CDG Rendezvous

Here's the situation: my son and I will be flying into CDG May 28 from Cairo on AF on business class tickets purchased with Delta Skymiles. We arrive into CDG at 11:10 am into T2C. My wife and daughter arrive into CDG T1 from FRA on LH 3.5 hours later. We will then travel together to our hotel in Paris. So, I have a few questions:

1) My son and I are planning on crashing at the T2C arrivals lounge for a while. There should not be a problem doing this, should there?

2) Where would be the best place to meet up with my wife and daughter when they arrive? None of us has ever been to CDG before, so we are worried about not being able to find each other. I understand there is a shuttle bus that we can take from T2 to T1, but then what?

3) I thought I saw somewhere that taxis do not take more than 3 people. If this true, what is the next best way to get to our hotel? I would assume there are larger cars avail?

The last time I tried to use the arrival lounge in order to take a shower while waiting for a connection (ATL-CDG-ZRH) we got into CDG at about the same time as you. After passing immigration, we got to the lounge and it was closing at 12... No showers.

You might have to wait in one of the terminals without access to lounge. If this is the case, there are some restaurants (fast food places, rather) between T2C and A. It would be one of the easiest place to meet someone as at least you can sit and watch planes while waiting. It does not require much searching to find someone.

From CDG to Paris, I'd suggest you should take the RER Train into Gare du Nord and a cab from there. You would save quite a lot of money and get into the city faster. I still don't understand why people insist on taking cabs into the city. It is true that most of the cabs don't take more than 3 people. This has to do with the size of most cars. There might be a van among them, but very seldom. Depending on which hotel you go to, you might even be better off taking the subway, unless you got a pile of luggage.

Have a good trip.

The easiest way for you , to make sure that you find each other would be for you to shuttle it to T1. Take the elevator to the arrivals level and wait for them by exit 34. There is a small coffe shop there !
If you�re taking one of the airport busses or the train to Paris it�ll cost about 7-8 euro for each you - so a taxi is undoubtly the best solution.
I should add that T1 is not the most interesting to place to wait - so spend as much of your "crashing time" at T2 as you can , before shuttling to T1.

The AF arrivals lounge normally closes at 2:00 PM. I have used it several times after 12.

The Sheraton CDG lobby bar (right above the railway station, between Terminals 2C/D & Terminals 2E/F) is also a pleasant place to spend some time.

And there are restaurants in addition to the fast food outlets mentioned.

Thank you all for the info!!! Looks like I will keep my fingers crossed that the T2C lounge is open until 2:00 that day; then take the shuttle to T1; and meet the family on arrivals level at the coffee shop near exit 34!!!

I found this info in a CDG airport guide updated July 2003:

supplement for 4th person in taxi : 2.90 euro
suppl. bagage > 5kg : 0,90 euro
suppl. for an animal !!! : 0,60 euro.

So apparently the taxis do accept a 4th passenger.

OK, so now I have this vision of some FTers (you know, the ones who drive 2 hours to buy something that's $10 cheaper in the next state) who arrive as a group of 4 at CDG.

One of them brings along a gorilla suit in his suitcase, then changes into it for the taxi ride into town in order to save �2.3.

That is IF the taxi decides to take a fourth passenger. Most times it is a space issue, but not always.

I once had a cab driver in Paris not take me because he wasn't going, or didn't wan't to go in the direction I was headed?!? I have a slew of Paris travel stories like this.

My guidebook says that taxis can refuse to take the fourth passenger, but if they do, there is that extra charge.