We will be in Dijon our last night in France. Our flight home to Toronto leaves at 11:40am. Checking the train schedules, it seems the first train we can catch is at 7:44, getting into CDG at 9:33am. Do you think we can get through check in and security in that amount of time?

Is the station far from the terminal we will have to get to? We are flying business class so will have priority check-in. Should say we are flying Air Canada.
Any help appreciated.

Air Canada says you can do web check-in for CDG, so that should help.
Of course, sometimes the online check-in fails unpredictably, at least that's my experience.

i don´t function well under these tight schedules that leave little/no room for error.

sorry!

If you are familiar with CDG, possibly you could make it. If not, I'd try to switch. CDG is an absolute nightmare to negotiate, and you have to wait for buses that make an incredibly long trip between terminals. The signs are very confusing, and at one point we got on the bus toward the wrong terminal. I'd definitely allow extra time.

I've taken a zillion flights from CDG back to the US, and am thoroughly familiar with the airport, and in the past 10 years I would never have considered arriving at CDG less than 3 hours before my flight, especially coming from Lyon. Nooooo way!

What terminal does Air Canada fly out of? the TGV station you'll arrive at is in Aerogare 2. If AC leaves from Aerogare 2, you've got up to a 45-minute shuttle ride, including finding the station, waiting for the shuttle, loading baggage, etc., to the other terminal.

I wouldn't do it.

Carley...I basically asked the same question a few days ago and have decided to change my car service time to allow for three hours. Better safe than sorry! I would alter my schedule if I could.

Carley, the Air Canada check-in counters are in Terminal 2C, about a 12 to 15 minute walk from the TGV station. (Go to the Aéroports de Paris website for maps of CDG: www.aeroportsdeparis.fr If you can picture this, the TGV arrives at the end of 2C that is farthest from 2A; you ride up a couple of levels on escalators, then follow the signs for 2A; AC is almost at the farthest end of 2A.)

If you are flying business class on AC, you do indeed have priority check-in. I have done this many times and it is generally a 15 minute procedure; the passport control and security chute is right beside the check-in area. I have never taken more than 15 minutes to get through. Once you are inside security, you'll find the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in the basement of the satellite building; the AC check-in staff will tell you how to find it. You should leave the lounge for your gate about 35 minutes before departure.

I've done it once or twice a year for the last eight years without any difficulty. But I must tell you that I always arrive three hours before my flight back to Canada and always end up sitting in the lounge wondering why I arrived so early. Can't help it, it's just the way I'm wired. But I do know other travellers who regularly fly AC business class out of CDG and they never arrive more than 2 hours before their flight.

Anselm

I just realized that I typed 2C in the first sentence rather than 2A. This was due to age, incompetence, or the second glass of wine with dinner.

AC leaves from CDG 2A.

AA

> the passport control and security chute is right beside the check-in area. I have never taken more than 15 minutes to get through.

Wow!

We have never gotten through security in under 0:40 hr, sometimes 1:15.

Maybe it's different for 1cl passengers.

Thanks for all the help. I should mention that this will be the middle of October if that makes a difference.

The problem that I am finding is that there is only the morning train on weekends, which would mean we would have to go into Paris on Saturday morning and spend the night there. That would be fine except that we are spending time there on our arrival. We would really like to have more days in Dijon area. If there was a late train out of Dijon on Sat. night to CDG that would be great, but not so.

Carley, I'm not at all familiar with the train service between Dijon and Paris, but could you take a late train from Dijon to Paris (ie, not CDG), spend your last night in Paris, and then take a taxi or bus out to CDG on Sunday morning?

It's a tough call, I realize, because your 2 hour TGV/plane connection should work at CDG, but the possibility of your train being late or some glitch at security, and your stress level would skyrocket ... well, mine would.

AA

seems there must be SOME way to get to paris from dijon, perhaps, BUS Or a less direct route the night before.

hope you can work it out.

i dont trust public transportation for short connections.
too may strikes. too many glitches.. i wouldnt always expect clockwork.

hey.. my keyboard is acting up and not writing the "signs" I am trying to write.. like apostrophes ççççç and question marks +++++

hope i can figure this one out ªªªª

I wouldn't risk taking a train from Dijon on the morning of your departure- it's definately a Murphy's Law thing.

I just quickly looked at the train schedules and while you can't get an evening train directly to CDG on Saturday evenings, there are two evening options for the TVG to Paris- one departs Dijon at 8:20pm and arrives at the Gare de Lyon at 9:59pm; the other departs at 9:44pm and arrives at 11:24pm. If it were me, I'd take the 8:20pm train, then get a taxi from Gare de Lyon to CDG and stay at an airport hotel. That is if I really wanted to spend as much of my last day as possible in Dijon, instead of a last short day in Paris.

Have you considered switching your itinerary around, and making Paris your last city instead of your first? It might make for a more efficient use of your days, if it's possible.

Wow, I second the people mentioning train strikes! You never know. I would never plan to come in by train to meet a plane home.

I'm with Apres_Londee on taking the 20:20 train from Dijon to Gare de Lyon. If you pack light enough to easily schlepp your own luggage, you can take the RER D from Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord, transfer there to the RER B, and take it to CDG. Fare: 8.20€. Be aware that the RER B line divides northeast of Paris so be sure to get on a train that is going to CDG.

Thanks everyone, really appreciate all your advice. We have now decided that since we will still have the car in Dijon we will just keep it and drive into CDG on Saturday night and stay at the airport.

We are going to stay in Beaune for a couple of days and then we were going to get rid of the car in Dijon and spend the day and night there. Now we will just keep the car and turn it in at the airport. We are thinking it shouldn't be too busy Sunday night so hopefully we can manage to navigate it okay. Do you think this is feasable? Any ideas of where to park the car in Dijon so that we can get out of the city easily. Can we park on the outskirts and not have to drive in the city?

We really can't change our schedule as we want to wind down after the flight in Paris (already been there)and then are heading up to Normandy and over to the Loire and have some reservations already made.

I think this should work out okay, at least I hope so.