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Your hours, planned
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Connections at CDG: the honest numbers
The indicative minimum international-to-international connection at Paris Charles de Gaulle is 90 minutes on a single booking with bags checked through. On separate tickets, add roughly 90 minutes: you'll collect bags, recheck them, and re-clear security — and no airline is obliged to help if the first leg runs late.
Transfer specifics
- Terminal groups (1, 2A–2G, 3) link via the CDGVAL shuttle and buses — 20–30 minutes between groups.
- 2G is a remote, bus-only terminal; any connection touching 2G deserves an extra 30 minutes.
Leaving CDG during a layover
Schengen entry is visa-free (90/180) for Australian, NZ, UK, US and most EU passports. The EES is fully live since April 2026 — first entry includes biometric registration, and CDG passport queues were already notorious (45–60 min at peak). ETIAS is NOT required yet (late 2026 + grace period). The RER B reaches central Paris in ~35–50 minutes but is strike-prone. The city is about 45 minutes away one-way; as a rule of thumb you want 7+ hours before exiting is worth the queues, and you should be back through security 90 minutes before boarding.
Worth your hours in Paris
- 8h+: RER B to a Notre-Dame/Latin Quarter loop — doable but leave a fat buffer, CDG re-entry is slow
- 7h: Montmartre via Gare du Nord is the tighter, prettier alternative
- Under 6h: don't. Between EES queues and RER roulette, airside Paris (Espace Musées + a proper French meal) is the smarter play
Staying airside instead
- Espace Musées in T2E — a genuine free museum space with rotating French art
- Instant Paris lounge/library area in T2E with proper rest seating (free)
- YOTELAIR airside in T2E
- Terminal transfers ride the CDGVAL shuttle — budget 20–30 min between terminal groups
Sleeping, showers and lounges at CDG
Sleep: YOTELAIR (T2E airside) by the hour; the Instant Paris rest area has free daybed-style seating that fills fast.
Showers: YOTELAIR and lounges.
Lounges: Decent Priority Pass coverage but heavily terminal-dependent — check your terminal letter before counting on it.
Overnight reality: Officially open but unfriendly — cleared seating areas and cold floors. Book the YOTELAIR or a T3-area hotel.
CDG layover FAQ
Is 90 minutes enough to connect at CDG?
That's the honest planning minimum — CDG is a sprawl of terminal groups linked by the CDGVAL shuttle, and Schengen↔non-Schengen transfers add passport control (now with EES biometrics). Two-plus hours is the calm zone; under 75 minutes on separate terminals is gambling.
Do I need ETIAS for a Paris layover?
Not yet — ETIAS launches late 2026 with a grace period after. The EES IS live: first Schengen entry includes fingerprint/photo registration, on top of CDG's already-long passport queues. Visa-free 90/180 rules otherwise apply for Australian, NZ, UK, US and most EU passports.
Can I see Paris on a CDG layover?
With 8+ hours, yes — RER B to the centre runs ~35–50 minutes each way. With 6–7 hours it's tight and strike-dependent; the airside Espace Musées and a real French meal are the underrated alternative.
Where can I sleep at CDG?
YOTELAIR airside in T2E by the hour, or the free Instant Paris rest area if you claim a spot early. Open-terminal overnighting at CDG is famously grim.
Minimum connection times are indicative and vary by airline, terminal pair and season; visa notes are simplified general guidance, not immigration advice. Facts on this page were last verified on 2026-07-02. If anything has changed, tell us and we'll fix it fast.