What airport is CDG?
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, designed by Paul Andreu and first opened in 1974, is the main international airport in France and one of the busiest airports in Europe.
The airport has many facilities such as mobile charging points, WiFi (free and premium options available), hotels inside the airport, lounges, children’s play areas, baby care facilities, luggage storage, 24-hour cafes and shops, banking services, currency exchange and ATM-s, car rentals, business services such as equipped workstations, emergency medical services, pharmacies, and so on.
Where is Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport?
It is located in the town of Roissy, 23 km northeast of Paris (see the map):
Paris / CDG Terminals and map
There are three Paris / CDG terminals (see the map of CDG airport):
- Terminal 1 is situated opposite to Terminal 3. It is the oldest one.
The structure of the first terminal reminds of an octopus. Underground walkways connect the central building to seven satellites with boarding gates. There are 5 levels in Terminal 1, and each of them has a special function.
* The first floor is closed to the public. It is used for technical purposes.
* The second floor contains the information desk, check-in counters, lost property, ATMs, baby care facilities, a pharmacy, shops and restaurants. From the second floor there is a direct access to the CDGVAL shuttle train, the inter-terminal shuttle train which departs to Terminal 2 and central Paris.
* The third floor has the majority of check-in counters, access to taxis, and bus stops, information desk, ATMs and currency exchange, baby care rooms, shops and restaurants.
* The fourth floor is the boarding level. It contains customs, border control, duty-free stores, cafes, ATMs, baby care facilities, and several lounges.
* The fifth floor is the arrivals level. There you can find baggage claim conveyors and access to transportation, such as car rental, taxi or bus, as well as direct access to the car parking. There is also and information desk, meeting point, tourist office, currency exchange and baby care rooms.
One can pass between the upper three floors by using escalators, covered with transparent tubes and suspended over the center of the building. These escalators were often depicted in shooting movie scenes.
- Terminal 2 contains 7 sub-terminals (2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G), that are interconnected by covered walkways, except for Terminal 2G, which is a separate building accessible by a shuttle bus.
- Terminal 3, the farthest from the main terminal, serves charter and low-cost airlines. It has separate Arrivals and Departures 1-level buildings.
How to travel between Paris / CDG terminals?
* Travel between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and their parking lots by CDGVAL shuttle train.
* The best option to travel within Terminal 2 is on foot, but you can also use a shuttle bus.
* To travel Between TGV railway station and Terminal 1 and 3 you can use the CDGVAL shuttle train. You can access Terminal 2 from the TGV railway station, and vice versa, on foot or use a Shuttle bus.
* Travel between the RER station and Terminal 1 by CDGVAL shuttle train. You can walk between the RER station and Terminal 2 and 3, or use a shuttle bus to between RER station and Terminal 2.