Paris CDG - Is 2 hours from landing enough to catch TGV?
 

We're scheduled to arrive at terminal 2E and plan on taking the TGV to Lyon. I see on the airport map that the train station is right between terminal 2C and 2E. Do you think 2 hours is enough time to get from landing, through customs and to the train without a problem? Thanks in advance!

It's not customs you have to worry about , it's immigration. Depending on how many planes have landed and if your flight is on time, 2 hours MAY be enough

Even with lines at immigration (passport control), two hours should be enough if your plane lands on time.

After you get through immigration and pick up your luggage you just walk through the customs area unless you have something to declare.

sure, it should be if you know what you are doing with the TGV and don't waste time looking around or figuring out what to do. It should be plenty of time, I'd say you should be done getting off the plane, getting luggage and getting through immigration in about an hour, or a bit more. I always have. 45 min is enough time to get over to the TGV station and get on the train, assuming you know what you are doing, and it helps if you already have your ticket.

When I first went to Lyon, it took me 45 minutes from 2E, incuding two stops to browse shops. I had carry on only, so that may temper my response.

I did the same in August 2007, 2 hours is enough time PROVIDED your plane is on time, the airport doesn't shut down for security breaches etc. I had checked luggage. I studied the airport layout extensivly BEFORE arriving at CDG so I knew where things were. But if you've not been in CDG before you may find the movement between arrival terminals and TGV very crowded and it can be slow going and frustrating.

I tend to give myself three hours... but that's more a personal call. It's never taken me 2 hours to get out of CDG, but I always remember the flight to London that had to land in Manchester due to fog in London that made us several hours late :)

it's risky. I've had it take more than an hour just to get through Immigration when a lot of planes landed at once. Then when we got to baggage claim, for the same reason, there was a mess since more than one plane's luggage was on the same carousel.

CDG is a huge airport.

From my experience you need at least two hours. The only plane connection that I ever missed in my 73 year-old life was at CDG. I was trying to catch a Rome flight. Landed an hour and a half before its ETD but because only three immigration drones were on duty I could not be cleared in time. Thankfully there were many Rome flights thereafter.

Some tips:
-You have to allow extra time for things like the above.
-Purchase your TGV ticket in advance. There is often a slow moving line at the TGV ticket office when you reach it.
-Hire a porter at the RR station; for this little expense you get taken to the right trsin car (can be confusing). The porter can also arrange for a porter to meet you at your destination RR stop.

Good luck. Any other questions please post.

Anthony (Poellretired)

The other assumption you're making is that your flight will leave the US on time. A delayed departure means you'll miss your train. Don't buy a non-refundable, non-changeable train ticket - or get travel insurance.

If you are on a European flight, no problem. If you are talking about an intercontinental flight, 2 hours would be quite risky.

We have arrived in CDG 6X in the past 10 years. It has never taken us 2 hours to clear customs/immigration, and get to the trains, so I was very surprised to read the above from other travellers. In fact, I have always found CDG to be one of the easier customs/immigration processes to deal with. Is it different flying in to France from Canada than it is from the US??

It should be do-able, but that said I always give myself at least 2.5 hours. Most of the time it takes me an hour or under to get to the station after landing and I have plenty of time for a coffee and newspaper at the station, BUT I have had situations where I waited nearly an hour for luggage (back when I checked things, which I no longer do); situations where the plane landed on time, but we didn't actually get off it for almost an hour; and situations where my plane was late taking off and I got in an hour or more late.