How to Spend a Layover in CDG Airport

In my most recent travels, I got the not-so-unique experience of a short one-hour layover. However, it became one of the most eventful layovers because of this simple fact: It was in Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport. 

​If you know anything about the infamously massive airport, many people consider it either amazing or entirely stressful. Smaller airports are easy for quick layovers: an hour for walking to a gate, grabbing a coffee, no problem. 

​In Paris, it can be much more chaotic. Plenty of people would groan and commiserate about being stuck at CDG, but as an airport enthusiast, I’m here to share my best tips. ​Especially since in my case, in my most recent travels, I actually did this layover twice on the same trip. 

​The original layover was only supposed to last one hour. I needed to take an international flight to fly back to Atlanta from Paris. Since I was coming from Austria, the first step was getting from the domestic terminal (also including European/Schengen flights) to the international side. 

An hour isn’t much time, complicating a layover. So your options for shopping and exploring are limited. 

​Navigation-wise, flights from the United States arrive in both Terminal 1 (eg, United) and Terminal 2 (eg American in 2A, Delta and Air France in 2E). There’s a lot of ground to cover walking in 2E, which may take more time than you expect. If you want to make other stops, you’ll have to plan accordingly. Note that 2G, situated farther away from the terminal 2 hub, requires a shuttle bus to access. It’s unique in that it’s a “silent” terminal, with no loud boarding announcements, and you may even see a robot cleaning the floors or collecting trash. 

​You can read more about the layout of Charles de Gaulle here. Once you make it to your gate, the rest is a breeze. 

An airport classic is to stop inside of a Relay or similar store for the things you may need to stock up on. Snacks, water, whatever that may be. Maybe even a good book or an eye mask. 

​If you have time to spare, I always recommend getting something from one of the airport cafes like Paul, a chain that serves sandwiches and baked goods. A baguette sandwich, latte, and Orangina is the go-to combination for me. Plus, if you get a pastry, you can always slip it onto the plane for a treat besides airplane food. Trust me, it’s worth it. 

​There are, of course, luxury stores and restaurants, but if you’re only left with 30 minutes, I wouldn’t recommend it. Unless you’re confident in your quick-paced abilities. In which case, you could drool over the fashionable items in Louis Vuitton. 

​I would hedge my bets on a baguette over a sit-down meal, though. 

In my case, by the end of that hour, plans changed. Our flight was cancelled, and we were being sent to an Air France-sponsored airport hotel. A one-hour layover turned into 12. 

​What do you do then? 

​Once we arrived at the hotel and set our stuff down, it was evening already. One option is to stay in the hotel and check out the amenities. Beyond a good shower and a bed, these airport hotels often have restaurants, lounges, maybe even a gym. If you’re tired or a homebody, this can be the perfect respite to relax before a long flight home. 

​If you’re like me, however, getting to Paris was worth a little hassle. 

​Most of the hotels are in the same radius, making it about a 40-minute drive into downtown Paris from there, depending on traffic. (Alternatively, take the RER B train into central Paris; it’s about the same time to Châtelet.) Even if you can’t go to a museum or landmark if you’re there in the evening, there are plenty of small things to do that scream “I’m in Paris!” 

For foodies, a first stop is a local cafe or brasserie. Paris is a city where people travel to eat, and you’ll find no shortage of restaurant recommendations on BP. But what I did is go on a quest for my idea of a perfect Paris meal: a baguette sandwich washed down with an Orangina. Then I simply walked the city streets to soak up the ambiance, and then I took a taxi back to the hotel. 

That’s one path. If you have more time or daylight, there are several other things you can do to pass the time. 

​Some easy effort and free activities in Paris include: 

• See the Eiffel Tower, especially at night 

• Walk along the Seine River 

• Admire the flowers and toy boats in the Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg 

• People watch from a cafe 

• Scope the sweet treats in a patisserie, or window shop in the beautiful boutiques 

• Listen to buskers on the street 

And those are only a few of the dozens of things you can do that don’t feel too time-consuming or stressful. Times like this are for enjoying the little things rather than the big attractions around the city. You might even feel like a local during the layover, experiencing places you wouldn’t normally gravitate to on a Paris trip. ​In my opinion, the hole-in-the-wall places are always some of the best. No matter where you go. 

On this long layover, the most important factors are that you’re fed and back at the airport hotel for bed, ready for the travel ahead. At the end of the day, in my eyes, Paris is Paris. Whether in the city or the airport, there’s much to do and love about simply being in the moment. 

​Who knows, you might even look forward to your next layover.