Margo

Sister and I are flying separately to CDG in Sep. As it turns out she goes into Terminal 2 at 850am and I go to Terminal 1 at 930am. Where would be a good place to meet? How far apart are the two terminals?
I can't tell from the website map but it looks like one needs to take a shuttle.
Also we will need to go to the Europcar rental site to pick up our car. Would this be a good place to meet? I notice that Europcar has a desk in both Terminal 1 and 2. Does one then take a shuttle to the car pickup site?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

StCirq

Have her take the shuttle to terminal 1 (yes, they are a good distance apart) and meet you at the information booth at door/gate/porte 34.

Margo

StCirq--this sounds like a straight-forward idea. Is gate 34 information booth readily visable and accessible so that if I told my sister to meet me at gate 34, terminal 1, there would be no problem? Is it located after I come out of baggage pick-up? Sometimes one cannot go to any gate unless they have a boarding pass, not sure about CDG.

StCirq

Margo: It's not a "gate" per se, but one of the entrances/exits to the airport. Terminal 1 is circular, with numbered doors all around it. Door # 34 is directly opposite the Air France shuttle ticket booth and the stop for all AF shuttles. Coming from Terminal 2 on the AF shuttle, she should have no problem - just get off at the stop outside door #34, which should be the last stop going in that direction. The door is clealy marked 34. If she goes inside the door, the information booth will be right there on her right.

When you arrive, unless there is some detour due to construction or something, you will go through Customs and come out right in front of door #34. The Information booth will be ahead of you a bit to the left.

There is also a cafe opposite the information booth where you might opt to meet.

Andre

Hold on there...

You can't take the Air France bus between terminals, only to/from Paris. Your sister needs to take the free ADP shuttle bus to terminal 1, which will drop her off at the lower level (shopping concourse) of terminal 1. I would suggest that she stay there and you meet up at the (shudder) McDonald's on that level.

Hope this helps,
Andre

StCirq

André - I've taken the AF shuttle between terminals a number of times. I believe at least two of the four routes make stops at both terminals.

ron

Not addressed in these answers is the location of the Europcar car park, or whether they have separate car parks at each terminal. I do know that when we rented from Europcar last year, their car park was very short walking distance from their desk in T2. In our situation we picked up the rental car at T2, drove to T1, parked the car, found my daughter in T1, paid for 15 minutes parking and left.

The approach recommended above would seem to be more time-consuming, particularly if one had to shuttle back to T2 to claim the car.

Andre

StCirq,

Trust me on this - I am 100% absolutely sure. I basically lived at CDG (used it at least once a week) in 2000/2001.

The CARS AIR FRANCE take you to/from central Paris and you must pay to use them.

The ADP (Aéroports De Paris) shuttles run between terminals and are free. These buses are white and yellow and do NOT have an Air France logo.

Here's a map of the ADP shuttle routes:
http://www.adp.fr/webadp/a_cont01.nsf/0/7D6D3B8F4EDA9373C1256B1F0059E5CB/$File/cdgjour.jpg

Margo's sister needs line 1. The map also shows which exit numbers at terminal 2 are served by the shuttle.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Andre

Good point, Ron!

The car rental companies are present at each terminal. In terminal 1, the cars are parked in the garage on the upper levels of the terminal itself - quite convenient, no shuttle required.

Hope this helps,
Andre

StCirq

Well, Andre, I want Margo to have the most useful information possible, so I will defer to your clearly superior knowledge of CDG airport, but I am sure I am not dreaming about having taken the AF bus between airports. I have also taken the ADP shuttle.
Now I'm wondering if I've really been to France! Oh no! It's all a dream!
Margo - take André's advice.

Margo

Thanks so much for all the good suggestions. Sister will take the ADP shuttle to Terminal 1, get off at the lower level shopping concourse. How difficult will it be to get to gate 34 information booth from there? Is it just "upstairs"?

Sounds like picking up the car at Europcar in Terminal 1 will work well.

While I am at it, our first stop after car pickup is at Vaux le Vicomte south of Paris in Melun. Is there a "best" way to go, avoiding traffic delays, etc. It will be on a Sunday around 1100am if all goes well.

Andre

Margo,

Again, I would recommend that your sister wait for you at the McDonald's on the lower level of terminal 1 - it's convenient to where the shuttle bus arrives and there will be seating in case you're delayed (or she is).

Otherwise you could also just agree to meet up at the Europcar counter at terminal 1. Can't recall if there are seats nearby though.

BTW, Ron's suggestion of picking up the car at terminal 2 and driving to terminal 1 is also a very good one, especially if your sister has lots of luggage. She can park in the same garage that the rental cars are in, right on top of terminal 1.

To get to Melun & Vaux-le-Vicomte, you will want to take the "Francilienne" road (A104/N104), which bypasses central Paris. I would strongly recommend buying a Michelin map of greater Paris - will check which map number it is when I get home.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Andre

Margo,

That would be Michelin map 106 - environs of Paris / environs de Paris.

Hope this helps,
Andre