I'll be passing through CDG on my way to BSL on 2-Sep. This being my first trip to a country that's not attached to the United States, I'm a bit anxious about the experience.

Does anyone have any advice for me on negotiating CDG when the only French words I know are 'oui' and 'gauloises'? And pointers for a smooth trip through customs?

Also, on my way back on on the 4th I'll have some time to kill. It doesn't look like there's a president's club there, so I'm open to suggestions/recommendations on where to spend the time.

Thanks in advance...

Well, having been to CDG twice, let me just say that immigration and customs there are a joke (at least for me they were).

I presented my passport to the immigration man behind the counter, and he opened it up and gave it nothing more than a quick glance, not more than 5 seconds. He then handed it back to me, and I was off. He didn't even stamp it!

Customs was equally innocuous; they have the usual "Declare" or "Nothing to Declare" lanes. Everybody went through the "Nothing to Declare" lanes, and no one got stopped.

France can be a bit of a problem if you can't read French, as there seem to be very few signs in English. Fortunatly, I can read French fairly well, so that wasn't an issue for me. Most people seem to speak English reasonably well, so you can always ask if you need help.

As far as things to do in the airport, I was in the old terminal one, and there isn't much to do other than duty free shopping. A good time to stock up on those Gauloise cigarettes!

Hi, Nugget

You might want to check out a thread I started concerning getting through Immigration at Roissy/CDG in Paris:

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/Forum43/HTML/000002.html

Don't worry about Customs; it's nothing like the U.S. - you basically breeze on through the "NOTHING TO DECLARE (RIEN A DECLARER)" doors that are clearly marked with green lights.

All informaton and directional signs at the airport are yellow. They are usually in both French and English. If you get lost, the staff in the duty free shops or cafes tend to speak English and can be helpful.

On your way back on the 4th, I don't know how much time you will have. But the duty free shops in Terminal 1 are pretty good. If you want a decent meal, take the elevators that go to the airline lounges and head up to Level 11. There you will a restaurant called "La Terrasse de Paris", open 7 days a week from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM et 6:30 to 10:00 PM. It's not too expensive, good food in a standard hotel-like decor, with a view out onto the runways. You can just have a salad or a sandwhich or a full three-course meal with wine. It's air conditioned, which is unusual for this airport.

Have a good trip.



[This message has been edited by blairvanhorn (edited 08-26-2001).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Nugget:
....Also, on my way back on on the 4th I'll have some time to kill. It doesn't look like there's a president's club there, so I'm open to suggestions/recommendations on where to spend the time.

Thanks in advance...</font>

Since you are CO elite, it does not hurt to ask for a pass into AF's lounge. Duty shops are OK nothing special. Basel-Mulhouse-Friedburg airport is a quaint curious airport, physically in France, with territories for three countries - CH,FR,DE

First, Blair, thanks for the info on the resto. I have seen it many times but figured it was cost prohibitive. After I take some Oranginas from the lounge http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ftairports_forum/smile.gif, I may head over there. (cling, cling http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ftairports_forum/smile.gif )

"I'll be passing through CDG on my way to BSL on 2-Sep. This being my first trip to a country that's not attached to the United States, I'm a bit anxious about the experience."

Greetings. I am loving this airport site that Blair sent me to, I owe him BIG! Oh, don't let him hear that, http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ftairports_forum/smile.gif. He may call me on it, LOL

Ok, no problem and no reason at all to be anxious. Go and have fun! I am going for my first time to Europe since 9/11. I was there last summer and everything was great, bounced all over the place. Now, however, there will be more security(oh joy http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ftairports_forum/frown.gif ).

First, as for CDG, you'll be fine. The passport and customs officers don't seem to speak much English, why I will never know!?, as it might make sense(duh!). As for most others, airline employees, def. hotel, shops, Duty Free staff, they speak English, as it would be insane if they didn't. The French are a kind of people that if you show some basic respect to the French language, they will be very happy to help you out in English, and we are to some extent very much the same. Oh, as for the passport checks and customs, please, one of the easiest. Anyone who can take the US and sometimes Canada and Australia, Europe is a day at the playground
http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ftairports_forum/smile.gif. They don't do all the BS we do. I hate flying back into the US.

As for Basel, it is cool, as it is in 2 countries, with a French sector and a Swiss sector. Be careful which customs exit you take out as they are side by side, but take you literally to different countries. Fun but freaky, if you will. Also, Germany is very close by(Freiburg).

Find out if your flight from CDG is int'l or domestic? i.e. the AF flights from Orly that we took were domestic, hence, you left Orly from a domestic terminal and arrived at Basel(Swiss)/Mulhouse(France) domestically in France, BUT, then if you are arriving from outside the European Union, you must show your passport to the French officer and go to the INT'L baggage claim, collect your luggage, and then go through the appropriate exit. My family was standing at the domestic baggage claim and it was kind of fun to watch http://www.flyertalk.com/airports/ftairports_forum/smile.gif. Hey, I was nice and showed them the way. As we were going to Switzerland, it was no big deal, had to go through Swiss customs anyway, but would be a pain if you came back to France as you would have to show your passport 2X. UGH

If it is an int'l flight from CDG, I think it is, especially if it is a Swiss flight, then you just arrive as an int'l passenger and make the right exit. Lines can be long as there is only one station for passport check. We managed to get through before a ton of people came through(charter flight from Africa). Then they had a bomb scare and closed off the terminal so no one could come and go, dad wasn't happy about that.

Be sure to check out the observation deck there, as they get some odd planes, usually charter stuff. You will find more English and more English speaking people on the Swiss side. Plus, the Swiss side is cleaner, nicer, though to me atleast, Basel is the dump of Switzerland, sorry. too dirty compared to Swiss standards, but it is fun to be able to spit into 2 other countries.

FYI, the Basel Hilton is nice, and the Basel Railstation is large and fun to hang out at, with a Swissair store inside. Zurich is not far away, either.

Again, I wrote alot on this as it is an interesting airport. I hope that this info helps everyone out. ciao.

------------------
MD
AA PLT,1 MLN Miles+
Hilton Gold
Sheraton Gold

Thanks for the somewhat belated response. The trip I mentioned in my original post happened without any difficulty, partly due to the great advice and insight I got here. I've actually been back a second time since and it looks like I've got a third trip scheduled for later this month.

You're right on all counts, Basel is a great place. For those who are curious, I did post a trip report (http://www.ityt.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=124) of my second voyage detailing my experiences. I also took some pictures of both airports, CDG (http://www.ityt.com/gallery/CDG) and BSL (http://www.ityt.com/gallery/BSL).

For less travel-oriented pics, I've got my adventures in Basel and Colmar, France documented in this gallery (http://www.slacker.com/photos/basel2001).

Thanks again for the advice and input.

Cheers