France's largest airport does not enjoy positive reviews, mainly due to its vastness and complexity. In reality, however, orientation is not as opaque as is often claimed.
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Terminals
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is divided into 3 terminals, but there are actually 9 buildings.
- Terminal 1 - Aer Lingus, Air China, Air India, Air Senegal, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Azerbaijan Airlines, Azores Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cabo Verde Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines, Cyprus Airways, Egyptair, Emirates, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fly One, Hainan Airlines, Icelandair, Iran Air, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Rwandair, Saudia, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Srilankan, Swiss, THAI, Turkish Airlines, United
- Terminal 2 - divided into buildings A to G
- 2A: currently arrivals only
- 2B: Air Austral, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Montenegro, American Airlines, British Airways, easyJet, El Al, Finnair, ITA Airways, Norwegian, Royal Air Maroc, Sky Express
- 2C: currently only arrivals
- 2D: Aegean Airlines, Air Algerie, Air Serbia, Air Tahiti Nui, Atlantic Airways, British Airways, Croatia Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, easyJet, Georgian Airways, KM Malta Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Uzbekistan Airways
- 2E: AeroMexico, Air France (part of flights), Air Mauritius, China Eastern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Japan Air Lines, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, LATAM, MEA, Vietnam Airlines, Vistara, Xiamen Airlines
- 2F: Air Corsica, Air France (part of flights), KLM, Tarom, Westjet
- 2G: Air France (part of flights), Luxair
- Terminal 3 - Air Arabia, Air Cairo, Air Saint-Pierre, Air Transat, ASL Airlines, Eastern Airways, Enter Air, Fly Egypt, Freebird Airlines, Iberia, Jet2.com, Nile Air, Norse Atlantic Airways, Nouvelair, Pegasus Airlines, Play, Sun Express, Tunisair, Vueling
For a complete breakdown of airlines by terminal, see the airport's website: parisaeroport.fr/airlines.
Terminal 1
The oldest building, dating from 1974, has an iconic circular shape and the layout of the floors is very unusual compared to other airports.
Departures are on the lower part of the terminal and arrivals on the top 5th floor.
Entry to the central transit area is through boarding pass control and passport control if applicable. Then, from the central area, approximately 150-metre-long moving walkways lead to several satellite buildings with departure gates. Once there, you will find the security checkpoints.
Terminals 2
Terminal 2 occupies the largest area of the airport and is divided into 7 buildings connected by connecting corridors.
The largest and most modern are terminals 2E and 2F, mainly used by Air France. The area of Terminal 2 is very rugged and walking distances from train stations or between departure gates can be more than 15 minutes.
Terminal 2 has a standard layout, with arrivals always on the ground floor and departures on the first floor.
Terminal 2G is only accessible by a free transit bus running every 5-10 minutes from Terminal 2F (journey time approximately 10 minutes).
Terminal 3
The smallest single-storey terminal serving mainly low-cost and small airlines, it is the clearest and fastest to check-in of all the buildings. On the other hand, it has the least services.
Terminal 3 is close to the bus station and the Roissypole / Aéroport CDG 1 train station.
Airport map
For easier orientation, take a look at the overall airport map or download detailed maps of each terminal in .pdf format from the official airport website.
Transfer between flights
CDG Airport is one of the most frequent connecting hubs in Europe.
For step-by-step transfer information at Paris CDG, please visit the airport's official website: parisaeroport.fr.
Transfer within terminals 2
Most transfers take place between terminals 2E, 2F, 2G, which are interconnected by transit zones.
However, the distances between the departure gates can be considerable and the queues for passport control are often very long (more than 30 minutes).
In addition, you must use the free airport buses that run on the tarmac to reach some departure gates.
Signage is clear and orientation is relatively easy despite the considerable ruggedness of the terminals.
The average transfer time within Terminals 2E, 2F and 2G is between 25 and 45 minutes, but can go up to 60 minutes. If you miss a connecting flight purchased on a single booking due to long queues, the airline must arrange free alternative transport to your final destination.
The average connection times are as follows:
- 2E <-> 2E - 20 to 30 minutes
- 2F <-> 2F - 20 to 30 minutes
- 2E <-> 2F - 25 to 45 minutes (can be up to 60 minutes)
- 2D, 2C <-> 2E, 2F - 30 to 60 minutes
- 2A, 2B <-> 2E, 2F - 35 to 65 minutes
- 2D, 2B <-> 2B, 2D or 2A, 2C <-> 2A, 2C - 15 to 25 minutes
- Within buildings 2A, 2B, 2C or 2D - up to 5 to 15 minutes
Transfers between Terminal 2 buildings are either on foot or by buses running on the tarmac. Clear signage will always lead you to either the pedestrian corridor or the buses.
Security and passport control
Do you have to go through passport control and-or security when changing planes at Terminal 2?
- Schengen -> Schengen: No check
- Schengen -> Non-Schengen: passport control
- Non-Schengen -> Schengen: Passport and security check
- Non-Schengen -> Non-Schengen: security check
Transfer within Terminal 1
Transferring at Terminal 1 is significantly easier and faster than at Terminal 2.
After you exit the aircraft, you walk through a separate corridor to the common transit area where you will find your departure gate.
The usual transfer time is between 10 and 25 minutes.
Security and passport control
Do you have to go through passport control and-or security when you transfer at Terminal 1?
- Schengen -> Schengen: Security check
- Schengen -> Non-Schengen: passport and security check
- Non-Schengen -> Schengen: passport and security check
- Non-Schengen -> Non-Schengen: security check
Transfer between terminals
All three terminals 1, 2 and 3 are connected by the airport's automatic train "CDG VAL", which is free and runs every 4 minutes.
- Travel time from Terminal 1 to Terminals 2 - 7 minutes
- Frequency - 4 minutes
- Operating hours - 4:00 to 1:00
Between 1:00 and 4:00, the CDG VAL train is replaced by a free shuttle bus.
Security and passport control
Do you have to go through passport control and-or security when transferring between terminals?
The transfer is only possible via the public part of the CDG Val train, so you will always have to go through a new check-in and therefore security check, or passport control in the case of a connecting flight outside the Schengen area.