I have been considering writing a review of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) for some time but have refrained; worried that it may be biased by factors outside of the airports hands. However, having had an 'unforgettable' trip through the airport on a day trip a couple of weeks ago, I ... Read review
Combine comfort with convenience at this airport hotel located within Terminal 2 of the ... more
Charles de Gaulle Airport, just north-east of Paris. With excellent travel connections by air, road and high speed train, Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel is the ideal location for an early start, long journey or important business occasion. Just 10 minutes from the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre and 30 minutes from the centre of Paris, this hotel is suitable for day trips and events in the capital. Comfortable beds, conference facilities, a new fitness room and 24-hour room service are welcome services tailored to your relaxation and business needs. Discover our new business centre "Link @ Sheraton", and our Club Lounge, the perfect spot for a quiet and relaxing time away from your room.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: Great transport links Disadvantages: Poor facilities in terminals
...considering writing a review of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) for some time but have refrained; worried that it may be biased by factors outside of the airports hands. However, having had an 'unforgettable' trip through the airport on a day trip a couple of weeks ago, I felt it was time to put down my opinions!
CDG is one of a group of airports around the capital city of France, along with Orly, Le Bourget and Beavaus, but ... ...the UK. It was opened in 1972 as Le Bourget could not cope with the demands of modern aviation and has quickly become one of the busiest and most diverse airports in the world.
I first visited the airport a couple of years ago when my girlfriend and I decided to visit the city for a few days holiday. We were flying from London Heathrow with bmi and, as a member of the Star Alliance; we were taken to terminal 1. The terminal itself ... more
I have been considering writing a review of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) for some time but have refrained; worried that it may be biased by factors outside of the airports hands. However, having had an 'unforgettable' trip through the airport on a day trip a couple of weeks ago, I felt it was time to put down my opinions!
CDG is one of a group of airports around the capital city of France, along with Orly, Le Bourget and Beavaus, but is the most likely point of origin for travellers from the UK. It was opened in 1972 as Le Bourget could not cope with the demands of modern aviation and has quickly become one of the busiest and most diverse airports in the world.
I first visited the airport a couple of years ago when my girlfriend and I decided to visit the city for a few days holiday. We were flying from London Heathrow with bmi and, as a member of the Star Alliance; we were taken to terminal 1. The terminal itself is an odd design with a central hub leading to seven satellite terminals, which are accessed by moving walkways under the taxiway. It was on these walkways that I experienced my first example of poor planning in the French Customs department as there were too few desks open and very soon people were having to queue on a still moving walkway, quite dangerous!
Once through security baggage reclaim was quick and we were able to experience the best part of CDG, its transport links. Regular shuttle buses run from the terminal to the train station where you can catch direct RER trains into the city centre. With the exception of the customs desks, at this point I had seen no real problems with the airport, these started on my return.
On our return, we arrived early at the airport thanks to the trains being quicker than we had envisaged and we were soon checked in, unfortunately only to find that due to bad weather in the UK, our flight was going to be delayed by over an hour. Whilst in the city itself we had considered getting a bite to eat but had decided against as it was early and, "there was bound to be somewhere at the airport". However, having shot through security, we soon discovered that there was very little airside, especially in the food department! There did appear to be works going on at the time so perhaps today the facilities are better but I did get the feeling that CDG were happy to shun those who weren't Air France (or partners!!!).
I returned to CDG a couple of weeks ago and was hoping that my previous experience was down solely to tiredness and a delay making my experience worse. This time I was flying with easyJet from Luton so we went into terminal 3, a converted hanger designed primarily for low cost carriers. We were bussed to the terminal from the plane and once again, had to queue due to the lack of customs personnel. However, about 15mins after getting off the plane we were on our way to the station thanks to having hand baggage only. Once again, I was impressed by the train links, terminal 3 is actually walking distance from the station, although I felt that the prices had gone up since I was last there.
In the evening, we returned to the airport having spent much of the day outside in rain and getting soaked to the bone. Unfortunately, the rain had also managed to cause the ink to run on our boarding card printouts so after a short wait, we had to check in again at a desk, just to find out that our flight was delayed due to bad weather in the UK (anyone else getting the feeling of deja vu????).
Had we not been so cold and wet I think we may have headed off to find food elsewhere but tiredness meant that we just wanted to sit down. Terminal 3 is split in to two sections, one for Schengen countries and the other for all other flights. As we were flying to the UK, this meant that we were needed to pass through additional security and once again, my good friends the French Customs Department didn't let me down, only operating two desks. Combined with only one x-ray machine in operation, before we knew it the queue was out the terminal doors!
Finally after what seemed forever (probably wasn't helped by the annoying kids running around my feet!) we were through and went to settle down. Thankfully, the seating area was quite comfortable and we were able to settle down with an (overpriced) beer! Unfortunately, the selection of foods was once again a little poor (maybe I am spoilt by the airports I have flown from before?) but at least the duty free shop was still open and we able to sit down and indulge in Toblerone.
You can probably guess from my review that I am not really smitten with CDG due to the lack of decent facilities being enhanced by problems outside of the airports hands. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has been able to fly through terminal 2 in the past to see if my theory that Air France get the best facilities is correct but based on my knowledge of French aviation, it would not surprise me.
CDG has the potential to be a great airport if they could only sort out the problems that I have outlined as it does have the space and most importantly transport links. As someone who really likes the French Capital, I am sure that these two trips are not the only ones that I will take through the airport and hopefully one day my flight won't be delayed, helping my opinion improve!
Advantages: Can get to just about anywhere from here. Loads of shops. Disadvantages: Big, busy and looking a little dated
...booze, get them before you go to the airport, its a lot cheaper.
Last Point - if you are remaining in Paris and need to get across to the city proper, use the excellent train service, DO NOT try to drive across Paris. You'll end up in Waterloo. ...
bespinleia 08.01.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
...a short holiday at Disneyland Paris (I have placed a flight review under 'BMI Baby') and, like at most airports, the experience was not pleasant!
CHECK-IN
For the return leg of the journey was somewhat confusing. The check-in hall is vast and, like most of the airport, seems to work in a sort of circle. The main problem was that there was not sufficient space to queue. Whichever way the queue wen away fromt he desk it seemed to stick out into a ... ...airport with huge trolleys of cases.
In additiion to the queuing problem there was a general lack of seating in this area. The result was a mess of people generally laid around the floor or propped up against the walls.
However, this was the area in which the staff were at their most polite. When I asked (with many gestures and a lot of the wrong French words) where to buy a drink from, the man was very helpful and pointed me in the right direction, ...
musicmaker2904 17.01.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Advantages: Planes can land there. Planes can leave again. Disadvantages: Total chaos trying to navigate the airport. The moving walkways are a real danger to your health. Lack of information. Not enough multi-language speakers working there. The place is in need of some real modernising. The check-in desks need some real
...arrested too! If at all possible … avoid having to use Charles de Gaulle airport! We flew into Paris on July 26th 2001 & left again on August 1st 2001)
Marks out of 10 would have to be 2! & that’s being rather generous at best. ...
Paddys_back 21.10.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Advantages: Good connections to many destinations Disadvantages: Too difficult to navigate, not suitable for disabled, badly signposted, filthy toilets.
Paris CDG is honestly the WORST airport I have ever visited. Getting around is a nightmare, security takes too long, the signage is bad, facilities are poor, prices are expensive and the staff surly and unhelpful.
I have transferred on and off flights via Paris CDG many times whilst flying to and from the USA from Scotland. Here is a typical experience:
We arrive by plane from Edinburgh and are taken by bus to the terminal. We then stand in a huge ... ...So what is wrong with Paris CDG? At the heart of its problems is a basically flawed arhitectural design. It is a HUGE rambling airport spread over many terminals and endless other little buildings that have no real connection between them other than endless perspex corridors and infrequent shuttle buses which makes the whole impossible to comprehend or to navigate. With the endless stairs and buses, I fail to see how it is possible to manage if one ...
fallen121 05.05.2001 (17.01.2003)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Advantages: none that I was aware of Disadvantages: No thought to people with mobility difficulties, rude and unhelpful staff
...at all. However arriving at Paris was a different story.
Firstly when my plane landed there was no wheelchair to meet me from the plane, after waiting about 20 minutes I had to get off the plane using my crutches and make my way slowly into the airport terminal, with no assistance from any airport or airline staff. Once in the terminal I had to sit and wait a further 10 minutes for a wheelchair to arrive. When the wheelchair finally arrived it was ... ...special assistance I found that Paris Charles de Gaulle airport just made it a million times worse, at Toulouse and Manchester airports they were friendly and helpful and tried to help as best they could, at Paris they just couldn't care less. I will be avoiding this airport at all costs, I hope I never have the misfortune to have to travel through it again! ...
hawleydv 18.06.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Prices
Transport links
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)"
I didn't really rate my trip on the low-cost airline, Buzz. Although the fare was very cheap, the seats were cramped and the aircraft had an unusual and little unpleasant smell. They have a lounge which you can pay £10 to sit in if you would like to enhance your experience. However, I did not see this as necessary for my 50 minute flight from London Stansted (STN) to ParisCharles-De-Gaulle (CDG) Airport. The aircraft have a colourful yellow and purple livery which I though was quite nice, but apart from that, the trip was nothing special. If you want to get from A to B for as low a price as possible, consider Buzz, otherwise, go to one of the bigger airlines and pay a little more for the quality. ...
mark152 05.12.2000
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Buzz
Advantages: Customer service Disadvantages: Almost none
Air France is the biggest and best-known French airline in the world. Owning many different aircraft including the Concorde, they offer a multitude of destinations from their main ParisCharlesDeGaulle (CDG) base, as well as other airports in France.
The British airports served by this airline are Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, London (City, Gatwick, Heathrow), Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton.
My main experiences of Air France have been on the Paris-Montpellier Méditerranée route, flight AF7682, which I will look at in detail now. With three or sometimes four flights daily to the southern coastal city of Montpellier, once on board you are glad you are not on the TGV. I find the journeys smooth and relaxing, due to some expert flying from the cockpit crew.
Comfort
******
Although I have only travelled in ...
magicloudz 08.04.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Air France - AFR
Similar products and search queries by other users »
Paris CDG, Paris Charles CDG, Paris de CDG, Paris Gaulle CDG, Paris Charles de CDG, Paris Charles Gaulle CDG, Paris de Gaulle CDG, Paris Charles de Gaulle CDG
Are you the manufacturer / provider of Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG)? Click here
