, Gate 12
• Terminal 2D: Departures, Gate 6
• Terminal 2E: Departures, Gate 4
• Terminal 2F: Landing Floor
• Terminal 3: The sights

Tax refunds are one of the services that only open at 6 a.m. The line for tax refunds starts forming as early as 5:30 a.m., so it is recommended to plan your schedule accordingly.

To receive a tax refund, ask for a tax refund form at the checkout when paying. The form cannot be obtained at every store. If you can obtain the form at the store, you must go to the checkout, where they will fill out the form for you (you must present your passport and the purchased products). When filling out the form, you will be asked whether you want a refund in cash or by credit card, and you will indicate this on the form. The form and the purchase invoice will be placed in a special envelope - keep it with everything inside. In the tax refund area at Charles de Gaulle Airport, there is a special place before physical check-in where you must validate the form in an automatic machine. To do this, you need a passport and a boarding pass or a flight ticket. If you are not a citizen of the European Union and want the credit in credit, this will be done by the machine.

If you are an EU citizen or want a tax refund for items not purchased in Paris, you will need to contact the representative and show them your purchases (not just the form you filled out in the store), as well as your boarding pass or flight ticket. There are detailed instructions on site, or you can ask the staff.

If you want a cash refund, you must first go through the entire exit procedure from France, including immigration and a body check. When you arrive at the duty-free area, there is a shop called Detax / Tax Refund. Show the form that has been validated by the machine and receive the cash. A processing fee of a few euros is charged for each form.

If you don't have time to wait, you can drop the sealed envelope with the form into a transparent box at the entrance to the store, and the money will arrive on the credit card specified on the form.

(Thanks to Shuli Even Chen for the important tips on tax refunds at the airport).

A few more small and important tips 

• Charles de Gaulle closes at night. I don't just mean shops and restaurants - the terminal closes at midnight and security guards go all over the airport to get everyone out and lock them up. If you were thinking of saving a night in a hotel or a taxi fare, you'll have to wait outside the airport (not pleasant in winter). If you're leaving early in the morning or arriving late at night, it might be worth spending the night in one of the hotels near Charles de Gaulle Airport. You can find some good hotels inLink this.

• At the checkpoints, they will take your drinking bottles, so it's not a good idea to buy one a minute before boarding the plane.
  
• In the field you will find vending machines and snacks at a cheaper price than the price at the stalls. They also accept credit cards but in my experience this does not always work. Payment via digital wallet is possible, they always happily accept cash.
  
• French airlines serve meals with disposable plates made of a material that resembles a combination of cardboard and wood – a particularly bad combination. This material is found all over France, even in buffets. If you have sensitive children, it’s a good idea to bring disposable plates everywhere.
  
• It is highly recommended to take a screenshot of the airport map or download a short video to your mobile device, this will help you locate yourself in the terminal and also find the nearest McDonald's. You can find the map atLink this.
  
• All airports have pharmacies (before security). They are usually marked with a flashing green cross and are easy to spot.
  
• If you feel unwell in the airport, signal to any employee passing by, and you will receive assistance. If, God forbid, you faint or something more serious happens, don't worry: even though the airport is huge, medical teams and ambulances are at each terminal and you will receive treatment free of charge.

Have you covered the topic of flights and the airport?

Here are two articles that you really shouldn't miss.

Paris for the Traveler – The Complete Guide

After you've covered the topic of flights, comes the really interesting stage: planning your trip to Paris! To make your life easier, I created the Paris for the Traveler – The Complete Francophile Guide, which contains everything you need to plan a vacation (recommendations, itineraries, historical information, and more).

What do you do if you have a short connection in Paris?

If you are arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport for a connection of 5 hours or more, and you are wondering what you can do during that time, I have the perfect solution!

I have created an itinerary for you that will allow you to hop over to Paris for a few hours and then return to the airport for your next flight. You can find it in the article Connection in Paris.