If you have ever taken an international flight and connected via Europe there is a good chance you have been in Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The airport is famous for the amount of connections it supports making it one of the busiest in Europe. It is also the most likely landing spot if you are flying into Paris.
Not surprisingly Air France, the flagship carrier of the country, calls CDG its home hub. With a hub model they have plenty of lounges throughout the airport with 6 in CDG airport alone with 1 of those lounges dedicated to La Premiere first class passengers. Not to mention Air France is consistently in our rankings with some of the best food amongst you can get in the sky.
Here is a list of all Air France lounges in CDG as well as Orly Airport.
I have been through CDG plenty of times but not always via Air France, which is usually the best airline to fly to Paris. If you are hoping to visit an Air France lounge you also receive access with status from Sky Team partners.
I currently hold Delta Platinum Status and this grants me access to Air France Lounges, even when flying in economy.
Related: The Best Marriott Hotels In Paris
I was on a short layover in Paris before catching my flight home and decided to stop into the lounge to check it out.
I visited the lounge in Terminal 2E, Hall L, which you should take note of since CDG is notorious for confusing terminal and hall maps.
The lounge is located on the second floor just past duty free and I was immediately welcomed in upon scanning my boarding pass that reflects my Delta status.
I visited during the mid afternoon and was quite surprised to see how empty the lounge is. There is nothing worse then entering a lounge and seeing it so full that it’s not even worth staying in.
This was not the case this time and I had plenty of space to choose where to sit back and relax.
What I like about Air France lounges is how divided each section is with each of them having their own bit of character.
It’s hard to miss the large center dining area that offers booth seating and a great place to have a meal or a drink.
When I visited I also got to witness them taking some content with a bartender mixing up cocktails right in the middle of the lounge section. I guess it really was a slow day.
As you head through the lounge there is a main dining area located all the way on one side with various outposts of snacks and drinks throughout the lounge.
When you approach the kitchen it is divided into three sections with a bar in between.
The first section had some French stapes: croissants and fresh bread. I don’t normally eat a pastry in a lounge but you are almost obligated to get one when in France.
There was also a soup offering that I didn’t end up trying but I did appreciate the sleekness of the dinnerware bowl they were serving it in.
The next dish was a salmon lasagne that I thought was a bit of an odd dish. You typically don’t mix seafood with cheese and I did end up trying some. I would say it wasn’t the worst thing I had but fish and cheese definitely don’t mix well so I would pass on this next time.
In between the food counters was a long bar that had plenty of champagne, wine, and even liquor available for self pour.
There is something nice about a lounge allowing you to serve yourself vs having a full service bar. Especially when lounges are crowded the lines at the bar tend to be some of the worst, as I experienced in the United Club at EWR many times before.
Next it was onto the cold bar that featured a number of salads including beats, coleslaw, couscous, in a build your own type of way. I also appreciated there was a selection of sauces and fried onions to add as toppings.
On this side of the bar there was more bread to select from as well as fresh meats and cheeses.
I was pretty surprised at the number of cold food options given the warm food was limited to soup and lasagna but I couldn’t complain given how comfortable the lounge was.
Next was the dessert bar that had a selection of cakes and tiramisu, as well as packaged yogurts.
While the main kitchen had the most food available what I really liked about the lounge was the smaller outposts of food and drinks throughout.
There was a smaller kitchen on the other side of the lounge that had a full refrigerator of drinks, coffee, as well as a subset of the food offering.
On this side it seemed to be strictly cold food with the same selection of meats and cheeses as well as the same salads that were found in the kitchen. This was the perfect spot for refills especially if you are sitting all the way on the other side of the lounge.
Lastly the lounge was not complete without a small section for kids. This featured a dedicated area with a PS4 and some other games. If you are traveling as a family this is a perfect spot to keep your kids entertained while you chow down on some food and maybe a glass of wine, or two.
Overall I didn’t have much of an expectation of Air France lounge but given we were in their home base of CDG they did a great job. The biggest factor was just how quiet the lounge was, which made it truly a relaxing place to spend some time before my flight.
If you are passing through CDG and thinking of stopping in the Air France lounge I would say it’s definitely worth it. For the best experience sit in the middle booths where you get a semi private space to relax and enjoy the lounge offering.