Layover In Paris (Charles De Gaulle)
Aug 11, 2011 | Comments 2
Stuck on a layover at Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG)? The airport is the hub of Air France and France’s main airport, located roughly 15 miles from Paris’ city center which makes the city an accessible destination for on a long layover. If you’re trying to figure out if you can leave the airport during your layover, click here for useful tips.
If you’re stuck in the airport during your layover, there’s plenty of shops and services to help you bide your time. There’s a number of bars and restaurants (listed here by terminal) as well as lots of duty free and regular shopping. A shopping guide can be found here.
For kids, there are Gulli play areas with games and a TV area (click here for locations), Playstation areas, coin-operated arcade games including pinball, pool, foosball and more, located in terminal 3 in the Schengen boarding lounge and in the international lounge. There are also additional play areas where kids can climb, slide and burn off energy before the flight in the boarding lounges of terminals 2C, 2D and 2E (in the boarding lounge in the remote area).
CLICK HERE for the Layover Guide to Paris’ Orly Airport
For adults looks to relax, the Charles De Gaulle airport hosts the Be Relax spa in Terminal 2E near desk E69 and in kiosks throughout Terminal 2. Here you can get a number of services including massages, acupressure, reflexology, manicures and pedicures, and facials. Click here for pricing. Appointments are not necessary, customers will be attended to based on arrival time. For more information call +33 144 13 76 94 or email info@berelax.xom. In addition to the spa, there is also a Men’s lounge salon in Paris-Charles de Gaulle terminal 2D.
There is also Internet access available in the airport. There is the Atlanteam Cyber Café with four locations in the airport (click here for more info) as well as Multimedia Terminals that allow a number of various operations including downloading music, web phone, web cam, digital photo printing and more. Click here for pricing and locations. There is also WiFi hotspots in all the terminals, and business workstations.
CLICK HERE for the ten best restaurants in Paris!
The airport also has a number of additional services including a post office, multi-faith prayer area, banks, and pharmacies.
If you’re looking to store your bags while you explore, Charles De Gaulle offers baggage storage. Bagages du Monde will ship, store (short term or long term) or wrap your luggage. Click here for pricing, location and more information.
If you’re layover is at night or you’re looking to get some rest, there are many hotels of varying price points located near the airport. Directly inside the airport you can find the Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel & Conference Center located in Terminal 2. Here’s an additional list of hotels near the airport.
If you’re leaving the airport, there’s a number of transportation options. Taxis are located outside the arrivals terminal and a general fare to the Paris center costs €50 (click here for fare rates and taxi contact information). If you choose to travel by rail, the Paris-Charles de Gaulle SNCF station is located between terminals 2C-2D and 2E-2F. Click here for additional information on rail and bus travel in Paris.
LayoverGuide.com’s Suggestions Of Things To Do On A Paris Layover:
Sightseeing
Eiffel Tower
Transfer at St. Michel to the yellow RER line, and go to the Eiffel Tower at Champ Des Mars stop. Take trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. On a clear day, there’s no other view that compares. Check the site for hours of operation and rates.
Notre Dame
Take the train to St. Michel and visit Notre Dame and tour the cathedral. If you get hungry, there are great Parisian cafes and restaurants nearby, along the Seine, or in St. Germain des Pres area.
Seine River Cruise
Also a great way to see the city quickly is to take a Bateaux-Mouches Cruise, and take a leisurely trip down the Seine for an hour. (They also offer sunset cruises, if the timing works for your layover.) You’ll get a wonderful view of the city and Notre Dame.
Museums
Orsay Museum
Transfer at St. Michel to the yellow RER line, and go to the Orsay Museum at the Musee d’Orsay stop. It exhibits French art from 1848 to 1915 and is best known for its Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Cezanne.
Louvre
A trip to Paris isn’t complete without a visit to the famed Louvre, but skip the lines and order tickets by phone in advance (08-92-68-46-94), pick them up at any FNAC store and enter via the Passage Richelieu, 93 rue de Rivoli.
Restaurants
Hotel Plaza Athenee
Well known as a top breakfast hotspot “power breakfast” spot, the Hotel Plaza Athenee‘s pastry chef, Christophe Michalak, won the 2005 World Pastry Cup.
La Coupole
Join the ranks of Salvador Dali, Josephine Baker, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway and have lunch at La Coupole, a classic bistro, on the left bank of the Seine.
Shopping
Galeries Lafayette & Printemps
If you visit one of les grands magasins, Paris’ huge department stores, you will not leave empty handed. The massive stores of Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, along the Boulevard Haussmann in the 9ème arrondissement, have virtually everything you can imagine, and more.
Have a suggestion or advice for Charles Du Gaulle layovers in Paris? Leave a comment below!
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Thank you for your comment about the Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel. For your information, we have rooms available for day hours, you don't need to stay for one night to benefit from the comfort of a Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, with internet access. Also, you can just come for a drink at the Galaxy Bar or have lunch at Les Saisons restaurant. Stay connected with us: sheratonparisairport.com/socialmedia
Pls advise on your day rates for Sheraton. I’ll be arriving on Air France Terminal 2C on August 21st and have an 8hr layover.