The second European airport in terms of passenger turnover is the French Charles de Gaulle. In the world list, he is in eighth place. Without further ado, it’s clear that for France and Paris this is the main airport and interchange hub. Every day, the runway of Charles de Gaulle Airport receives and sends about one and a half thousand aircraft owned by more than one hundred different airlines in the world. During the same period, the airport manages to serve up to one hundred and fifty thousand passengers.
Charles de Gaulle is the main base for the national carrier of France - Air France. Here is the headquarters of the airline. Given the fact that the appearance of the entire airport complex looks quite unusual with the addition of a futuristic architectural style, he was chosen to shoot the films “Crew” and “Inquiry of the Pirks Pilot.”
Brief historical background
The construction of the airport began in the 60s of the last century. Its rough name sounded like "Paris Nord." The decision to build a new airfield was made after the realization that the available airports and runways in Bourges and Orly could not cope with the growing passenger flow.
However, in order to continue the construction, it was necessary to buy land from farms located earlier on the territory where the airport now stands. The courts lasted almost 10 years, and only in 1974 the first passengers passed through the doors of the new Charles de Gaulle terminal.
Location
The largest airport in Europe is located twenty-three kilometers from Paris. The Charles de Gaulle airport scheme includes three terminals designated by Latin letters and numbers: 1st, 2nd (2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2F, 2E, 2G) and 3rd.
Between the terminals you can move on the shuttle bass. They run every seven minutes, and bus stops are marked on the Charles de Gaulle airport map.
Airport terminals
The airport complex consists of three parts. According to the terminal scheme of Charles de Gaulle Airport, it looks like this:
- The first terminal to accept aircraft of all airlines in the world, with the exception of French ones.
- The second, accepting all flights from the Russian Federation.
- The third used by charter airlines and low-cost airlines.
First terminal
If you look at the scheme of Charles de Gaulle airport and find its first terminal, you will notice that it consists of four levels. The first one houses an information desk, cash desks for currency exchange, items for packing luggage and more.
The second floor is equipped with a Lost and Foundation room, reception desks, and so on. On the third floor, the main part of the terminal is border control and boarding gates. On the fourth floor is the arrivals area.
Terminal number 2
In the second terminal, designated 2A, there are currency exchange desks, baggage packing points and so on. In zone 2C, you can also wrap your bags and film tax returns at the Tax Free counter. According to the Charles de Gaulle airport scheme, terminal 2C is the territory of departure and arrival, which in turn are divided into two sites.
There is constant confusion with part 2E, since there are as many as three exit zones and one arrival at the same time. There are also a couple of passenger check-in desks. Throughout the territory of 2E, a special shuttle passes, which takes passengers free of charge to the required point, following the specified route on the floor. Special attention is paid to 2F, since there is only the arrival area. The remaining details should be considered directly on the terminal map of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.
Third terminal
The third terminal is used for departure and arrival by charter airlines and airlines providing low-cost flights (low-cost airlines). On its territory there are hotels with different price categories, and according to passenger reviews, this is a very convenient option, since charter flights can often be delayed. True, a small minus is the lack of telescopic ramps, so after landing passengers must wait for the buses that take them to the terminal doors.
Parking
On the scheme of the airport Charles de Gaulle, you can notice as many as ten parking zones. Each is under serious protection and almost everywhere the first ten minutes are free. In transit and airport territory you can move on special shuttles, in which you do not need to pay tolls.
Airport parking can be divided into three types:
- Short term. It is located closest to the entrance to the airport terminal and is convenient for fast disembarkation of passengers, but for a long stay you will have to pay a fairly large amount.
- Ordinary parking near all areas of the second terminal. Their cost is the same and they are ideal for meeting passengers.
- Long-term parking is located at a distance from the main terminals.
- Separate parking near the third terminal with the possibility of online reservation.
How to understand among the available parking areas?
Short-term outdoor parking is best used when the parking time does not exceed one hour. This parking lot is not suitable for a meeting, as passengers will go to it for a very long time.
Parking P1 is a two-minute walk from the first terminal. P3 parking is located near the third terminal. RAV parking is covered and located near terminal zones 2A and 2B. PCD parking is also covered and is located near zones 2C and 2D. PG parking can be found at the 2G terminal zone (from the parking lot to the check-in desks about two minutes on foot).
In the parking lot of the P3 Resa there are no free ten minutes that are on the rest. It is located at the third terminal and is suitable for those who want to leave their car for a long period.
PX outdoor parking is also intended for long-term parking and is located away from the main airport building. It takes about five minutes to get from it to the first terminal, but you will have to use a free shuttle. It takes about ten minutes to zones A, B, C, D, E, F of the second terminal, of which four minutes will be spent on reaching a stop with a free shuttle and six minutes by bus to the terminal.
It takes about twenty-three minutes to get to zone 2G, of which six minutes will take the road to the stop with which the shuttle leaves for the second terminal, and after that you need to transfer to another free bus number 2. You can get to the third terminal in eight minutes, from which four minutes will go on the road to the stop and four on the shuttle to the third terminal.
Reviews
In their reviews on numerous travel forums, passengers note a problem with the informativeness of the airport’s official website. Also, many wrote that the lines for passing passport control are moving very slowly, ground personnel are clearly not coping with large flows of people.
Some speak very negatively about the lack of cleanliness at the terminals of the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. The scheme of the airport for most tourists is not very clear, as are the indicative tables hanging inside the terminal.