Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), commonly called Roissy by local travelers, is the main international airport serving Paris. The airport lies around 27 kilometres northeast of central Paris, in the Roissy-en-France area and across several neighboring communes. It is a large operating airport rather than a single terminal building: its passenger areas, rail stations, roads, car parks and internal transit system form a broad platform. That scale is useful for a global hub, but it means travelers should identify the exact terminal and airline instructions before setting out.
CDG opened in 1974 and was named for Charles de Gaulle, the French wartime leader and president. Its growth reflects the development of long-haul air travel and the Paris region as an international center. The familiar “Terminal 2” is itself a complex of halls rather than one simple departure room, while Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 have separate access points. Old articles that treat terminal numbers as fixed, current directions can quickly become confusing, especially for passengers connecting between flights or arriving by train.
