Navigating Charles de Gaulle Airport

If you’re traveling to France for one of our trips, there’s a good chance you’ll first need to pass through Charles de Gaulle Airport. Arriving at the airport can feel daunting. It’s one of Europe’s busiest transportation hubs, serving over 70 million passengers a year across three sprawling terminals. Rest assured, though. With this guide, you’ll find navigating Charles de Gaulle airport much easier.

Paris is served by two airports: Aéroport de Paris-Orly (Orly) to the south of the city and Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) to the north. Orly, which opened in 1932, long served as the city’s principal airport. Eventually, though, traveler demand outgrew its facilities, leading to the opening of a second Paris airport, CDG, in the mid-1970s. Today, CDG serves the vast majority of international flights to Paris, with Orly mostly relegated to handling domestic air travel.

Charles de Gaulle Airport has three terminals. If you’re reaching France from abroad, you’re most likely flying into Terminal 2. Most major airlines (including Delta, British Airways, JetBlue, and Air France) operate out of Terminal 2. By contrast, only a few major airlines use Terminal 1. Terminal 3 is mostly reserved for low-cost and charter airlines like Vueling. (Since most of our travelers will arrive via Terminal 2, we’ve decided to focus exclusively on it in this blog post). You can view a full map of the airport here.

Understanding CDG Terminal 2

CDG Terminal 2 is served by seven sub-terminals, from 2A to 2G. Terminals 2A through 2F are organized in linear fashion and are connected by elevated walkways. If you accidentally find yourself in the wrong subterminal, rest assured that you can reach your intended one by walking and without needing to make complicated transfers. Only Terminal 2G requires a shuttle, and the path to and from it is well marked and easy to follow.

A corridor in one of the sub-terminals

Arriving at CDG Terminal 2

Upon arrival abroad, you will first need to pass through customs. As of October 2025, CDG has adopted the European Union’s new Entry Exit System (EES), which replaces physical passport stamping with a digital system that collects biometric data.

The new passport scanning machines at border control

Based on our experience, the process of scanning and verification proceeded smoothly enough, though it may take a few tries to align your passport correctly on the scanner. It did seem to keep the customs line moving more quickly.

(The EES system of digital passport verification is also gradually rolling out for departures and is expected to be fully operational by April 2026).

Taking a Taxi from CDG

Whether you’re joining us for one of our Paris-based trips (The Paris Experience and Inside Paris) or are simply planning to spend time in the city, you have several options for reaching Paris from the airport.

If time and convenience are your priorities, taxis are your best option for reaching Paris. There are well-marked taxi stands near the baggage claim areas of each arrival terminal. (In Terminal 2A, take exit 6; Terminal 2B, arrivals level; Terminal 2C, exit 14; Terminal 2D, exit 7; Terminal 2E, gate 10 on arrivals level; Terminal 2F, gate 11 on arrivals level; Terminal 2G, blue gate).

Once you’ve collected your bags, you’ll pass through one final set of dividing doors and enter into the external corridor of the sub-terminal. From there, you’ll follow signs for the nearest taxi stand.

Fares to Paris are standardized (as of 2025, 56€ to the “Right Bank” and 64€ to the “Left Bank”). You can pay by credit card.

When searching for a taxi, ensure you choose an officially designated one. Avoid any solicitation within the terminal. When approaching the taxi stand, choose a vehicle with a clearly marked “Taxi Parisien” sign illuminated in green on top. There are almost always numerous taxis available at a given taxi stand, including the larger van-sized taxis that can seat up to 6 people.

An official taxi

We’ve found that ordering a taxi ahead of time is not necessary at CDG, particularly given that even the most well-laid plans to schedule a taxi ahead of time can be complicated by a delayed flight or uncharacteristically long border control process. Still, if you did want to pre-order your taxi, we recommend using G7, which has an easy-to-use website and its own downloadable app for iPhone and Android.

Reaching Paris by Public Transport

Unlike taxi stands, which are dispersed across all the sub-terminals, the public transportation options are centralized in the main hall of Terminal 2. You’ll know you’ve reached the hall when you see the large, futuristic timetable on the central mezzanine.

The large timetable in the main hall of Terminal Two

Regardless of the sub-terminal you’re coming from, simply follow the signs that read “Vers Paris” (Towards Paris”) and “RER B.” The RER B is a commuter rail running every 10-15 minutes to and from CDG, and, for the time being, it’s the most common way to reach Paris by public transport. (There are plans to open a direct train between CDG and a major Paris train station, the Gare de l’Est, in 2027).

Signs for the RER B to Paris

You’ll need to buy tickets to make it through the turnstiles. One-way tickets for the RER B to Paris cost 13€ as of 2025, plus an additional 2€ for a reusable Carte Navigo, and can be purchased at the ticket machines in the central hall. You can buy a round-trip ticket; if you’re planning to return to the airport by public transit, it’s not a bad idea to buy all the tickets you need at once. Be sure to have your ticket handy during your journey – you will need it to exit the station turnstile at the end of your journey.

Here’s a tip for saving you time and stress when taking the RER B. From the main hall and also the RER platform, you’ll find a timetable that indicates the upcoming trains and their scheduled stops. There are two alternating RER B trains, an express train that makes minimal stops between CDG 2 and the Paris city limits (Gare de Nord), and another that makes numerous and frequent local stops on the urban periphery en route to the city. We strongly recommend that you choose the express option, even if it means waiting for the next train to arrive; the local train is a much longer commute with fewer luggage racks that can get very crowded.

How do you know if your train is express? Simple. Look at the running list of stops, there will only be a few of them listed before Paris Gare du Nord. If the running list of stops along the next train include Le Blanc-Mesnil, Drancy, Le Bourget, and La Courneuve Aubervilliers, then skip it – that’s a local train.

Traveling to Other Parts of France by TGV from CDG Airport

Perhaps you’re only passing through Paris en route to one of our tours elsewhere in France. Avignon, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Aix-en-Provence – meeting points for our Luberon Experience, Inside Lyon, Inside Bordeaux, and Mediterranean Provence Experience – are all easily reached directly from CDG by high-speed rail.

For travel to other parts of France by rail, you’ll find your train station in the main hall of Terminal 2. Regardless of your sub-terminal, simply follow signs for “Grandes Lignes” (“Mainline services”). You’ll arrive at the same central node where the RER B platforms are located. From the main hall, you will see timetables indicating upcoming train arrivals and departures, as well as the corresponding track number. There is also an office for the SNCF, France’s national train service, in the main hall, should you need to buy train tickets or speak with a customer service representative about your train.

A timetable for the trains from the main hall

Don’t be surprised if the track number is not listed on the timetable until only 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Once you know your track number, head towards the corresponding door and follow the signs to the corresponding platform.

To learn more about train travel in France, see Kathy Wood’s blog posts:

Train Travel in France: Planning Your Trip & Buying Tickets

Train Travel in France: At the Station & On the Train

Car Rental at CDG

If you’ve reserved a rental car, you’ll find the major car rental agencies located in dedicated areas of each terminal at Charles de Gaulle. For most international arrivals (coming from Terminals 2E and 2F), the nearest car rental area is located in a large parking lot directly between the two terminals and easily accessed from both. While in Terminal 2, follow the clearly marked signs reading “Car Rental / Location de voitures.” You’ll find many of the major rental agencies there, including Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Alamo, and Sixt.

However, be sure to confirm the actual pick-up location of your car, as there are other counters for the rental agencies elsewhere in the airport, and it’s possible that your rental car will be located there. Additionally, be sure to have your driver’s license, passport, and reservation confirmation ready upon arrival.

Navigating Charles de Gaulle Airport

Travel days are, perhaps inevitably, the least enjoyable part of any vacation. At European Experiences, we want to ensure your trip to France starts as effortlessly as possible. Though this airport can feel a little overwhelming at first, with a bit of preparation and patience, you will find that navigating Charles de Gaulle airport can be quite manageable. Whether you’re heading into Paris, catching a high-speed train to another region, or picking up a rental car for your next adventure, the key is to know where you’re headed and just follow the signs.

Drew Fedorka joined European Experiences in late 2022. As our Vice President of Operations, most of his responsibilities focus on administrative operations stateside, but he's also involved in leading and developing trips. In addition to leading Inside Lyon, he's the co-leader for our trips in Normandy, Alsace, the Perigord, and Cornwall. Born and raised in Connecticut, Drew later moved to Florida, where he attended the University of Central Florida in Orlando and earned a B.A. and an M.A. in History, with special focus on European history. Returning to the northeast, he started a PhD in French history at New York University in 2016. He received his doctorate in 2024. Drew’s passion for European travel started early. When he was seventeen, he participated in a summer college preparation program at Cambridge University. In the years since, he has returned to Europe regularly and for increasingly lengthy stretches. One of the most rewarding aspects of his doctoral studies was the extended periods he spent in France – about two years in total. During that time, he traveled widely across Europe, fostering meaningful connections and gaining a deeper appreciation for the French art de vivre (the “art of living”).