Can someone 'dummy down" this Schengen business, and put it in a one sentence nutshell.?
 

We returned two weeks ago from driving S. France, N. Italy (and Tuscany), and Switzerland. Flew in and out of Geneva. Never had passport control except when arriving in Geneva (and back in Newark),....
We were driving a car the whole time, and zipped right through from country to country....Switz to FRance to Italy to Switzerland, back to FRance(Evian) and back to Switzerland.
Never have heard of the Schengen??? and we travel to Europe once a year usually.
Just a simple explanation.!

I doesn't have a whole lot to do with the poster who originally asked if they could make a one hour connection at CDG., does it?

Schengen is a treaty between most countries in western Europe (not Switzerland on the continent or UK). It just means that they have open borders between the countries (similar to our states). When you go from Germany to France or Austria you will no longer have passport control or customs. You will have passport control at the airport where you first land and custom where you pick up your checked luggage.

Schengen is a treaty between most countries in western Europe (not Switzerland on the continent or UK). It just means that they have open borders between the countries (similar to our states). When you go from Germany to France or Austria, for example, you will no longer have passport control or customs. You will have passport control at the airport where you first land and custom where you pick up your checked luggage.

The Schengen treaty deals with people crossing borders, joint visa procedures of the signatories, but does not deal with goods and customs. Not every EU member state has implemented the Schengen treaty, nor is every "Schengen country" necessarily a member state of the EU.

Customs regulations are harmonized within the European Union, not (necessarily) within the Schengen countries.

Going from Germany to Ireland, you will have to go thru immigration and show your passport, but you can bring (within certain personal use criteria/limits) as much alcohol or tobacco with you as you want.

Going from France to Norway, you will not have to show your passport, but the amount of alcohol or tobacco you can bring into the country without having to pay duties is strictly limited.

Schengen is a small village on the Moselle in Luxembourg, directly at the borders to Germany and France.

Here, the treaty was signed to open the borders within the European Union. Between Schengen countries, there are no border controls (except sample checks in special situations, e.g. to search criminals, drug dealers, terrorists or, even worse, tax evaders).

Today, practically all EU countries have signed Schengen with the exceptions of United Kingdom and Ireland. Even Switzerland (not an EU member) has signed the Schengen treaty.

For a map and further information see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement

mari5's experience has little to do with Schengen. I was doing journeys just like the one she describes - with no passport control - 30-odd years ago, and Switzerland's not an active member of the Schengen system yet anyway.

Most countries in Western Europe have long had some unsupervised borders with their friendly neighbours - though of course not all neighbours are friendly. As far as day to day travel is concerned, the Schengen agreement merely universalises the rough and ready practices most countries operated at many frontiers already.

For a tourist treat all the members of Schengen as a single country to which you are allowed to stay for 90 days in the 180 days following the date of first entry to the "country" of Schengen.

You will pass thorugh immigration at the first point you enter the "country" of Schengen.