Spending a lot of time in transit at CDG has always been a problem since it is one of the most boring airports in the world. The French have not yet accepted the idea that an airport should also be a shopping mall and an amusement park.

However, other people have noticed that there is a need for people with a long transit -- yet not long enough to go into the city for a couple of hours -- and the Aéroville shopping mall finally opened last month in the cargo zone of the airport. Aéroville has shuttles from the terminals to the mall, but unfortunately, I don't know how they run.

Anyway, I did visit the mall a couple of weeks ago and made a photo report about it which you can see here: http://tinyurl.com/aerovillecdg

Frankly, I think it might be worth a couple of hours for people who have a couple of hours to kill, and also people with rental cars who want to spend the last night at CDG might find it useful for their last minute shopping. In the same vein, people who are arriving and picking up rental cars immediately to go elsewhere in France might find is useful for stopping at the Auchan hypermarket to buy some provisions and other necessities before they hit the road seriously.

Considering how big a pain it is to get through check-in and security at CDG, leaving the airport lacks enticement.

Once again, you have found another slice of life to share with us. I wish I had known about this two weeks ago, but then, by the time we got to Terminal 2, and checked in our luggage, I was in no mood to go elsewhere. This would be interesting for those with 4/6 hour layovers. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Thanks for the pics. It looks pretty upscale (except for McD's). One might wonder if the prices are the same as in city stores, and if the tax rebate system is easily accommodated.

Merci - yeh great for motorists leaving the airport.

again great photos.

Basically, it is just a way to make the best out of bad situation (being at CDG).