6 Hour Layover at CDG
 

CDG is not a familiar airport for us. We will be arriving on Air France, and have 6 hours before departing on Croatia Airlines to Zagreb. This is during the day. I know some of that will be spent in transit to another terminal. Any ideas as to where/how we might spend a few hours? I do not think we would leave the airport, unless there is something so close I won't be nervous about getting back in time.

It will be obvious when you are there as to what there is to do. There are some places to eat (very expensive), and a few shops, etc. One thing I do like about CDG airport is that you can rent a computer there by the hour, so if I have several hours to waste, I usually do that for an hour or so, even though it is expensive, of course (maybe 10 euro per hour). It's worth it to me to spend time. A lot of people travel with their own, of course, so they wouldn't have to do that. That would be something to do, of course (use your computer, watch something, read a book, etc.). a few hours isn't a problem for me, but six would get really boring.

There is this new shopping mall nearby called Aeroville. http://www.thelocal.fr/20131017/new-...-paris-airport
That says it has a cinema, which I would love at an airport, you could go to a film. It does sound like you have to leave the airport, so plan enough time for security if you do that (coming back).

My commiserations! CDG is very near the top of my worse airport list and all I can suggest is if you have status then hang out in the associated airport lounge.

I would go to the Aeroville mall and look around. The free shuttle departs from Roissypôle on the CDGVal rail line which connects the terminals.

Croatia Airlines departs from Terminal 1. This terminal has very afordable food. There are 3 restaurants on the ground floor (outside security). There's a McDonalds that is cheaper than typical within France, a fancier Hippopotomus Restaurant, and a bisto with real and affordable French food and they sell baguettes for 1.5 euros, little more than the street price. There is also a little mart that sells food.

I found Terminal 1 to be super nice, actually, a surprise after reading reviews. I had the shortest security line of my whole flying career-- no line at all!

Once you get to the CDGval in Terminal 2, Roissypole and Terminal 1 are just a few minutes away.

The new mall option sounds good!

<i>I found Terminal 1 to be super nice, </i>

Architecturally is wonderful. However, I have waited as long as 90 minutes in the check in line (United two weeks ago) and over an hour, on more than one occasion, in the passport control line.

It is the wait times and the lack of staffing that runs at the core of most complaints about CDG. Allow plenty of time to process through this airport.

We had a 45 minute wait for baggage checking, mostly for the Icelandair counter to open for the flight, and there is no passport control for flights to Iceland; Croatia is not Schengen yet but will be by 2016, so passport control currently in effect for that flight.

Thank you all. It sounds like with possible line delays 6 hours may not be all that long.

To ad to tom_mn's info

http://www.easycdg.com/1/airport-gui...ng-and-eating/

There used to be showers in the basement, I'd grab one.