AtlasSearch

CDG layover

A layover in Paris (CDG)

The city is 30–45 min from Charles de Gaulle each way, so budget around 1.5 hours of travel for the round trip before immigration and security. Charles de Gaulle is spread over three terminals linked by the free CDGVal train, and the RER B into Paris is often disrupted. Allow for both, plus Schengen passport control in each direction. Be back 3 hours before a flight outside Schengen.

  1. 0–6hStay airside
  2. 6–10hÎle de la Cité and the Seine
  3. 10–24hA Paris half-day

Checked against sources:· How we verify

Can you leave the airport?

That depends on your passport and ticket. Check the official rules before you plan anything outside the terminal:

We link the official sources rather than summarise entry rules, because they change and differ by nationality.

How much buffer to leave at Charles de Gaulle

Your connection depends on the inbound flight. Over the last four weeks, 82.7% of tracked arrivals at Charles de Gaulle landed within 15 minutes of their usual time; about 1 in 29 was more than an hour late. On a tight connection, book the earlier inbound flight or a longer layover.

Arrivals on time (Touchdown Index)
82.7%
10,608 flights · 3.4% over an hour late
Extra time circling or sequencing
3.8 min
average, last 40 nm · 0% of arrivals held
Taxi-out
7 min
median gate to take-off · 1 in 5 over 11 min
Tracked flights
5,867
take-offs and landings a week, airlines we cover

From public ADS-B flight tracking (adsb.lol, CC0), 4 September 2026 to 1 October 2026. How these figures are measured.

0–6 hours

Stay airside

Under six hours, stay airside. Follow the yellow connecting-flights signs and check which terminal your next flight uses: 2E for flights outside Schengen, 2F and 2G within it. Bags on the same booking are transferred automatically.

6–10 hours

Île de la Cité and the Seine

RER B to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, then walk Île de la Cité and the Seine quays towards the Louvre. Stay near the RER B line so the trip back is a single train.

10–24 hours

A Paris half-day

Add the Marais or a museum such as the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay (book a timed ticket ahead). Head back early: the RER B is the main rail link and delays are common.

Into Paris and back

  • RER BAéroport CDG 1 (Terminals 1 & 3) or CDG 2 TGV station (Terminal 2) → Gare du Nord, Châtelet–Les Halles, Saint-Michel · 25–40 min
  • Taxi (fixed fare)Official taxi ranks at each terminal → Door to door · 40 min–1h 15m
  • Bus and night bus (after the Roissybus)Bus stations at the terminals → Paris, via the regional and Noctilien night network · 1h–1h 30m

Sources

Report a change — seen something different at the airport or on the airline's site? We re-check and log corrections publicly.