How long does it take???

[wifey]

Hope someone -- anyone-- can give us an idea how long it takes to clear customs at Charles de Gaulles airport. We go at the end of the month and plan on only taking 3 pieces of hand luggage, so will not have to wait for a suit case.It would also help if you can tell us how long it takes to go from T3 to T2 via the free shuttle for the TGV. We have read that the service is being developed further to use trains next year and they will be alot more frequent once the service is operating. Still have not decided if we will go to DLRP by train or VEA bus. Our flight is due to land at 1745pm ––if there are no delays--so we have either option to use and the price only differs by 8 Euros.Only thing is if we miss the VEA it's quite a while until the next one ,not sure about waiting in winter weather.
Many thanks for all your help from Wifey

 

[Cyrano]

Can't help with TGV but hopefully someone else can.
We were there in the summer so possibly due to the sensitivities of London maybe the process was longer.
I'd say we took an hour to get through the gates, then into the hub and then clear customs.
The customs queues were long as they were recording everyones passport.

 

[Bexx]

From the plane landing, we managed to get on a VEA shuttle 45 mins later, and that was when we had to wait for our luggage and then shlep it over to Terminal 1 from Terminal 3!! But we were lucky as we managed to catch an airport shuttle just before it left - and I'm not sure how frequent they are. Getting through customs must also have been a lot quicker!

How much time were you hoping to allow yourselves?

 

[Salford Steve]

In August we managed to get through customs in T3 including waiting for bags in around 30 minutes! As there were 8 of us we had hired a taxi which was waiting at the door for us. We actually phoned ahead and got the Santa Fe to book us one which only cost 90 euros. 25 minutes after that we were checking in at the Santa Fe and 45 mins after that we were hitting the Park!

 

[wifey]

Bexx we were hoping to have 30 minutes ish (as the 1805 tgv is doubtful) however there's a 1825 tgv or a vea bus at 1815 or 1900 so we have a couple of options plus a little time to buy tickets, if you can make sense of that Wifey

 

[Bexx]

If you don't manage those, I think there is also a TGV at approx 18.40.

 

[wifey]

Bexx just a quickie why did you go to T1 from T3? Was it for the VEA as their website says it picks up outside T3?

 

[Bexx]

The VEA only started calling at Terminal 3 a couple of years ago. Once airlines like Easyjet started flying into CDG and using Terminal 3, it became more important to add on the extra stop for the VEA.

I last went before this change, so it's going to make life a lot easier this time. Be aware though, that Terminal 3 is the first one on the picking up run and the last one on the dropping off route - so you have to go all round the houses each time!!!

 

[BPTP]

We went last Friday and from landing at terminal 3 to arriving at the TGV station took an hour. This included a fairly quick passport check, a 'std' baggage reclaim, walking down to the airport shuttle stop with 2 children (4 & 7). We then took about 15 mins to suss out where to get tickets, train times etc. Worked out really well as we then had another 10 mins to wait for train (7.10 ish I think?). This was the first time we'd done this as opposed to VEA or taxi. As you say the price is about the same, not sure if we'd do it again as by the time we'd got the bus, then sussed out the train, the VEA would have probably been about the same length of time, maybe just a little longer. It seemed a bit stressful at the time as it was a first and our cases were heavy, but looking back it was fine. The return trip was a dream, our train from DLP was 16.30 and we were at terminal 3 checking in by about 5.10.

 

[BONITATIME]

Are you travelling on a eu passport as that will make it much quicker.

 

[wifey]

We all have full british passports, don't know if it makes a difference though it will be interesting to find out. Doubt they will even notice we were in the US back in June and still have the little green bits from their customs and immigration dept in the passports!Will they ask about food stuffs like the officials in Orlando? Wifey

 

[Cyrano]

Will they ask about food stuffs like the officials in Orlando? Wifey

Yep, even in Europe there are certain items that cannot be taken in. Given bird flu I imagine there is greater vigilance
I remember someone taking about margerine being confiscated. Although why you would want to take that to France is

 

[wifey]

I had read on the "know before you go" site that they will not allow you to take meat into the country but it's a bit vague about other stuff.

 

[wifey]

I should have said we don't want to take much with us, just the usual changes of clothes and toiletries and possibly a multipack of mars bars/ sweets and some pringles and hot chocolate sachets. If space allows in the hand luggage that is!!