Paris CDG Airport

I passed through CDG twice this summer transferring from BOS to HEL and again on the return. Each instance at CDG was an unhappy ordeal that left me spent and breathless. Sparing the details the words asanine and ludicrous best describe the layout and navigability of this facility. There was little in the way of courtesy at check-in desks and security with some instances of outright rudeness. I did however encounter one kind woman an employee who was helpful along the way. Personally I will avoid transfers at CDG in the future. If you must transfer at CDG I suggest allowing yourself a minimum of two hours between flights preferably longer. CDG was the only blight on an otherwise pleasant travel experience with Air France and Finnair.

After a promotional flight on A380 from LHR I discovered that CDG was just like most of the previous postings indicated. I only had carry-on baggage so did not have to experience reclaim but the rest of the experience was forgettable. A gloomy airport in the main (Terminal 2E not too bad) with incredible distances to cover to get anywhere "central". The only advantage I saw over LHR was the lack of holding patterns for landing - the advantage of 4 runways over two I guess. Orly or Eurostar next time!

Used CDG to transit from HKG to BRS. While the incoming flight from Hong Kong used the aerobridge the flight to Bristol required a ten minute bus drive on the tarmac to reach the plane. This after having to first get my bearings locate a map of where I was obtain my connecting gate number locate the new gate again on the map figure out how to reach there then take an internal train within 2E to change gates. As several users of CDG have pointed out earlier signage is confusing and a simple matter of arriving at one gate and getting to the next even within the same terminal is a trip itself. Also until 1030am the only food available inside 2E restricted area are sandwiches and pastries. Tip for those using CDG for transit - don't unless you have at least 3 hours anything less and either you or your baggage or both will not be on the connecting flight.

Always problems at CDG! You leave the plane there's no flight information screen in the first place little staff and its always cold! They make you walk very long distances (which you have to run otherwise you miss your connection!!) just to get on a bus - which is not coming frequently enough. In the gate you run again long distances. Staff rather chat than being effective at security control. Signage is confusing getting around no fun - missing connections seems to be common.

The poor reviews of CDG are the correct ones. I flew there on 7 August only because I was taking advantage of the promotional fare on Air France's A380. I was apprehensive and right to be so. Although more light reaches the upper level the terminal lower level is gloomy. The walking distances are unbelievable; we took a shuttle train within 2E and still had considerable walks in the same terminal and subsequently from baggage claim to RER station. Baggage arrived at a carousel other than that advertised on the plane's information screen. I did not see any master screen to direct one to the correct carousel. Ticket machines on the cluttered station concourse were difficult to spot but do take 'foreign' credit cards which they used not to (a long time ago). I get the impression that to use CDG you need to be French and certainly able bodied.

Charles de Gaulle airport is dirty gloomy and filled with homeless people in the public areas. Most bathrooms are filthy and the grounds aren't much better. The organization is a complete mess. I'm French and I have a hard time finding my way around it. I can only imagine how foreigners might fare! I cannot believe we pay huge airport fees as part of our tickets for the privilege of struggling in airports like this one. On top of it all try making it through Charles de Gaulle Airport without being held hostage by one of the personnel strikes. They have them pretty much every week which adds chaos to confusion! Avoid CDG like the plague London and Amsterdam combined with low-cost European airlines will get you where you need to go even in provincial France under much better conditions.

Transferring within Terminal 2 (2D to 2F). The terminal is architecturally interesting but not practical: waiting areas are too small washrooms are small and hard to find departure boards only show flights for the next hour or so which leaves you constantly guessing and signage is poor. I arrived from a transatlantic flight and had a hard time figuring out where to go to make my connection. On the plus side the food is decent and the shopping is OK. There are better airports for European transfers.

21 July arrived early for my evening flight to Dublin as there was strike action by air traffic controllers and I wanted to allow extra time in case of additional crowds. I was pleasantly surprised to note that there was no crowds so used the time to have an excellent meal at airport restaurant. Prices reasonable for an airport restaurant. I was very annoyed to find a lengthy queue for passport control. Only one of the two available booths was operating and when we finally arrived at the booth the official was too busy with his mobile phone to take more than a cursory glance at our passports. So much for security let alone customer service. Paris is a lovely city with much to offer but if leaving is so troublesome it would deter visitors.

Terminal 1 at arrival and departure both times a revolting experience. Barely made it to my flight after needing 4.5 hours from Paris Gare du Nord to my departure gate - Schenghen flight. The so-called architecture of this airport is an insult to those passengers that have to use this disgrace of a labyrinth that should be demolished and rebuilt from scratch. The tiny and crowded walkways the redundant direction displays contradicting each other the feeling of being buried alive in a nuclear shelter even the lack of shops! Staff was outrageous at best witnessed several members of check-in the staff snapping at confused Asian tourists. Once you get through the security controls be ready to stand in line for up to 20 minutes for a bottle of overpriced water at the single bar. Need to use the restroom? Too bad there's a flight boarding in front of it- the gate has been strategically located right between the exit of the security controls and the beginning of the queue with only a few dozens of chairs available. I will never use this airport again.

The staff were unfriendly and unhelpful pushing everyone out of the way with a queue barrier and I was also pushed into the crowd by the woman moving a security computer. The airport looks outdated and the staff are unfriendly - I was shouted at by a cleaner in the toilet and had to use the mens. We were not called for our flight and there is nothing to do or see in the airport and we only realised the flight was leaving when everyone was boarding as we hadn't been called. Booarding was a free for all with no effective system.