Connecting at Paris-Charles de Gaulle: how much time you need

Paris-Charles de Gaulle is one of the few large European airports that publishes recommended connection times. They depend on the terminals you arrive at and leave from: 60 minutes if you stay in Terminal 3, 90 minutes within Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, and 120 to 150 minutes if you change terminal. The airport says these times apply to every type of transfer, Schengen or international.

So is one hour enough at Paris-CDG? By the airport's own figures, only for a connection within Terminal 3. For most connections it recommends at least 90 minutes.

Recommended connection times at Paris-CDG

The airport gives these times for information only. They're the same for Schengen-Schengen, Schengen-international, international-Schengen and international-international transfers, so the passport check is already built in.

If you booked both flights separately, nobody checks that your connection is long enough, and if the first flight is late the second airline doesn't have to wait or rebook you. Plan at least the time in the table, plus a margin for a late arrival. What happens if you miss a connection depends on how you booked.

Which terminal will you use?

Your boarding pass or booking shows the terminal. Paris-CDG has three: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 (divided into halls 2A to 2G) and Terminal 3.

The terminals get new names on 16 March 2027. Tickets are sold up to a year ahead, so some already show the new names:

Gates get new numbers too, with one letter and two digits. If a booking for a flight after March 2027 says "Terminal 2", it may mean today's Terminal 3.

Getting between terminals

• Follow the yellow "connecting flights" signs from the moment you leave the aircraft.
• Airside transfer shuttles link terminals without leaving the secure area. One runs between 2A/2C, Terminal 1, 2B/2D, 2E/2F (gate L) and 2E (gate M) from 05:30 to 23:30. Another runs between 2G and 2E (gate K) from 07:30 to 23:00, and other shuttles link 2G with halls L and M of 2E and, for Schengen transfers, 2F with 2G.
• Inside Terminal 2E, a free train links halls K, L and M for passengers who have already been through security.
• A free automated metro serves Terminal 1, Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 from 4:00 to 1:00, every four minutes on average.
• Terminal 2G is reached by a separate bus, every 5 minutes from 5:30 to 23:00. The full route takes 15 minutes.

Passport control and security

You go through border control when you enter or leave the Schengen area, for example when you arrive from outside Europe and connect to a flight within it. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), which registers travellers from outside the EU at the Schengen area's external border, has been fully operational at Paris-CDG since 10 April 2026.

If your final destination is in the EU or the Schengen area, you can leave the airport during a long stopover. The airport's advice: leave enough time to go through security and border control again.

Keep an eye on the first flight

Before you travel, add both flights to FlyingOver while you're online. You can then follow the first flight offline and see its estimated arrival, so you know early how much of your connection time is left. Once you're back online, times update with live data.