Whether you are an experienced airport sleeper or new to the game, this sleep guide will give you the essential information to better prepare you for sleeping in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Our guide is updated with the help of airport sleepers who tell us about their experiences at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. If you have a tip to share, write a review to help us keep this sleep guide up-to-date!
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Sleeping in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Overnight
The Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is open 24-hours, but if you haven’t gone through Security before the checkpoints close for the night, around 11:00PM or later, you will have to stay in the check-in or arrivals pre-Security.
Locations & Seating
The availability of seating here varies widely across the many terminals and concourses, though by and large the seats are equipped with armrests. Some travellers have luck pushing seats with armrests together to form makeshift beds. Terminals 2A and 2E are reportedly the most comfortable for overnight stays, with T2E offering the most seating options.
Here are good sleep spots that travellers have reported:
- In Terminal 2D, look for the coffee machine where there is a small nook which, aside from the noise of the cleaning staff and the lights which are left on, reportedly provides a quiet and comfortable spot for sleeping.
- In Terminal 2E, head to Gate L, upstairs from the train, for orange couches.
- In Terminal 2E, a free rest area near Yotel has carpeting and is much quieter.
- Pre-Security, many check-in counters have soft seating areas in front of them.
Travellers recommend avoiding the Metro stop for sleeping. The station itself may not be patrolled by security guards, so homeless and vagrants tend to gather here.
Rest Zones
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport offers one or more designated rest zones with semi-reclined lounge chairs, perfect for relaxing and napping before your flight. At least one such rest zone is at the far end of Terminal 2E, near Gate K30.
Temperature
Expect chilly temperatures all night long, no matter the time of year. Arrive prepared with a blanket or even a sleeping bag. A hoodie provides extra warmth if the terminal gets even colder.
Lighting
Lights seem to stay brightly lit throughout the night. Come prepared with eyeshades or something else to cover your eyes, such as a shirt or towel.
Noise
The noise here is what you’d expect of a major international airport. During the day, you’ll hear the noise from frequent announcements, TVs and speakers, and other travellers and airport workers. At night, it does quiet down significantly, but still expect noise from cleaning crews, security guards, and other campers. Come prepared with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.
Airport Staff
Airport staff are quite tolerant of sleepers and overnight campers. Some travellers have mentioned specific reports of security guards helping them with their overnight stay, especially women and those who are travelling alone. Consider asking airport staff where they recommend you spend the night, as they may direct you away from dark corners or towards a more popular spot with better visibility and safety.
Weather Delays
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport sees more than its fair share of flight cancellations due to bad weather or transportation strikes, but this means they are more prepared than other airports. When mass cancellations happen at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, cots are available for stranded passengers who opt against getting a hotel room. To find them, ask an airline or airport employee or use a courtesy phone to reach someone who has access to this information.
Please note that cots cannot be reserved in advance and they are not available simply because you decided to spend the night at the airport before an early-morning departure.
Showers
Freshen up (and loosen those stiff muscles) with a shower before your flight. Showers can be found in a few of the pay-to-use lounges as well as the YOTELAIR transit hotel. See our Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Guide for locations and details.
Food & Drink
No food concessions stay open 24-hours, so stock up on food and water before the eateries and convenience stores close for the night.
Hotels
Prefer some privacy and comfort? If you would like a good solid sleep between flights without the stress of going through security, a transit hotel is available. YOTELAIR transit hotel has 80 rooms, rentable by the hour or overnight. The rooms are equipped with a private shower. YOTELAIR is located in Terminal 2E, Satellite L, so it is only accessible to for those travellers departing for or in transit to or from a destination outside of the European Union (excluding the UK) from Terminal 2E, K, L, or M. If you don’t qualify for a transit hotel, on-site hotel options include: Ibis, Citizen M, Hilton, Sheraton and Novotel. Several more hotels are located within a short drive of the airport. See the hotel section in our Airport Guide for locations or visit Tripadvisor to find hotels deals at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Lounges
While Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has several lounges, none have designated sleep rooms or rest areas. If you just want to relax in a comfortable seat, check out this list of lounges in our Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Guide that you can pay to access.
Security & Safety
At the time of this update, many travellers have felt safe at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, especially with airport security on patrol throughout the night. A few travellers have reported homeless and vagrants congregating in the Metro station. One incident in particular involved a person pretending to need help and asking for 15 Euro to “borrow” for a few minutes, only to disappear altogether.
As a precaution, here are a few tips to ensure you have a safe airport sleeping experience:
- Know Where Security is Located. Whether you are sleeping in the airport by yourself or with friends, it is good to know where security is. Know where their office is located and look for video cameras in the spot you decide to stay the night. Ask security where it is safe to spend the night. They’ve probably seen many airport sleepers before you and they will direct you to a safe spot.
- Don’t Seclude Yourself. If you are travelling alone we recommend that you sleep near other travellers or close to security.
- Hide Your Valuables. Don’t leave all your mobile devices out in plain view. We have received reports from people who woke up with earphones and no ipod and a laptop bag strap and no laptop bag (or laptop). Same goes with important documents and money. Keep these secure on your body, so that no one can get them without waking you up.
- Secure Your Bags. If you are a deep sleeper, you may want to padlock your bag to something. If your bags have zippers turn the bag upside down (zippers to the floor) or sleep with your bag up against the wall, so that it would be hard for someone to access.
- Choose to Stay Alert. If you don’t feel safe, drink coffee and stay awake and be alert. You can always sleep on the plane!
Pro-tip: If you are sleeping in the public zone, don’t be surprised if you receive an early morning wake-up call. Security is known to make the rounds waking people up as travellers begin to arrive for morning flights.
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