Looking for BTDT on 8 hour layover in Paris in early July; exploring the city before your connecting flight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am currently planning a trip to Paris, and multiple resources mention that CDG is one airport where you really need to heed the advice to show up 3 hours before your flight. So for me 8 hours would be uncomfortable.

This is less true if the 2nd flight is inside the Schengen Zone (most of the EU), because you won't go through passport control again.

[Anonymous]

Another person who has done the layover trip into the cities from other airports but this would make me nervous at CDG!

[Anonymous]

Where is OP originating from?

If OP is flying home from Europe...maybe you can take a train from there to a Paris suburb, stay in the outskirts overnight, see Paris then leave?

You must be careful of that though.

I screwed up with a "last full day in France" at Monet's garden in Giverny for opening day. There were no trains from the area returning to Paris on Saturday. We ended up spending about $350 on 2 airport taxis unexpectedly. We needed 2 Euro-sized taxi vehicles to get our family of 5 from Giverny to CDG.

[Anonymous]

How much would it cost (airfare) to do a one night stopover? We have had to stay at airport hotels in Paris a couple of times. From there you can take the train into Paris. The hotels aren't that exciting, but are walking distance and you wouldn't have to drag your luggage downtown.

[Anonymous]

DS and his girlfriend did this last summer. They had a 9 hr layover in CDG on their way back to the US from Asia.

They left their carry on luggage in lockers at the airport and just carried a small backpack or such (the personal item) with them. They took the train from the airport into the city and it was very convenient. They would not recommend taking a taxi as traffic can be pretty bad depending on the time of day.

They gave themselves 4 hrs of actual sightseeing. They just walked around and looked at a few landmarks from outside: Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, etc, walked along the Seine, stopped at bakeries and cafes, just taking in the city.

They made it back to the airport with plenty of time to spare. They said they could have spent more time in the city, but they also said it was tiring because their flight into CDG had been an overnight flight and they hadn't slept well and, well, the time difference did not help either.

So it can be done, but absolutely needs to be planned ahead of time. They had researched everything, the train lines/stations, train times, etc, and had an idea of the places they could see using a combination of train rides and walking. They also had euros with them before they traveled so they did not have to spend time converting currency at the airport. Also check for current visa requirements for American citizens. I think they were going to change this year, but I don't remember when.

There is also a lot of information on Reddit. Good luck OP, I hope you are able to see at least some of the city!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can’t you get tighter flight times? Or spend a night or two there?

I absolutely can get tighter times. That is not the question here. Have you done such a thing in Paris? If so, what are your lessons learned and what would you recommend to someone else who is considering it.

I just want to see Eiffel Tower from the ground, and ideally go into Notre Dame not necessarily the tower. Our main excursion is to see family in another country and do things there. It is likely our once in a lifetime trip. We are not the wealthy Richie Rich family of the DMV. Thought this might be a fun a try on our way home.

NP. I would recommend getting tighter flight times and seeing Paris on an actual trip to Paris. Or spending a night or two.

This is just a stupid amount of running around and risk of missing your flight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS and his girlfriend did this last summer. They had a 9 hr layover in CDG on their way back to the US from Asia.

They left their carry on luggage in lockers at the airport and just carried a small backpack or such (the personal item) with them. They took the train from the airport into the city and it was very convenient. They would not recommend taking a taxi as traffic can be pretty bad depending on the time of day.

They gave themselves 4 hrs of actual sightseeing. They just walked around and looked at a few landmarks from outside: Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, etc, walked along the Seine, stopped at bakeries and cafes, just taking in the city.

They made it back to the airport with plenty of time to spare. They said they could have spent more time in the city, but they also said it was tiring because their flight into CDG had been an overnight flight and they hadn't slept well and, well, the time difference did not help either.

So it can be done, but absolutely needs to be planned ahead of time. They had researched everything, the train lines/stations, train times, etc, and had an idea of the places they could see using a combination of train rides and walking. They also had euros with them before they traveled so they did not have to spend time converting currency at the airport. Also check for current visa requirements for American citizens. I think they were going to change this year, but I don't remember when.

There is also a lot of information on Reddit. Good luck OP, I hope you are able to see at least some of the city!

Yes this is the way to do it- but you probably won't need any euros for an afternoon like this, pretty much anywhere you will want to stop will take cards. Probably easiest thing to do is buy a one day Paris Visite metro pass, which is normally an awful deal, it's 30 euros for 1 day/person, but since the ride to/from the airport is 14 euros each way, and each ride in the city is 2.50, it's a reasonable deal. Assuming your 2nd flight is inside the Schengen zone (most of the EU), you can arrive back at CDG around 90 minutes before your flight, since you won't have to go through passport control or go to one of the really far out concourses.

[Anonymous]

My flight is booked. I tried multiple times to book something from Poland to Paris with an overnight stopover and there is NOTHING, no results, nada. It is so strange. Anyway my options are to keep the 8h layover or possibly switch to a 2h layover. Those are my options. 2h seems really tight given all the reports of CDG been difficult to navigate / begin unreliable.

[Anonymous]

Ack! new laptop and I hit send too soon.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Again, I think Paris is not in the cards for me.

[Anonymous]

Somebody mentioned layover tours. Here's one.

https://www.viator.com/tours/Paris/Paris-Layover/d479-194645P2?gclsrc=aw.ds&&m=63845&supag=164528564360&supca=21275625811&supsc=dsa-1583450326707&supai=698995958051&supap=&supdv=m&supnt=nt:g&suplp=1019250&supli=&supti=dsa-1583450326707&tsem=true&supci=dsa-1583450326707&supap1=&supap2=&synthetic_keyword=cdg&suppmas=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21275625811&gbraid=0AAAAAD-gbd6Xq3WJcRv52KDHOYGmYS6i5&gclid=CjwKCAjw687NBhB4EiwAQ645duaGD6MySwjAvUT4mCCMAFkt7PjpHLjLDV7c8oWbACvw9vQao1dUpBoCvhIQAvD_BwE

It doesn't hurt to plan a little in case all signs line up favorably.

I would not do the 2 hour layover.

I have been stuck overnight at Schiphol twice due to weather in Europe and tight connections.

[Anonymous]

you could also look to just go to a little cafe in Bonneuil-en-France area---near the old airport le bourget. It is cute enough around there and at least you'll be out of the airport and very close!

[Anonymous]

Having just been in Paris, notre dame and the base of the Eiffel Tower are not really close but it’s doable to uber in between. You can get timed tix to notre dame a day or two before (free online) but that will guarantee your timeslot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you could also look to just go to a little cafe in Bonneuil-en-France area---near the old airport le bourget. It is cute enough around there and at least you'll be out of the airport and very close!

Thank you! That might be a good option if we otherwise have to sit in the airport for 8h. Our layover is on a Saturday and we are expected to arrive around 9:30 a.m. Then leave about 6 p.m. (or something like that, I'm not logged into my flight account). I will look into your suggestion further.

[Anonymous]

This stresses me out so much and I lived in Paris for 3 years. Even if technically doable it just sounds awful between the travel time into and out of the city and heading to some of the most packed destinations on a tight timeframe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My flight is booked. I tried multiple times to book something from Poland to Paris with an overnight stopover and there is NOTHING, no results, nada. It is so strange. Anyway my options are to keep the 8h layover or possibly switch to a 2h layover. Those are my options. 2h seems really tight given all the reports of CDG been difficult to navigate / begin unreliable.

This is helpful information. That means you will need to clear passport control AND security if you exit the airport.

2 hours is fine for a connection, it's not THAT complicated. If you don't leave the airport, you will only have to do passport control, not security again. The path is here:

https://cdgairportguide.com/connecting-flights-paris-cdg-airport/transfer-terminal-2f/terminal-2f-to-terminal-2e/

You'll probably end up leaving out of 2E-L.or 2E-M (yes their terminal naming system is crazy, they are actually changing it next year)

https://onemileatatime.com/news/paris-charles-de-gaulle-airport-updating-terminal-naming/