Plane spotting at Paris-Charles de Gaulle: spots, runways and photo permit

You are standing on the small hill by the gendarmerie, the sun at your back, and one Boeing 777 after another lifts off from 27L. Half an hour later the wind shifts, and suddenly everything takes off in the other direction – on the other side of an airport bigger than some small towns. Plane spotting at Paris-Charles de Gaulle is great, but it rewards preparation: you need to be able to read the runway system, keep the photo permit in mind and know which spot pays off for which runway direction. This guide helps you with all of that.

Plane spotting at Paris-CDG: the short answer

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (IATA CDG, ICAO LFPG) lies about 23 kilometers northeast of downtown Paris near Roissy-en-France and has been in operation since March 1974. It is the home hub of Air France and the most important airport of the SkyTeam alliance in France. In 2025 it handled just over 72 million passengers, placing it among the busiest airports in Europe.

For you as a spotter that means: lots of traffic, lots of long-haul types, but no comfortable observation deck. Spotting is done from fields, hills and roadsides around the airport grounds. If you understand the runway system, have a photo permit and are mobile, you will experience one of the most varied spotting days on the continent here.

The runway system: two doublets, land outside, take off inside

CDG’s four runways lie in two pairs, the so-called doublets. The north doublet consists of 09L/27R and 09R/27L, the south doublet of 08L/26R and 08R/26L. Between the two pairs lie the terminals, the aprons and the area around Roissypôle. Why the runways are called 08 and 09 even though they are almost parallel is explained in the article Runway designations at airports.

Runway	Doublet	Length (approx.)	Main use
09L/27R	North, outer	2,700 m	Landings
09R/27L	North, inner	4,200 m	Takeoffs
08L/26R	South, inner	4,100 m	Takeoffs
08R/26L	South, outer	2,700 m	Landings

The principle is easy to remember: the outer, shorter runways mainly take landings, the inner, long runways mainly takeoffs. That way landings and takeoffs can run independently in each doublet, and departing aircraft do not have to cross a landing runway. According to spotter guides, in quiet periods landings are occasionally made on the inner runways too – so do not rely on it blindly.

West operations and east operations

The wind determines which direction is flown. With a west wind, operations run face à l’ouest: landings on 27R and 26L, takeoffs on 27L and 26R. With an east wind it is face à l’est: landings on 09L and 08R, takeoffs on 09R and 08L. Over the long term, westerly operations prevail, but individual months can look quite different. How wind and runway direction are related in general is explained in the guide Understanding runway direction at an airport.

Runway direction	Landings	Takeoffs	Worthwhile spots
West operations	27R, 26L	27L, 26R	Gendarmerie hill (27L), Le Mesnil-Amelot (27R), Tremblay cemetery and cargo area (26R)
East operations	09L, 08R	09R, 08L	Dog park (09L), Virage Météo (09R), Tremblay cemetery and Aéroville (08R), poplars on the south side (08L)

North or south?

Both doublets are active at the same time, and you will never see all the traffic from one point. Many spotters observe that Air France and its regional subsidiary mainly use the south side. On the north side, Star Alliance airlines and the freighters of FedEx Express, whose European hub is at CDG, show up more often. If you want to catch a specific aircraft, check on a flight tracker which runway it lands on and choose the doublet accordingly.

Photo permit: it does not work without paperwork

This is the most important difference from German airports: at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, photographing aircraft is only allowed with written permission, and according to spotter guides this now also applies to Orly and Le Bourget. The state security authorities of the Paris airports are responsible. According to current spotter guides, you submit the request by email, ideally in French, attach a copy of your ID and state the period and planned locations. Processing can take several weeks, and according to these reports foreigners currently no longer receive multi-year permits.

Checks are not equally strict everywhere. Police or airport staff are most likely to ask for the paper at spots right at the fence, less often at spots farther out in the field. Still, plan as if you will be checked: the permit and your ID belong in the camera bag. You can read more about legal questions abroad in Spotting abroad, and about how to behave during checks in Police checks while spotting.

Spots on the north side

Gendarmerie hill: takeoffs on 27L

The small hill in the field near the gendarmerie is one of the most popular spots on the north side. You park at the gendarmerie’s visitor parking lot and walk about 100 meters into the field. With west operations, takeoffs rotate on 27L in front of you. In summer the light works from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in winter all day. About 300 mm is enough for widebodies, closer to 400 mm for narrowbody jets. You do not need a ladder – only the dog unit nearby provides background noise.

Virage Météo: taxiways and takeoffs on 09R

A few minutes’ walk farther on lies the area at the bend by the weather service, known among spotters as Virage Météo. Here you see taxiing traffic on the taxiways and, with east operations, takeoffs on 09R. The range goes from a wide-angle for taxiing aircraft to a telephoto. A ladder helps here to shoot over the fence. Parking right at the spot is not possible; spotters leave their car at the gendarmerie. Without a car you can take the bus from Roissypôle to the Zone Technique.

Dog park: landings on 09L

For east operations, the field west of the airport grounds by the dog park is a proven address. You drive past the Air France hangars and the FedEx cargo area heading west and finally along a bumpy dirt track. Landings on 09L come in over the field but are far away – for narrowbody jets you need about 500 mm. The area is remote and not especially well kept, so take only what you need and leave nothing visible in the car.

Le Mesnil-Amelot: landings on 27

With west operations, landings come in from the east over the village of Le Mesnil-Amelot. Spotters park near a closed road on the edge of town and walk to their position. With a zoom up to about 300 mm you fill the frame with the approaches to 27R and 27L. There are restaurants and hotels in town – handy if you stay several days.

Spots on the south side

Tremblay-en-France cemetery: 08R and 26R

At the cemetery on the northern edge of Tremblay-en-France you see landings on 08R with east operations and takeoffs on 26R with west operations. If the gate is open, you use the parking lot; a small hill in front improves the angle. Power lines partly get in the way but leave gaps. Of course the rule here is: quiet, respectful and no picnic among the graves.

Aéroville and dirt track: landings on 08R

At the Aéroville shopping center south of the airport grounds you can also photograph landings on 08R. The light works here only from May to August, early in the morning or in the evening. The advantage: restrooms, food and drinks are close. Near the mail center (Hub Postal) there are further spots for 08R on a dirt track, reachable by bus from Roissypôle – handy for anyone arriving by RER B.

Poplars and retention basin: takeoffs on 08L, landings on 26L

East of the field spots on the south side are two more locations with a view of the south doublet. At a row of poplars you photograph takeoffs on 08L, at a stormwater retention basin mainly landings on 26L. Since guardrails block off the lay-by, parking there is difficult. In summer the air often shimmers over the long runways – the tips from Avoiding heat haze help.

Cargo area: takeoffs on 26R on a summer evening

In the cargo area on the south side you photograph takeoffs on 26R on summer evenings with the light from behind. The window is narrow – roughly May to August, from early evening – but when it fits, it is worth it. Watch out for truck traffic and do not park in company parking lots such as UPS’s.

Terminals, hotels and the Concorde

There is no public observation deck at CDG. If you want to see the apron and registrations, book a room with a view: the Sheraton right above the train station at Terminal 2 looks onto taxiways and the apron in front of 2C, where according to spotter guides widebody jets of the Gulf airlines often stand, such as the Airbus A380 of Emirates or Qatar Airways. Some hotels in Roissypôle between the terminals also offer a view of taxiways from higher floors. The article Hotels with runway views in Europe collects more ideas.

The retired Air France Concorde F-BVFF also stands on the airport grounds. It can be seen from the outside and is a popular subject for a short stop. The story of the supersonic jet is told in The Concorde. Photographing in and around the terminals has its own rules, summarized in Photographing in the terminal.

The perfect spotting day at CDG

The exact light windows depend on the date and the spot. How to calculate them is shown in Planning with the sun position. With the sun position planner in Planetrack you see right on the spot map when the sun is at your back at your location. Which long-haul flights arrive when is put in context by When long-haul flights land in Europe.

What you can get in your viewfinder at CDG

Paris is the best place to collect the Air France fleet. On long-haul you see the Airbus A350-900, the Boeing 777-300ER and 777-200ER as well as the Boeing 787-9. On short and medium haul the Airbus A220-300 and models of the A320 family fly. Add to that Embraer regional jets of Air France Hop. Which long-haul jet is which is explained in A350 or 787? and Telling the Boeing 777 and 787 apart.

Besides Air France, CDG is a meeting place for airlines from all over the world: SkyTeam partners such as Delta, the Gulf carriers, airlines from Africa and the Indian Ocean such as Air Austral, plus easyJet with a base in Paris. In the cargo area you find FedEx’s Boeing 777F and other freighters – tips in Recognizing cargo aircraft and Express integrators DHL, FedEx and UPS.

Getting there, distances and equipment

Beneath Terminal 2 there is a train station with a TGV stop, and the RER B runs from downtown Paris to both large terminal areas. For the spots out at the fence, though, that is only the first step: the buses from Roissypôle take you to the Zone Technique and the cargo areas, and after that you reach many spots only on foot. Even by car, switching between two locations often costs a lot of time because of the long distances. Bring food and water and do not leave valuables visible in the car.

Because of the large distances to the inner runways, a telephoto zoom of at least 300 mm makes sense, for narrowbody jets rather 400 to 500 mm. More on this is in Lenses for plane spotting. Ladders are officially not allowed at CDG, but many field spots work without one. Drones have no business near airports – the basics are summarized in Drones at airports. And because construction work at CDG keeps changing access, the rule is: shortly before your visit, check current spotter forums to see whether your spot is still reachable.

Paris as a spotting destination

Compared with Schiphol and its runway puzzle, the system at CDG is easier to grasp, but the logistics are more demanding. If you have already spotted at Heathrow, you know the principle of separate landing and takeoff runways. Around Paris, Paris-Orly Airport and the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Le Bourget are also worthwhile, where the Paris Air Show also takes place in odd-numbered years. The best spotting spots in Europe presents more destinations.

Conclusion

Plane spotting at Paris-Charles de Gaulle is no stroll to an observation deck but a day with a plan. The runway system is quickly understood: landings outside, takeoffs inside, and the wind decides between east and west operations. The real hurdles are the photo permit, long distances and changing access. If you prepare for that, you are rewarded with a huge Air France fleet, long-haul jets from all over the world and freighters.